using tinted polyurethane

I have a rather humdrum wooden floor that I sanded back from the rather yellowish and worn finish that it had before. In order to give it a bit more spark I wanted to give the wood more of a honeyed look, and initially thought of staining the floor before applying the polyurethane. But because this can be such an uneven process I wondered whether tinting the polyurethane itself - or perhaps buying one already tinted - might be the better idea.

I've done a fair bit of painting and staining, but I've never been down this road before with an entire floor. I'm not even sure if moving away from the floor's natural color might not be a bad idea, especially with wear and tear over time. Anyone with experience of the matter have some thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks

 

Tinted poly can be difficult to work with as it shows lap marks and different concentrations as different colors/shades. Additionally, you need at least another coat of un-tinted poly on top as a wear layer.

Personally, I like the amber provided by oil based poly so on my own floor I'd probably just do a couple coats of that.

 

Tinted polys aren't recommended for floors, mainly because as the poly wears a way - so does the color.

How did you sand the floor? is it down to bare raw wood? or did you just sand down the finish? Stain needs raw unsealed wood! Unless you've sanded off ALL the existing finish I'd be leery of applying stain. A light sanding and 1-2 coats of poly is often all an old floor needs to be rejuvenated.

 

Yeah, I took it right down to the bare wood. I'm leery of staining because I know from personal experience how uneven it can be. And you echoed what I said earlier about the polyurethane, that if it was tinted the color difference might end up showing in wear areas.

I might just go with what Mitch suggested, of using an oil-based variant and hope it gives me a better color than the previous stuff.

Thanks

 

I prefer the oil based poly both for the increased durability and how it brings out the colors naturally in the wood and ambers as it ages. Don't forget to sand lightly [and remove dust] between coats.

The main reasons for a stain job to come out unevenly or blotchy are the wood not being completely raw/bare and/or uneven application of the stain.