Has anyone stained (rather than painted) their floorboards white...

[eastwest]

and if so how did you protect them?
The man at Homebase said that we would be able to use something called wood dye to stain the boards white, but then would have to add some kind of protection on top of that. Boards are currently sanded, untreated (have been under fitted carpets since probs 1970).
I have heard it's possible to whitewash them (dilute white paint) - would this work and would it form a protective layer, anyone know?

My DH sands floors full time and says..
Yes, you could use a white stain..usually a Light Fast Stain..a couple of brands are Mylands and Morrells...but your homebase man is right,,this finish would have to be sealed with a clear lacquer, such as junckers Strong or Bona Mega. Mylands do a nice Scandi kind of stain called Earth Stain chalk..and they also do a great {pricey tho} lacquer called Mylac.
Yes, you can use diluted white emulsion...but dilute it with one of the above lacquers. Experiment with ratios and build up in coats..making the final coat lacquer only.
If theyre pine boards...avoid tinted oils though...stick with stains and polyurethane lacquers such as the above. Dont worry about it being too shiny...all the manufacturers now do them in Ultramatt {10% sheen} as well as the usual sheens.

We've just used Osmo products on our living room floorboards and were really impressed! A doddle to apply and they give a really nice finish as they're clearly white but you can still see the grain of the wood.

We went for www.osmouk.com/sitechaptern.cfm?bookid=Products&chapter=82&page=373#WoodWaxFinish in White 5111

Then paint on a coat of Polyx-Oil Tints in 3040 White (also on their website) All done!

I stained a new wooden staircase with white paint diluted in water and water based varnish. It is still looking good after 8 years. Sorry but I can't remember the ratios, they were from a kind man at the Dulux paint centre.

Thank you!! This is super useful. Since posting I have been looking at Scandi stains online, Woca was the first one I saw, but I also want to look into the osmo. JT05 good to know it lasts.