Gel Stain On Maple Floors

Yes i did waste much precious time completely sanding my bathroom floor down but my next big flooring project is my kitchen.

Gel stain on maple floors.

I have read about maple s issues to photosensitivity and am somewhat concerned and especially that my darker brown floors will turn yellow or organy. For those of you who don t know maple is a tricky wood to stain. These varieties tend to absorb thin traditional stains unevenly looking messy and unfinished no. Maple is a difficult wood on which to achieve uniform stain and the appearance can look as if the stain was not applied evenly.

Use a saturated solution of calcium. The reason why staining maple is so hard is because the wood is very dense thus making it difficult for the wood to absorb stain. I used minwax gel stain in walnut for the floors i applied the stain in staggered areas that way i would not have a straight line going across the boards it blended easier with the other areas. Considering purchasing a new maple engineered floor bella cera verona that is pre finished with a darker brown khaki colored stain pisa.

If you wait too long it is harder to wipe off. By pre sealing the wood with shellac you can even out the color absorption. With regard to gaps in the floor this is typical of any hardwood but often more noticeable with maple. We use special techniques to sand and then condition a maple floor that is different than when we stain oak.

It tend to absorb stain unevenly which leads to a blotchy look. Dyes work better but limit the colors available. The result is that very little pigment sticks to most of the wood but then a lot of pigment sticks to certain portions. The use of oil based pigmented stains on maple results in a very blotchy looking floor.

However you should not use a water sealer. Apply the gel stain wait about 10 minutes and wipe to remove the extra stain. After the resin stain coat has dried seal your maple floor with one coat of dewaxed shellac sealer omu sealer or acid cure sealer. You can now finish the floor with any finish you are comfortable using.

Staining staining maple is generally not recommended by finish manufacturers since the dense grain does not allow the penetration of most pigments. Gel stain is particularly forgiving with splotch prone woods like birch cherry maple and pine. This is exactly what darin was trying to do. After a little more research i discovered that gel stain can be used to stain floors and it can be done with minimal sanding.