I chose "Special Walnut" stain for our kitchen & surrounding floors - does anyone else have this color? I have a day or two to change my mind. I don't want to go too dark so the room isn't too dark and every spec of pet hair and dust doesn't show.
ETA: Our floor guys are going to paint a couple swatches. I appreciate any opinions on Minwax stain colors. Provincial? English Chestnut?
Post by lavender444 on Jul 18, 2012 10:05:48 GMT -5
We just had our Red Oak floors refinished and used Minwax's Dark Walnut. I love them! they are lighter than I expected, and are easier to keep clean than I thought. We have 2 toddlers and 2 big dogs. So far they do not show that much more dirt than the natural stain we had on them before. No noticeable stratches either, and my kids have dragged cars, toys and chairs all over them.
Minwax is not a great stain to use on floors. It is so watered down that you need to do multiple coats to get the color and look you want. Every coat of stain that is needed to be applied just means another opportunity for dust particles to get trapped in your finish. On a large HW floor area that could be a big problem. The one benefit of how watery it is is that it dries fast. Water based stains are much more inconsistent in how they absorb into the grain because the water in the mixture raises the grain as the stain is applied. If the mixture is not mixed well or more stain is applied in one area vs another it will show. Darker colors tend to be more blotchy with multiple coats so using a quality stain that only needs one coat is ideal. Solvent based stains are the best on finish carpentry as they give a richer color in just one coat as such they are what the professionals use. They have a higher % of solids, give a more consistent color, can be spot applied in lighter areas with little blending needed, and give a smoother finish (little to no sanding needed). Both my dad and father in-law are carpenters and they both use solvent based stains exclusively.
A number of blogs I read have discovered the same thing and have switched from Minwax (or similar stains) to quality solvent based stains for their floors:
Post by lavender444 on Jul 18, 2012 11:00:57 GMT -5
Water based stains use to be an inferior product, but they have come a long way in the last several years and are now equal, if not better than an oil based product. Our floor guys did 2 coats of stain and 3 of poly. Which is their standard on any floors. I trust the professionals and our contactor, who is a personal friend and would not misguide us. I'm sure your new floors will turn out lovely.
Well if you don't have a choice you don't have a choice. I thought you might have other options though because you were asking about SW stain in the other post.
Lavender yes water based stains have come a very long way in the last couple years especially in the exterior department. So much so that the national Forest Products Lab now recommended water based over solvent based for exterior purposes. Most of the benefits of water based stains only apply to exposed wood that is not getting covered with poly or some other type of sealer. Solvent based is still the preferred finish if you want a dark, rich color. For example your floor looks much lighter than the color of the stain you used:
If you were actually trying to get that color you would have had to apply more coats. With each coat that is applied less stain is absorbed so you would probably need 2-3 more coats to reach the true color of that stain. With a solvent based stain you would have been right there at that dark color in one maybe two coats. I'm not sure what your carpentry background is but water based is in no way considered a better finish than solvent based. Sorry. Is is cheaper? Yes. Is it easier to clean up after? Yes. Is it easier to get? Yes. For those reasons many professionals do you use and will continue to it but it's not because it's a better finish.