To Choose Hardwood Floor Colors, you have to carefully sand a portion of your hardwood floor to bare wood using an electric floor sander according to the manufacturer’s instructions. You need to vacuum the sanded area thoroughly. You should wipe again with a clean dry cloth to remove any leftover dust. After that, Line up your cans of oil-based stain colors in a line at the top of your sanded area so you will be able to identify the colors at a glance. You must Take your paintbrush and lightly dip it into a can of stain.
You can Paint a large sample of the stain onto the bare floor. You have to Paint in the same direction in which the grain runs on the floorboards. After you have painted your sample, you need to allow the stain to set. You should allot time to take a clean rag and gently wipe in the direction of the wood’s grain to remove any excess stain that has not been absorbed by the floor. If you find you are removing too much of the stain, you need to reapply the stain and wait a bit longer before wiping off the excess.
You can continue this procedure with the other colors of stain you wish to sample. You should Use a new clean paintbrush for each color to avoid possible cross-color contamination. You must Allow all the samples to thoroughly dry after you have removed any excess stain. After the stains have thoroughly dried, you must be able to tell the color is the right one for you. If you cannot make a decision, you have to let these sit overnight and view them the next day at various times and with any artificial light that may be used in the room, as light can shift color perception.
If you still cannot make a decision, you can adjust some of the colors with doing your own custom mixture. Actually, making a custom mixture is a trial-and-error process. If you decide this is something you wish to try, you need to make your mix in a ratio that could be easily replicated in large batches for your entire floor. You have to Fill your one-quarter measuring cup of one color straight from the can and place into a clean glass container. You should pour the stain from the can into the measuring cup.
Remember Do not dip your measuring cup into the stain’s container because this can cause cross-color contamination. You must repeat with another color of your choice to pour the second stain into the clean glass container. You should Mix thoroughly with a clean paint brush. You must Make a note of the two colors you used on the glass container so you will not forget what they are should you decide on one of the custom mixes. Then, Paint the custom mixtures onto bare floor area just as you did in the original steps. Next, Wipe down the samples.
Forth, allow them to dry as appropriate and as outlined in the previous steps. Remember that Top coats of oil-based polyurethane sealer can deepen and enrich your sample colors. As oil-based products take longer to dry than water-based ones, you should add a maximum of three top coats and allow them to dry between applications can take a couple of days to thoroughly cure. For a subtle sheen on your floors, you can apply two coats of satin-finish oil-based polyurethane and a final top coat of high-gloss oil-based polyurethane. When you have decided on the right color, you have to remove all the samples so that your floor will be a uniform color.
To do this, you can use a floor sander as per the manufacturer’s instructions. You need to wipe the entire floor with a clean, dry mop or cloth. Then, you are now ready to stain your floor.