Since you want a uniform color, you must be able to replicate the color you have mixed for your samples. Thanks for sharing. You can’t change the nature of the wood itself. That means that you have to change color somehow. If the floor … Maple is not the best wood to stain because it does tend to be blotchy. If you offer the ability to dye floors and your competitor doesn’t, then you will have a leg up on them. However, with enough delicate and meticulous care, it can be done and done well. Your email address will not be published. Maple is also known for having an inconsistent grain pattern, often leading to blotchy stain finishes. Even though it was sanded, every old ding in the floor the stain saturated at. The stain should be one that is suitable to the species of your wood floor and one that applies easily to a large wood floor surface. When you ask anyone about staining a maple floor they will immediately tell you the word “blotchy” or “uneven”. Then use a finish of your choice. We recommend you use a water dye system. If you choose a traditional resin-based stain, you should apply it in a thin coat. Required fields are marked *, [gravityform id="4" title="false" description="false" ajax="true"],
After the resin stain coat has dried seal your maple floor with one coat of dewaxed shellac sealer, OMU sealer, or acid cure sealer. As with other hardwoods such as cherry, maple can be a bit temperamental to finish, particularly when staining. '> There are 4 basic types of stains. Before applying the dye, make sure you have detailed records of how you have mixed the dye. Use a high powered light to investigate your sanding to make certain you do not have sanding marks . Pine, cherry, maple, birch, and alder are the most likely to blotch. I always water pop!!!! It is an extremely hard wood that blotches due to poor sanding technique. I am a licensed C15 hardwood Floor Guy who usually uses bona drifast stains. Please educate your customer showing samples of the system you will use on the floor. Remember that water will move the color, so what you put on top of the dye color is very important. The Maple Flooring … Click here for great deals on hardwood floor stains and dyes. The two options available are staining maple using a dye (water soluble or solvent soluble, or alcohol-soluble) or using a conventional resin-based wiping stain. When you learn how to dye or stain maple, you have the opportunity to create a truly unique floor for your client. It’s blotchy, thick and dark in some areas and lighter in other areas. You can see color charts of these online: https://www.cityfloorsupply.com/Results.aspx?srh=trans+tint&SearchFieldsList=Keyword&SearchSource=ProductSearch, https://www.cityfloorsupply.com/Results.aspx?srh=Lockwood&SearchFieldsList=Keyword&SearchSource=ProductSearch. We are using a very dark wiping stain. The stain was a dark cherry and had the usual blotchy appearance that maple gets. Staining maple is not an easy proposition. Hi Christian Maple and birch … Learning to use dyes could also be beneficial to your business. Any ideas on how we can blend the wood and decrease the look of the line in the floor? Additionally, it is highly advisable to practice, practice, and practice some more on test panels before beginning work on a client’s floor. A: In settings like this I would not be surprised to find the wood flooring is maple. Industry News Free Webinar on "Selecting the Best Sports Floor" On Monday, December 7, 12 pm to 1 pm EST, MFMA will be … once … With that addition, the dinner theater stage was moved back, exposing wood floors. Hi there I would like to dye my maple floor light teak but I am a bit worried in might turn out patchy.
A: Maple is not a great wood to stain. Certain woods like pine, maple and others either have a difficult time accepting stain at all or they become so blotchy when stained that the results are a mess. I just finished a maple job for a new hotel in the area. Dyes also highlight the natural wood grain — there’s no “muddied” look like there is when using traditional stains. For amateurs the best advice is to avoid staining hard Maple, Birch, and Cherry. start with blonde. The most time efficient and color accurate method we could come up with was to cut the stain … One thing is for sure – good communication with your customer is a must. I am new home owner you hired a floor contractor to refinish my maple floor. What can I do? Ready to get started? After applying the dye stain top coat it with a wiping stain that is a similar color. Staining Maple can be done and it can be done very well. I would like to stain it darker, however I've been told that staining this maple floor won't work and won't turn out? There are dark streak marks, hand prints, spots and splotches over sections of the floor. We have two types of aniline dye here at CFS. Finishing up with Woodline from Bona. When we recommend using a traditional stain over the dye it is help lock in the color. Before you completely write off dyes in favor for stains, remember that dyes will allow you to create nearly any color imaginable. Plan on your mix going about 400 – 500 sq ft per gallon. The extra steps to stain maple take more time- considerable more time. Result because of the blotchy and eleven result. Leave plenty of time between steps. You’ll want to stay all solvent based after the water soluble aniline dye. Before applying the stain to the client’s floor, you might want to try the whole process on a test panel so you can find the best application process — whether it’s a rag, t-bar, or some other applicator. On that note, many contractors choose to stay below 100 grit sandpaper for their final sanding pass. Appalachian Maple Floors. Loose or Creaking Boards & Tight or Popping Boards, recommendation to hire an experienced pro. I live in Utah. Leave exaggerated time between steps. Basically, in easy to understand terms the wood accepts more stain in certain areas. The…. Using pre stain conditioners will create other issues. I have a client that wants me to stain their maple floors medium brown. The goal is not to overlap much to avoid lad marks. Maple is known to stain blotchy or patchy. One person applies the dye while the other person wipes up the excess. The … Dye stains are … This is because maple is very tightly grained generally, but there are turns in the grain that are more absorbent. Trans Tint and Lockwood. The client also doesn’t want their living room to look like a gymnasium floor. Staining maple shows all sanding flaws quickly. Often this is simply a physical property of the wood species itself … Once the sanding is done then you need to thoroughly clean the wood. This is just another process you might call a stain conditioning. When applying a stain, be sure to use a pre-stain conditioner to try and even out the "blotchy" … Take note that any areas of overlap will result in a patch of darker color. Our best success with staining maple on the job site has come with using a dye powder stain that mixes in water first and then using a similar color of an oil stain on top of the dye . This time, apply a washcoat of shellac and then the stain. However, when he applied the stain, it was uneven and blotchy. is also fine. and where can i get the Dye? If the stain is darker than expected, it is possible you did not use a fine enough abrasive. Screening an oil-based sealer isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it appears that the sealer was over-zealously abraded in this case, which cleaned some of the floor to bare maple, leaving the floor blotchy. Work from one end of the room to the next going with the grain cut as exactly as you can on a board edge. We strongly recommend popping the grain with water before you start staining. Because of the accelerated dry time of the dyes, you will have to work in a fairly quick manner. If you’re opting for maple, then there’s good news: there are a lot of great brands to choose from, which also means that you’ll likely find a maple floor … For the 2nd sanding, the floor guys said they sanded the edges differently, which sounds like what your website advises. I had it professionally sanded and stained to try to match the rest of the house. I am interested in using the water based Dye the coating over it with the Medium brown stain and then finishing off with Bona Wood Line. Keep sharing! With stain, I usually finish up with 100 grit. If your stain looks blotchy or uneven on your floors, it was probably caused by poor application technique or poor wood preparation. You should know this by now, having stained the floor twice. It is a challenge for even the most seasoned veteran floor contractor and many floor contractors do not recommend doing it . But the stain is almost worse this time. When using dye or stains, you also must be aware of what finish system you will be using. It's almost like you can see areas where the sander stopped and started. Whether or not you decide to screen, it’s important that you don’t close the grain of the wood. It’s very blotchy and … The tight cellular structure of the wood makes it difficult to get a stain to penetrate properly. Maple hardwood floors are tough to stain. Q: I have a prefinished maple natural color hardwood floor. You can now finish the floor with any finish you are comfortable using.