# Gray washed oak floor



## Annamh (Aug 13, 2012)

Hello! I want to do a gray wash on the oak floors we are going to have installed in our kitchen/dining area. Have any of you done this or have any experience with it? I'm not opposed to making up my own materials but I'd happily use premixed product! Plus, when the rest of the floors are installed a premixed product means matching the finish won't be an issue. I haven't given any thought to using red or white oak flooring. I thought i would use Varathane floor finish simply because I've used Varathane poly in the past. If there is something better out there though I'd happily try it when I start making samples. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The gray wash is simple enough. You can take some gray oil based enamel and thin it down and apply it on the floor like wood stain and wipe the excess off with a rag. Just don't do too big an area at once or the color will be uneven and get hard to wipe off. If you do end up getting a spot too pigmented you can clean it off with paint thinner. Then after it dries for 24 hours topcoat it with a waterclear floor finish. Since you like Varathane, they make a product called Crystal Clear Floor Finish. It's important to use a non-yellowing finish over a pickel finish because over time you will see the floor changing color to yellow more and more.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Annamh said:


> Hello! I want to do a gray wash on the oak floors we are going to have installed in our kitchen/dining area. Have any of you done this or have any experience with it? I'm not opposed to making up my own materials but I'd happily use premixed product! Plus, when the rest of the floors are installed a premixed product means matching the finish won't be an issue. I haven't given any thought to using red or white oak flooring. I thought i would use Varathane floor finish simply because I've used Varathane poly in the past. If there is something better out there though I'd happily try it when I start making samples. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!









 
I would recommend not to add color to the wood. It sounds easy and will look good for a while until the finish wears off. High traffic areas will show. If you plan on recoating regularly, so the clear topcoat remains as a finish over the color, you may get some life out of it. I would recommend a waterbase polyuretane suitable for flooring, like Parks Pro Finisher (@ HD) for a topcoat. As for the coloring a waterbase paint thinned with water. Or, an oil base paint can be used the same way thinned with mineral spirits, to create the coloring.

Whatever you choose, make samples including the topcoat.









 







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## jack warner (Oct 15, 2010)

color washing a floor imo is bad idea. unless you like stripping in a few yrs. ( the obove statement on ware in traffic area's )


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Agreed!!!


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## Annamh (Aug 13, 2012)

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it!


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