Finishing an unfinished pine floor

[sully3191]

Hello folks,

My dining room has a beautiful pine floor with 12" wide planks, installed when the house was built in 1993. It has never been finished with anything. It is showing some signs of dirt buildup.

Can a DIYer finish the floor? The local rental place has a floor sander and I figuered I'd use a fine grit so as not to tear up the floor.

We want a natural looking (clear) finish that will repel spills.

Should I hire out the job or can I stain it easily? Should I use a clear polyurethane, several coats lightly sanded in-between?

Thank you!
Sully

[HayZee518]

PARKS white shellac could act as a sealer. It's alcohol based and dries very quickly. FABULON floor finish dries hard as a rock but stinks to high heaven while its being put down. Use a lot of ventilation. No sparks too!

[buckofdurham]

Ditto's to the "Sealer". You have definitely got to seal it.

Be careful with the polyurethanes. Some clears will turn a little dark with time.

[sully3191]

Thanks to both of you! I had never heard of the sealer, so I'll check it out. Any special technique to applying it?

I was worried about a polyerathane darkening it, so this sounds great.

Thanks again!

Sully

[HayZee518]

the white shellac can be brushed but for a large area use a lamb's wool applicator. work fast with it as the alcohol evaporates quickly. do a small area at a time and don't overlap by much.