Updating wood floor

[GinAndOnIt]

We have varnished wood parquet floor in the kitchen, but it's very dated. It's a very yellow-y/orange colour, and I want it dark brown.

When we had a carpenter here fitting the shutters, he said I could scrub it with something and then varnish over it, but I can't remember what he thing he said to scrub it with. Something similar to a green dish sponge I think. Anyone got any ideas?

I'm not interested in sanding it or buffing it with a hired tool, I just want something to make sure the next coat of varnish will actually paint on.

Oh my blood pressure would never cope with light coloured flooring in a high traffic area. Two black-furred pets and two adults who live in wellies is a bad combo. The 'honey colour' () hides bloody everything.

We have a navy wall in our bedroom and I love it. I wish I was brave enough to do a whole space with it.

Yes, see, that's where it's absolutely terrific. I have a honey coloured floor in my study, which gets traipsed over by me and the cat fairly constantly, and it always looks brilliant. The bloody cream carpet that DH insisted on fitting in the much lower traffic bedroom, considerably less so .

I ripped up the mottled brown farm cottage carpet off the stairs and painted the stairs white and taupe. They look wonderful for the 10 minutes after I've hoovered and wiped up coffee spills and look grubby for the rest of the month week. They're so pretty though! The spare room floor is now white, and it looks wonderful, but only because we never go in there, and the dog is terrified of that room for some reason. I go in there for a little breather if the rest of the house is a tip

Don't paint it!

It's lovely!

The yellow colour might just be the varnish. Even if the wood is quite yellow you can stain with with watered down white emulsion. After stripping and before re varnishing .

Was it a scotch pad? Dh uses them for various re-finishing jobs.

Farrow & Ball do floor paints.

Oh yes, possibly fluffy. I'll take a picture of the chipped area when I get back home, but underneath this layer of varnish it's not yellow-y at all.

I promise I won't paint it now I know it's not totally hideous

I wonder if the varnish is getting darker as it ages? One of the guides in a national trust house told me the wood pannelling started as light oak & darkened over time.

YAY for not painting the parquet! (I'm now singing that, in music hall style, to the tune of 'When Father Painted the Parlour')

Your house is lovely gin - I really like the sound of those stairs. And at the idea of a quiet, clean room. I have one of those too!

Except for the day I walked into the spare room and found the cat had gone for a wee on the bed when I forgot to leave the window open overnight. I think he thought he'd be good and go into an unused room, but it's my clean unused room

Anyway. Back to the parquet. I am now scrawling through Pinterest now I have the correct floor terminology. Makes a change from Pinteresting garden borders, hey shove?

It may well be changing colour with age. I might have a fiddle around for some 'hidden' spots and see if there's a colour difference.

Wood gets darker with age and exposure to light

Old varnish often goes yellow, newer varnishes are water based and supiposedly non yellowing

Nooooooo! Why do cats always find the UNUSED bed when they are going to be naughty like that?!

I love Pinterest. For garden, home, projects etc. Though my engagement with it is often less than a faithful reproduction of the wonders shown on that site:

www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/craft-ideas/g2638/hilarious-pinterest-diy-fails/

Oh, and I reckon kristina is spot on about the varnish.

Here's the scratched bit, and a bit of the kitchen to show how floor 'goes' (or not) with the rest of the room.

Save up some dosh and get a professional in to sand, stain and varnish it . You can stain it any colour you like as long as your check with holly and me first and we approve

You have beautifully restored shutters and a lovely ( maybe ) Original fireplace. Do not rip up that lovely floor, it has Great Potential .

Your floor is fantastic and I find it kives warmth to the room.

If pale flooring is tough on your pressure, do NOT get a dark varnished floor. Its is just as bad a pale floor if not worst. Crumbs, dust, sand, almost all of the everyday dirt is light colored if you have a dark floor. No matter how much time you spend keeping it clean, it never will be.

Yes, I wouldn't have it very dark as I know a mid tone hides best. But we have a wood floor quite a bit darker than this and it also hides brilliantly, so there is wiggle room with going darker.

I think it looks fab as it is having seen the pic. I don't think it looks orange and don't think dark would work with the room.

Plain shiny dark shows all the bits

Dark stained parquet will be fine because the wood isn't plain and smooth .

Gin, it's GORGEOUS! Not just saying that, it's absolutely stunning.

Oh and I suspect floor finishes for parquet have come a long way since it was last done. It's well worth the effort. I love the colour!

I really wish I could see what you lot are seeing! I'd never look at it and think 'gorgeous', that's for sure

I think maybe what the floor sits next to changes my view of it? I love these tiles in the utility area, but I'm not sure they sit nicely together. And next to the old brown carpet (which is going soon, yay!)