Suitable finish for an old wooden floor

willramos | Posted in Finishing on February 2, 2020 01:50pm

We have an old wooden floor that we have oiled with boiled linseed oil which looks fine but it has a very slight oily/sticky quality. Unfortunately, this seems to adhere to the bottom of shoes/feet and then marks the pale carpet in the bedrooms – arrrgh! Wondering if there is a furniture/floor polish (such as briwax or liberon floor wax?) that could be used over the top to harden/set the floor? I have heard that tung oil is good for finishing but it is expensive here in NZ and not wanting another ‘oiling’ job that requires time to set. Any ideas much appreciated.

Replies

suburbanguy | Feb 02, 2020 04:54pm | #1
Had a couple of inches of alkyd varnish left in the can and when I went to use it, it wouldn't properly dry, in spite of having had no problems when I had used it before. A Google search showed this to be NOT uncommon. In fact others reported that new cans that they opened wouldn't dry.
"Boiled" linseed oil, like alkyd and old (linseed) oil paints, contain Japan drier or a similar poisonous, heavy metal additive, that causes the paint, varnish or oil dry. The term boiled, has nothing to do with heating the oil.
If I remember correctly from a few years ago, I removed the slightly tacky varnish with lacquer thinner or some other solvent (paint thinner might work) and redid the job. This might be bit of a job considering you have a floor with a lot of square footage.--but easier than sanding and refinishing.
You could purchase a new can of linseed oil and if it drys properly on its own, try it on a small area of the floor and I would suspect it would cause the first coat to dry also. Alternatively, you could buy some Japan dryer from an artists supply shop and add it to your existing can. The supply shop can give you some advice on quantity. I would suspect that the more you add, the faster it drys. Artists add Japan dryer to their oil paints so that they dry.
What did I do with that couple of inches of varnish that wouldn't dry? I kept it and will add it to a full, new can when I have large large job.

Do NOT use any wax. It will not help the boiled linseed oil dry. I will aslo prevent any new finish from adhering and you will have to sand the floor to bare wood.
willramos | Feb 03, 2020 03:18am | #2
Thanks very much for the advice. I will try the thinner and hope this works!
john_c2 | Feb 03, 2020 05:42am | #3
Boiled linseed oil can take forever to cure. Sometimes, never. It also is not a durable floor finish.

I wouldn't even think about using anything other than poly on a floor. It's a floor, not a highboy. I want to put down something thgat looks good, and I won't have to do anything to besides normal cleaning.

I'd wipe the floor down with mineral spirits, wait until it is no longer oily or tacky, add a layer of relaxed shellac, then finish with 3 coats if poly.

Do not add wax to the top of your oil.
ct_engineer | Feb 03, 2020 09:29am | #4
Hi,

If you are planning to wipe down a floor in mineral spirits you will need to apply a lot of solvent over a prolonged period. Take care and make sure you wear a solvent mask and organize good ventilation. Also be careful of sparks that could ignite flammable fumes.