Hi guys!
I am planning to create the wooden floors in my home and i need some advice. My choice is wooden floor made from spruce or fir（still havent decided, but if you have advice which one is better for a floor, it will be nice(like which one is harder and wont bend excessively i guess)). My original plan is to stain it in dark colours with a stain based on rust, then apply 1 coat of boiled linseed oil and then finish off with shellac. I want the most ecological option, so i though of this. The stain i am told is eco – no added toxic substances – only celulose, rust and water. The BLO should be really only boiled without any additives like lead, nickel and etc. And the shellac is harmless too. My question is can i combine those 3? I read that you can combine BLO and shellac, so it should be fine, but does this give enough protection. Does it seal the surface against mold and mildew, because i heard that even though BLO repels water, it is still organic and can be used as food for mold? And will the shellac seal it properly? And considering that the wood will be directly on the putty, should i put polypropylene padding on the floor before putting the wood, because the wood wont be covered with anything from the bottom side? And lastly, how durable the shellac is? I mean realistically how often i will have to re-apply it on the floor? I was hoping for once every 5 years, so any comments from people with experience will be greatly appreaciated!
Replies
The wood is directly on the putty?
I wouldn't use spruce. It will dent like crazy. Way too soft. Fir can be good, especially if it's quartersawn.
I wouldnt use linseed oil or shellac on a floor. They just aren't durable. They were used 100 years ago when they were the only choices, but there is a reason they were dropped as soon as better options came along.
Water based poly is very durable, and more eco friendly than BLO or shellac.
I dislike staining light colored woods in floors. They will eventually get dinged and scratched, and the lighter wood underneath will show.
No, I think that the wood will get moisture from the putty, thats why i am thinking about using polypropylene padding between the putty and the wood.
Thank you for the fir advice. I will definately use fir instead of spruce. And how bad is shellac on the floor. I mean how long before you have to recoat?
And how is water based poly more eco friendly than BLO or shellac? Polyurethane is a very toxic material and when i compare it to BLO or shellac, which are non-toxic, the math doesn't add up. Can you elaborate on that?
I still don't get what you mean by putty, and putting plastic between the wood and putty.
Boiled linseed oil is not boiled. Ever. It all has industrial solvents, polymerized oil, and metallic driers. Not eco friendly, at all. The solvent in shellac is denatured alcohol, is very high voc, and is now illegal in California. Water based poly is pretty benign as finishes go.
Shellac is just far too delicate for a floor. I wouldnt use it on a kitchen table, much less a floor.
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Putty is the concrete floor that is made only with cement and sand. And I mean to put a very thin sheet of polypropylene so the moisture from the concrete doesnt go to the wood and cause it to rot.
My BLO is supposed to be only boiled. At least thats what the manafacturer says, and he guarantees cuz the brush will never get hard even if u use it weeks apart. Even if thats not the case i will boil raw one myself. My grandfather was a woodworker and he told me how he boiled his own oil.
For the shellac i think of using ethyl alcohol, not methyl one. That way its much less toxic and in 2 hours there is no voc, whereas with varnishes the rooms will stink for weeks and even months.
Do you guys think that the BLO and shellac will block mold and mildew from appearing?
I'm out.
And you had to tell us that because?
For an eco friendly floor finish check out Osmo, PolyX Oil. It is advertised as a green alternative and the application is easy.
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