Re-Staining / Going Darker
#1
02-25-14, 01:06 PM
Re-Staining / Going Darker
Hi There!
My wife and I have been working on our new-ish home for about a year. We've noticed that the floors, which are all hardwood (pretty sweet), were never finished with a Polyurethane finish, or any finish for that matter. They were just stained.
We know we should finish them, but we've decided that we would actually like to re-stain them darker. My wife and I really like the look of ebony floors, so were going almost totally black with the wood.
The floors are in decent shape. They would only need a light sanding (120 grit, and a light second go by at 180 grit) before conditioning / staining / finishing. However, I wanted to know, since there is no finish on them and I'm going darker with the stain, do I need to sand the floors, or could I just use a square buffer normally used for "screening and recoating", using the same 120 / 180 grit sanding screens since it's gentler or would the sanding with a drum be totally necessary?
My wife and I have been working on our new-ish home for about a year. We've noticed that the floors, which are all hardwood (pretty sweet), were never finished with a Polyurethane finish, or any finish for that matter. They were just stained.
We know we should finish them, but we've decided that we would actually like to re-stain them darker. My wife and I really like the look of ebony floors, so were going almost totally black with the wood.
The floors are in decent shape. They would only need a light sanding (120 grit, and a light second go by at 180 grit) before conditioning / staining / finishing. However, I wanted to know, since there is no finish on them and I'm going darker with the stain, do I need to sand the floors, or could I just use a square buffer normally used for "screening and recoating", using the same 120 / 180 grit sanding screens since it's gentler or would the sanding with a drum be totally necessary?
#2
02-25-14, 01:09 PM
Also, quick random question...I live in Washington DC, but DC is not an available selection in the profiles where you select your state of residence. What should I use?
#3
02-25-14, 02:42 PM
Stain works best on raw unsealed wood. You'll get a nicer job if you sand down to raw wood first! You might get by with a light sanding and then restaining .... but I can't say from here 
You don't need a wood conditioner! They are mainly for soft woods and when used they make the stain a lighter color than they would be if no conditioner was used. I'm not sure you need to use 180 grit prior to staining, the finer the grit, the more it closes up the pores of the wood making it harder for the wood to absorb the stain = lighter stain color.
You don't need a wood conditioner! They are mainly for soft woods and when used they make the stain a lighter color than they would be if no conditioner was used. I'm not sure you need to use 180 grit prior to staining, the finer the grit, the more it closes up the pores of the wood making it harder for the wood to absorb the stain = lighter stain color.
