Varnish Wood Floors

Now we have choice of three finishes. First, the use of an oleo-resinous floor varnish; this should contain about eighteen gallons of oil to the hundred pounds of good hard varnish resin, as good in quality as No. 1 Kauri. This may be applied directly to the floor, and the first coat will sink in and be absorbed by the wood. We may, if we like, first fill the pores of the wood with linseed oil; there is but one objection to this, which is that it darkens the wood; it becomes somewhat darker immediately, but keeps darkening for some time. Anything containing linseed oil grows darker with age, that is, any transparent wood-finish. And so it is true that an oleo-resinous varnish darkens the wood somewhat. Not less than four coats of varnish should be applied; the trouble with all floor-finishes is that they are too thin, and wear off too quickly; for a floor has harder usage than anything else. And plenty of time must be allowed for each coat to dry.

Second, we may varnish the floor with shellac varnish. The same rules apply to shellacking floors that have been given in regard to its use on other woodwork; it is the least discoloring of anything that can be put on a floor, and is a very good finish. It is not as hard or durable as a good oleo-resinous varnish, but a thin coat of it, which dries in a few minutes, can be quickly and easily applied once in a month or two (or much less often in rooms little used), and will keep it always looking well. White shellac is usually employed for floor-varnish.

Next Page: Floor Wax.