Recently, my girlfriend's husband said I should put oak varnish on the floors since the wood is looking bare in some spots. I live in an apartment and don't want to do something to ruin the floors.
2006-10-07 07:37:45 · 5 answers · asked by Werecatwoman 3 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
Oak varnish is what we used to call Varnish Stain in the paint business. It has no penetration capabilities. The best shot is to just put a spot of water, or mineral spirits, on the wood and seeing what the wood looks like then. Is it the same color as the regular color. Then you don't need anything but a floor finish.
If it needs stain to build it up to right color, put it on sparingly where it is bare to acquire the correct color.
If the floor has been waxed, before doing that, remove all the wax.
After you have the wax is removed and the right color restored, I would use a water based polyurethane varnish which will dry pretty fast. Normal varnishes can take 8 hours or more. Normal varnishes also have strong odors which can, if you have a gas pilot light in the house, explode, so you want windows open.
That all having been said, I really would not do a thing to the floors if this is a rental apartment. That would be considered normal wear and tear.
2006-10-07 09:05:43 · answer #1 · answered by Polyhistor 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Never. You could get some fine sandpaper and gently sand(with the grain) the entire floor. Clean ALL of the dust and any other loose material off the floor. There are many different brands of floor varnishes. Now they have clear polyurethane's with wood stain in it. Match up your wood floor to a chart(which they have at your local hardware store) and once you pick out your correct color of stain, follow the instruction on the can. Buy a good brush also (2 1/2 inch) because it does make a difference. Varnish is very, very toxic and will give you headaches and give you a buzz. Also if you or your neighbors have small children, well you know where I'm going with that one. So I would say the poly is the way to go. Or, call your landlord and point out that you don't want the floor to get to far gone and have to replace it, and let him pay for it, otherwise he should take off your rent any repairs that you do.
2006-10-07 07:52:54 · answer #2 · answered by Paul B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The smell is just too much & it takes months to go away. Your best bet is to get yourself a bottle of furniture scratch remover in the color closest to your floor & try it on a scratch in the corner area. If it matches, then do the entire floor with a cotton cloth, a little bit at a time! If it is a water base product, it won't smell.
2006-10-07 12:27:18 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do not use it on your floors. It is not meant to hold up to the traffic that a floor experiences. It is meant for cabinetry and such. Go to Lowes or Home depot and find a sealer that is compatible and comparible to what you have.
2006-10-07 08:31:42 · answer #4 · answered by dumb guy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are better off using a gloss urethane made for floors. follow the prep instructions on the can
2006-10-07 07:51:15 · answer #5 · answered by aussie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋