Staining Fir Wood Floors

We buy our douglas fir timbers directly from a west coast supplier who uses only the best looking timber.

Staining fir wood floors. The key is to apply a thin base coat to partially seal the wood before wood staining. Like most types of wood flooring fir is considered a unique addition to the home which adds warmth and character that can t be achieved with other materials. Fir floors are much softer than traditional hardwood flooring making them a bit more difficult to sand and refinish. These will typically be cedar spruce white pine or douglas fir.

Two rooms were previously finished when we bought the home. Floors made of maple birch and coniferous woods especially pine or fir are all very difficult to stain evenly. Maple and birch are tight grained woods with very small pores and the density of the pore wall fibers varies drastically. Upstairs in the bedrooms we have what i believe are douglas fir wood floors.

There are many ways to stain wood and it is important to know which way works best for the wood that you are using. Let s discuss the application of stains and finishes on your douglas fir. Fir is an excellent wood for highly finished post beam frames and commercial work because of its strength and beautiful grain. Carol goodwin of goodwin heart pine in micanopy florida says fir compares in density with antique heart cypress.

Its color ranges from light red to pale yellow. If the staining comes out blotchy use a stain controller first flooring is one of the most common uses of the wood especially in the west where douglas fir is still widely available. In general gel or heavy bodied stains work best. Douglas fir is a conifer softwood that is grown and harvested in the northwest.

Also if you choose to stain the floor it may get blotchy so consider using a sanding sealer to help even out the stain. We re using a wipe on oil finish as the sealer. How to stain douglas fir wood. Sanding sealers dewaxed shellac and wipe on finishes will all do the trick.

The floor appears to be in good shape but still has a thin layer of wax finish on it and is otherwise rather raw. Some types of stain perform better than others on blotch prone wood. Fir is a soft wood so it will sand stain and finish somewhat different than a typical oak floor. It s commonly used for structural applications such as beams planks and studs.

Before applying stain to your wood floor you need to know what species it is.