Pitch pine floor – Colour staining and what we found

Hey everyone, welcome to our case study on Pitch pine floors, where I will tell you about colour staining and more.

After speaking to one of our Wood specialists Joao, I am excited to tell you everything I have learnt. I hope I have covered everything. I know your time is precious, so if you want to read about ‘pitch pine floor-colour staining, head on over to that section. If you would like to learn more, then keep reading… So, let’s start!

What pitch pine is:

The pitch pine tree is native to eastern North America and is an evergreen conifer. These trees can grow in some of the dryest soils with no nutrients, making them unique.

The pitch pine tree may have originated in America but is now commonly grown across the world as is become quite a sort after wood. 

What you need to remember about a pitch pine floor:

Pitch pine floors are generally tone and grove, meaning they can’t be sanded too much or too often. 

What are the tones of pitch pine?

Usually found to be a rich reddish tone, with the newer wood being lighter than, the older grown wood. More aged wood also tends to have a rough texture, especially timber, with rapid growth.

Pitch pine floor – colour staining and what we found:

These floors undoubtedly make the most beautiful-looking floors with rich, prominent graining. They make a stunning feature of any home. 

However, we have found that these floors are not the greatest to stain. It cannot be easy because of the grain differences, and the grains are a mixture of softwoods. When they add the stain, giving it an even finish is difficult. Wood stain goes significantly darker on the softer areas of the grain.

Wood made before 1960 is softer and spongy, so it will absorb a lot of stains, but the ones made after then are not as soft and will absorb less of the stain. This little issue is something we came across very recently. 

It is possible to have the stain still. We just explained that the colour might not be an even finish, so you may want to have it sanded and lacquered. When it comes down to it, we will do whatever you want.

These are pictures of test patches on a Herringbone, pitch pine parquet floor, showing how the stain isn’t even. As you can see, certain areas go darker, and if you want one colour across the whole floor, you may be unsatisfied with the result.

What we recommend you use as a finish on a pitch pine floor:

I feel pitch pine does make a beautiful feature of any room. I would, however, keep the pitch pine natural.

The wood is quite oily and soft, so we recommend a lacquer. Lacquer will give the floor some protection from everyday wear and tear.

This is a pitch pine floor we have recently completed with a lacquer finish, and I think you will agree they look stunning. You can also see in this picture the difference’s in the grains. 

You can apply oil, but pitch pine wood is oily and softer than other woods.

Here is another breathtakingly beautiful floor we recently completed with an oil finish.

I think pitch pine gives the floor some character, which may be what you want, especially if you like to be different. 

Natural look with lacquer finish:

I feel pitch pine does make a beautiful feature of any room. I would, however, keep the pitch pine natural. Below are some jobs we have completed, and I think you will agree they look stunning.

It gives the floor some character, which may be what you want. 

If you are looking for a company to help you, this blog will help you:

What does floor sanding cost In East Anglia?

Maybe you would like to know how to prevent your wood floor from scratching:

How do you prevent scratches on your hardwood floor?

For further advice or information on our Carpet and Soft Furnishing care, please do not hesitate to contact the Art of Clean team on 01223 901551 in Cambridge. Our services include Carpet Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning, oriental and area Rug Cleaning, Curtain Cleaning, Patio, and Driveway Pressure washing, Leather Cleaning, Stone and Tile Floor Cleaning, and Wood Floor Sanding and Restoration. We also supply new flooring and carpets through our sister company Art of Flooring. Our Dry-Cleaning service is provided by Farthings Cambridge