Oil tinted parquet. How to choose a tinted varnish? What is the best way to tint

  • 29.08.2019

Parquet floor wears out over time and requires major or cosmetic repairs. The easiest and most affordable option is to tint the coating. The procedure allows you to change the color of the floor, update the interior and restore performance characteristics parquet.

What is parquet tinting

Parquet tinting is giving the parquet board the natural color of wood or updating the tone floor covering while maintaining its structure. The technology allows you to give the floorboard the character of exotic, expensive woods or get a vintage effect of "aging". With the help of tinting it will be possible to update old parquet ny floor and stylize it under the interior design.

Toning floorboards has a number of significant advantages:

  • it is possible to process both floorboards and parquet;
  • getting better appearance old coating;
  • tinting masks minor defects of worn parquet;
  • allows you to give the room an updated, attractive look, without performing overhaul premises;
  • a wide range of colors, allowing you to choose the right shade.

Choice of color for parquet: current trends

Modern technologies for staining wood can bring to life the most different colours and shades. Manufacturing companies of coatings have developed affordable complexes for wood processing.

Advice. Samples of painted parquet, as a rule, are presented in hardware stores. When making a choice, you need to have an image of the interior with you in order to match it with the tone of the floor and recreate a complete picture of the situation.

Traditional tinting colors include: shades of gold, dark brown, dark red and amber. More bold options: white, blue, black or rich bright colors.

White color. Such a coating is always in trend, because it is easily combined with different stylistic trends in the interior. The white floor visually enlarges the space; dust and small scratches are not very visible on its surface. Before you tint the parquet in white, it must be carefully prepared and the previous layer of paintwork removed.

Dark tones. Choose dark colors with caution - they are not suitable for every room. It is optimal if the shaded floor is combined with light walls. Oak parquet tinting dark color helps to hide all the defects of the old flooring. Black and chocolate tones are used in the design of rooms in modern styles: constructivism, minimalism or Scandinavian.

Grey or beige color parquet will fill the room with comfort and an atmosphere of tranquility. Such shades harmoniously look in the interiors of Provence, country, Mediterranean direction or neoclassicism. Often pastel colors are chosen when arranging bedrooms and children's rooms.

Red shades make the room "warmer" and cozier. They are recommended for use in living rooms. classical style. However, such parquet requires extreme care in choosing the color of furniture and other surfaces. Red shades are very whimsical to companion colors.

Brown color considered universal for floor decoration. The shade emphasizes the naturalness of the flooring and the structure of the wood. Brown tones are perceived by a person as a symbol of protection and shelter from adversity.

Important! To tint the floor, you must use the compositions of trusted companies. The use of mixtures of unknown brands can spoil the coating, and the parquet will have to be completely torn off.

The better to tint parquet: features of different technologies

There are several ways to change the shade of parquet. For work, stain, oil, varnish or specially designed staining complexes are most often used. The choice of one or another material depends on the desired result and the availability of painting skills. Each method has its pros and cons in terms of applying and operating a floor covering.

Parquet tinting varnish

The use of varnishes with a tinting component allows you to change the color of the parquet by a couple of tones lighter or darker. For work will do ready-made "colored varnish" or a colorless composition with a selected color scheme.

Opening parquet with varnish has the following advantages:

  • the material does not penetrate into the structure of the wood - if it is necessary to change the color, it is enough to clean it off upper layer and repaint the parquet;
  • in addition to the decorative function, the varnish also performs a protective role, preventing damage to the parquet lamellae;
  • the ability to control the saturation of the resulting color by the number of layers of varnish.

Among the disadvantages of the "lacquer" tinting include:

  • quickly enough the layer of varnish is erased in the most passable places;
  • tinting allows you to achieve only weakly and medium-saturated tones - it will not work to convert light wood into black with their help;
  • the varnish is not resistant to prolonged loads - the coating may begin to crack and peel off.

Important! When applying varnish, it is necessary to adhere to fire and personal safety standards.

Application of parquet oil

For tinting many wood products, including parquet, oil is widely used. The choice of material depends on the type of wood. For the treatment of "exotic" wood, it is necessary to choose a deep-penetrating oil in order to speed up the drying process.

Benefits of oil tinting:

  • ensured reliable protection flooring due to the penetration of oil deep into the material;
  • the ability of the parquet to "breathe" - a film does not form on the surface, as after varnishing the floor;
  • coating stability - does not peel off and does not crack;
  • a wide range of different colors to choose from;
  • safety and environmental friendliness of the material.

Oil Disadvantages:

  • after the initial tinting with oil, you cannot subsequently use another type of paintwork materials - the oil solution penetrates deeply into the pores, and it will not be possible to completely remove it;
  • every six months, the parquet requires renewal - polishing the coating with a soft cloth made of natural fabrics soaked in a special composition.

Advice. Highly resistant oils are suitable for tinting parquet boards. Materials that have proven themselves well: Arboritec Floor Oil Strong, Classic Base Oil Color and Arboritec Floor Oil Strong.

Oil impregnation is applied to the floor with a brush or brush, and then rubbed with a grinder. After complete drying of the first layer, the surface is treated with the second and third layers.

Features of using stain

The stain completely preserves and conveys the pattern of wood. With the help of stain, it will be possible to achieve color saturation, but the material will not provide protection for the floor covering.

Features of stain application:

  1. The duration of the work. The composition is applied three times. The first and second layers should dry for at least 3 days, and the last - a week. Then the floor is covered with a layer of transparent varnish.
  2. Due to the heterogeneity of the wood structure, the stain may be absorbed unevenly. As a result, dark or light spots form on the parquet.
  3. To achieve uniform staining, the next layer is applied perpendicular to the previous one.

Coloring systems for parquet tinting

LKM manufacturers do not give up trying to create the perfect composition for tinting parquet. The main contender today are special coloring systems based on natural oils. Tinting systems differ from conventional stains in that they absorb more slowly and dry longer. At first glance, this quality may seem like a minus, but it is not.

After applying the usual stain, a few minutes remain to distribute the composition evenly on the floor surface. Not everyone can do it quickly and you have to forget about a good result. Coloring complexes dry within 4-20 hours. This time is enough for uniform processing of even a large parquet area.

Before starting tinting, it is necessary to test the composition on a separate parquet board, since the final result is largely determined by the texture, original color and quality of wood processing.

The main mistakes in tinting parquet boards

Even if you entrust the sanding of parquet with toning to experienced craftsmen, you can not always count on an ideal result. The main mistakes of amateurs and professionals are:


Important! Pine is a rather difficult wood to process due to the softness of its structure. Minor failures in sanding will lead to the appearance of "streaks" and stripes on the parquet. The probability of marriage when polishing larch and oak is much less.

How to tint parquet with your own hands: step by step instructions

The final result of the work will largely depend on the careful preparation of the surface, namely, scraping. This step is necessary due to a number of factors:

  • the presence of scratches and local dents on the parquet;
  • changing the integrity of the old layer of varnish;
  • the appearance of the "boat effect";
  • contamination of the old coating.

Cycling is carried out in two stages:

  1. Surface treatment with a sander or parquet grinder with a coarse abrasive. As a result, the top layer of varnish is removed, dirt is removed and the coating is leveled.
  2. Finishing grinding with a fine abrasive wheel.

Upon completion of the work, the floor must be cleaned and checked to be perfectly smooth. Next, you can start coloring.

Consider step by step how to tint parquet stain:


Tinting compounds must be applied quickly to prevent stains. The floor base must be thoroughly cleaned before painting, as the smallest particles of dust, water, dirt, grease, wax and other things can spoil the result.

  1. Parquet tinting is the final stage of repair work. After painting the floor, do not finish the ceiling, walls, etc.
  2. The tinting composition must be used from professional manufacturers of parquet chemicals, for example, Osmo, Loba, Bona, etc.
  3. Do-it-yourself high-quality grinding for tinting old boards with your own hands is very difficult. This process is best left to professionals.
  4. The final result largely depends on the type of wood. A favorable outcome in 99% is guaranteed when oak is tinted. For “difficult” wood (maple, pine, beech), experts use the “forced floor tinting” method.
  5. For uniform distribution and rubbing of the composition, it is necessary to use special parquet machines.
  6. The final coating is made with a varnish with high wear resistance.

It is advisable to choose a method for tinting a parquet floor after recommendations from a specialist who will take into account the type of wood and the conditions for the subsequent operation of the floor covering.

How to tint beech parquet: video

Tinting floors and parquet boards is considered the most difficult stage of parquet work. But this is a great solution when it comes time for repairs and you want to change the original color of the tree. In some cases, parquet tinting allows you to achieve a decorative effect, outwardly transforming a parquet board into a material made of expensive wood species with fantastic colors that do not exist in nature.

What is parquet tinting

The tinting technology allows you to revive the original color of the wood or update the appearance of the board, while maintaining the original texture. This procedure allows you to transform an ordinary shabby board into an expensive type of wood or stylize it to match the design of a particular interior.

Parquet board tinting has found its application due to:

  • the ability to tint not only the parquet, but also the floor board;
  • aesthetic appearance;
  • the ability to effectively mask defects;
  • possibility of application without the need for major repairs;
  • a wide palette of shades;
  • improve moisture resistance and practicality;
  • increase the strength of the coating;
  • the possibility of giving the floor antistatic properties.

Important: When choosing a suitable color for the future coating, take a picture of the interior with you so that, using the samples offered in the store, you can match the interior with the tone of the floor and recreate a complete picture of the situation.

Tinting agents do not form a vapor-tight film on the surface. They contain fungicidal and antiseptic additives that help increase the moisture resistance of the coating, eliminate the likelihood of bacteria growth and mold. The final layer of tinting makes the coating durable and wear-resistant.

There are several types of parquet board processing:

  1. Glazing (transparent). It helps to highlight the woody pattern due to a slight change in the tone of the wood.
  2. Whitening. The purpose of such tinting is to lighten the shade of the surface. The composition of the product does not contain chlorine and oxygen bleach, so white tinting of parquet does not harm wood fibers, on the contrary, it strengthens them.
  3. Mortar solutions. Such tools radically change the shade of the floor.

The shade obtained during tinting depends largely on the smoothness of the coating. By changing the surface roughness, you can experiment in obtaining different shades. Specialists use another trick, they moisten the planks with water, and then dry them. This process lifts the wood fibers, and after the staining procedure, they hold a larger amount of pigment on themselves, increasing the intensity of staining.

Parquet tinting varnish

Such tinting can be carried out immediately with colored varnish or you can add a certain color to a colorless liquid. Each varnish is based on polyester and polymer resins. You can also find varnishes on drying oil. Parquet varnishes on a solvent, due to the peculiar property of baking, they give the tree a honey or amber hue. To achieve a decorative effect, pigment particles are added to the composition. If you are striving to whiten the surface, then in such cases the composition must be diluted with special white pigments.

It is best to tint new parquet that has lasted no more than ten years, as old wood accumulates stains and damage that may affect the future result. When choosing the color of parquet tinting, it should be taken into account that all bench samples are always made on oak, so if a different type of wood is used during work, the final color will be different. Therefore, before the parquet is tinted, it is necessary to pre-paint to select the appropriate color.

Parquet tinting with varnish is carried out in the following way:

  1. Removal of old varnish and all dirt. To do this, you can use a tape machine or its analogues.
  2. After finishing grinding you need to start polishing the floor. Between polishing steps, it is important to additionally vacuum the surface to remove even the smallest specks.
  3. It is desirable to process the perimeter of the room with a vibratory grinder. If skirting boards are installed around the perimeter, they should be covered with masking tape to avoid staining.
  4. Applying toning. Having chosen the desired color, apply the material to the surface from the far wall. First, treat the surface using a rag and a brush. Then work the main area with a polishing machine. Allow the varnish to dry when finished. It is recommended to start the next finishing of the room no earlier than the next day.
  5. Sand the surface collect all the dust, and proceed to the application of varnish.
  6. The surface should be toned in three layers. For the procedure, use wear-resistant varnish that will last for many years.

Important: To get a rich shade, several layers should be applied. Such a tool does not penetrate into the wood structure, therefore, to tint the parquet in white or any other color, it is enough to simply sand the surface of the parquet board to completely eliminate the previous layer.

Features of parquet tinting with oil

Colored parquet oil is better absorbed into the wood and allows you to tint even difficult surfaces (exotic wood or old parquet). There is no protective component in the composition of such a coating, therefore it is additionally recommended to cover it with a transparent oil wax, which contributes to the formation of a protective film.

Before choosing such a material, it is important to pay attention to the features of its use:

  • the surface treated with tinting oil for parquet becomes dirty rather quickly;
  • renovation of the floor covering should be carried out every 3-4 years;
  • this type is suitable only for the floor of unheated rooms.

Important: If you decide to tint the parquet with oil, please note that in the future the surface can only be treated with oil compositions. It is no longer possible to varnish such a parquet.

Parquet oil penetrates into the wood structure up to five millimeters. Due to the open-pore structure of the substance, tinted parquet can "breathe". The oil is highly resistant, the treated surface does not peel off, does not crack, and is endowed with antistatic properties. In the market of manufacturers, such material is recommended as the safest, most environmentally friendly, and has an affordable cost.

Applying colored oil can be done using:

  • polishing machine;
  • rags;
  • spatula;
  • brushes.

The choice of one or another method of applying the composition will depend on the skills of the master and the floor area. If the area to be treated is large, it is best to use a polishing machine. If there is furniture or skirting boards in the room, then first protect them with paper tape.

Toning with stain

The stain emphasizes the natural pattern of wood, making it pronounced and juicy. The degree of staining will largely depend on the structure of the wood. For example, soft and porous pine will produce a deeper color than hard and dense maple or larch. Apply stain in several layers until you achieve the desired effect. Also note that the stain is not an independent coating. Therefore, after the surface has dried, it will be necessary to fix the result with a colorless varnish. It will protect the tree from damage.

Important: This method of tinting old parquet is not recommended for surfaces that have already been treated with oil before the start of repair work.

Unlike oil, stain must be applied with a brush. In the process of work, small stains and brush marks remain due to uneven application and multidirectional wood fibers. Due to the uneven penetration of the stain solution into the wood structure, the surface of the parquet is colored differently. Therefore, it is important to treat parquet tinting with wood stain very carefully. Otherwise, you risk getting an overly colorful coating as a result, which will noticeably differ from the overall composition of the room design.

Stain is best used on solid wood flooring. The laying and width of this type of flooring allow the stain to be applied correctly with brushes of various widths.

The main mistakes in tinting parquet boards

Before using the staining system, you need to carefully prepare. Remove grease, oil, water, wax, dust, etc. from the surface of the floor, which can affect the absorbency and even distribution of the paint. It is important that the coloring process is completed repair work. It is not uncommon for the expected result of tinting a parquet board to be strikingly different from the result obtained. This is indicated by the following errors.

Behind are the days when flashy yellow-brown parquets were fashionable. Finally, we remembered the restrained, noble tones of walnut, all kinds of shades of red cherry, pine amber and golden teak. And it doesn’t matter at all what kind of wood your floor is made of - parquet tinting will give it the most expensive look!

Colors - what's in fashion now?

Your parquet has long been “bored” by you, its color is in no way in harmony with new furniture, and scuffs do not have the noble appearance that antiquity relies on. On the sly, you dream of a practical oak parquet or heard somewhere about an exotic mahogany. But such parquets can be in your house in a few days! Moreover, without changing the flooring and high financial costs - all that needs to be done is with tinted wood in a color or shade inherent in an expensive breed.

By and large, one out of a thousand understands the types of wood. For the majority, it doesn’t matter what is under their feet - a walnut tree or a Canadian oak. Yes, even a Japanese pine tree, it is a tree! But the color of the parquet is striking, it can completely change the atmosphere in the room, make it darker or lighter, successfully harmonize with an old wardrobe or set off modern armchairs.

Today, wood staining technologies allow you to get almost any color and shade.. Tinted parquet can be green, blue, dark red or white. Hundreds of shades are at your service! Manufacturers paintwork materials created entire complexes for wood tinting, and most of them are available even with a small budget.

Having learned about the possibility of radically changing the appearance of parquet, you will probably start leafing through fashion magazines on interior design or look for advisers. However, the most the right way choosing the right shade of varnish, stain or tinting oil is like going to a building materials store and seeing what colors are available. Take a snapshot of the room with you so that you always have the opportunity to restore a picture of your situation. Imagine how the room will look with natural and artificial lighting.

Are you afraid to miscalculate? Then give preference to conservative tones: amber, dark red, golden, dark brown. Do you want to follow fashion? In this case, pay attention to white tinting or their complete opposite. A black floor with a skillfully accentuated wood structure will impress anyone.

Parquet tinting with oil - features of work

Before tinting, the parquet should be cycled and sanded, and if you want to completely change the type of coating, you can also shift it with another pattern. The surface must be clean and dry. If you decide to tint with oil, keep in mind that there is no way back. Having impregnated the wood with oil, you will have to take care of the parquet only with the help of impregnations, and the next repair of the parquet will be only oil. It is no longer possible to varnish such a floor, and even a very thorough and deep scraping will not help here.

Thanks to this, the wood can freely absorb and give off moisture, which is impossible in the case of a varnish coating. Both lacquer and oil make the wood water-repellent, but the lacquer prevents moisture from evaporating from the parquet. Therefore, it peels off - accumulated under the varnish membrane, moisture leads to its destruction.

If you decide to emphasize the natural, natural color of the wood, you will need a colorless composition. However, even choosing a natural color, do not forget to choose the desired degree of gloss: gloss, semi-gloss, silky matte or matte. To give a special tone, you will need colored oils.

First, apply a primer coat of oil to the surface of the parquet. Such a composition differs from the usual high content of solvents, so if necessary, you can prepare it yourself from a small amount of base oil and the desired solvent. The primer layer penetrates deep into the pores, activating the protective properties of wood and increasing its strength. You can apply the oil either with a regular brush or with a roller or swab.

When the primer is absorbed, proceed to apply the base coat. The oil for it should be thick, saturated. A mandatory rule for all work with wood is to move the brush in the direction of the growth of the fibers. Dip the brush into the oil, feel free to apply it with a generous hand. Do not be afraid that there will be excess - after waiting 15-20 minutes for the composition to be properly absorbed, take a cotton rag and gently wipe off all excess. It is advisable not to walk on the floor for at least a day - this time is enough for the oil components to polymerize. It is very convenient to tint parquet with oil - with its help, the tone is even and natural. If the depth of tone did not seem too saturated to you, go through one more layer.

By the way, tinting parquet with stain to achieve a more saturated color, followed by impregnation with oil formulations, is also possible.

The stain does not create a membrane, but, like oil, is absorbed into the pores. It is best to apply stain with a roller, so you get a uniform shade. Pour the stain into the paint bath and soak the tool in the composition. Roll the roller around the edge of the bath to remove excess liquid - it should be damp, but not wet. Without pressing, start rolling the tint over the surface, trying not to linger in one place for a long time. To avoid streaks, first apply a layer of stain across the parquet planks, and then, when the previous layer dries, along. The result is a smooth, rich tint, which can be covered even with varnish, even with oil.

Parquet tinting with varnish - the subtleties of the process

If you decide to tint the parquet with varnish, then remember that this method has a drawback - the varnish coating is erased quickly enough, and you risk getting light paths. Therefore, those rooms in which there is the least traffic should be tinted with varnish. And in rooms with constant movement, it is better to pre-treat the wood with stain and cover it with a colorless varnish on top.

Varnish tinting has a significant advantage - you yourself can choose the depth of the shade. Oil and stain are more dramatic in this regard, it is more difficult to get halftones with them. Once you've applied one coat of polish and got the shade you want, wait for it to dry and apply a few more coats of clear polish to create a stronger protection. If it was necessary to apply several layers of tinting varnish, it is enough to apply another colorless one on top.

It is best to use polyurethane compounds or varnishes with formaldehyde resins. True, in the latter case, you will have to send all the household to grandparents, or temporarily close the office, because at first the drying varnish releases into the air the very formaldehydes that are dangerous to health. Don't forget to wear a good respirator! Once the varnish is dry and bad smell weathered, the surface will become absolutely safe, and most importantly - very durable! Polyurethane varnishes are less durable, but they have less harmful components, and with open windows the smell will not be very sharp.

When choosing the type of flooring, most of us still choose wood, whether it is strip parquet, parquet or solid board. Even in the background modern materials developed using the latest technologies, this traditional material looks quite decent and is not going to give up its positions.
Well, if you have already decided on the material, you just have to choose the color of the floor, which will be the perfect solution for your project. And since hiding the natural structure of the tree under opaque paint is a real crime, choose which tinting method you choose.

Simple but effective. Toning using stains.

Let's start with the cheapest and most popular way to tint. You can change the color of the floor using wood stains (special liquids for impregnating wood). The main goal of such toning is to give inexpensive wood (pine, ash, birch, oak) a nobler and brighter color and at the same time emphasize the texture of the tree. There are many varieties of stains, differing primarily in the type of base (water, alcohol, various oils or other non-aqueous solvents), as well as the shade that they give to the finished product (most often, the name of the stain indicates which type of wood it ultimately imitates such as mahogany or ebony, bog oak, maple or larch).

The disadvantage that limits the use of stains is the heterogeneity of the final color. The intensity of the tone on the treated surface can vary greatly depending on the quality of the sanding, the type of wood, the age of the wood used and, of course, the method of application of the composition. It is impossible to cover a large area of ​​the floor with one movement of the brush, and in those places where the strokes overlap, the color intensity will be much higher.

In addition, spots may well appear on the surface due to the heterogeneity of the wood structure, and all streaks or splashes formed during inaccurate application cannot be erased or painted over, they will remain on the surface forever. It is also impossible to accurately predict the color that the parquet will take after toning, be sure to test the stain on a separate bar.

Two in one. Let's combine tinting with varnishing.

In most cases, the final stage of parquet processing is its varnishing. It is a thin, durable layer of varnish that keeps the parquet from micro-scratches, protects wooden surface from the negative effects of moisture and dirt, and at the same time emphasizes the individual beauty of each parquet board or plank. Well, colored varnishes will easily take over the performance of such an additional task as tinting. Modern manufacturers offer the widest palette of colored varnishes that will allow you to embody any design fantasy in the interior. There are over 2000 shades on the market, including completely radical greens, raspberries and bright blues.

We list the main advantages of tinting floors using colored varnishes.
Firstly, already in the process of applying colored varnish, it is possible to choose the desired intensity of tinting by varying the number of layers of colored and colorless varnish.
Secondly, if you need to update the interior, the color of the varnish can be changed at any time, because the varnish, unlike oils and stains, is not absorbed into the tree and does not change its structure.
Thirdly, the result of tinting with colored varnishes is much more predictable, because it practically does not depend on the absorbent properties of wood.

There is, however, this type of tinting and a significant drawback. During operation, the varnish coating is erased unevenly and after a couple of years, lighter paths may appear on the floor tinted with colored varnish, and only highly qualified craftsmen will help get rid of them. To avoid this, be sure to apply two layers of colorless varnish over the colored varnish and renew them periodically, not allowing these protective layers to wear off.

Once and for all. We tint with colored oils or waxes.

Those who appreciate wooden floors first of all, environmental friendliness and naturalness and dreams of touching wood with his foot, and not a layer of varnish, they choose oil or wax as a coating. This way of caring for parquet can be combined with tinting. Manufacturers offer special dyes that can be added to oil or heated wax, as well as ready-made colored oils and waxes.

These coatings are applied using special brushes or brushes, and then rubbed and polished with special single-disk polishing machines. A few hours later, after the first layer of oil dries, the procedure is repeated. How many layers of oil or wax are needed can only be determined by experience, each wood absorbs them differently (softwoods usually absorb worse than hardwoods).

Like parquet, covered with colored lacquer, the floor, tinted with oil, in places that are used most actively, gradually brightens, but the difference in tones in this case is much easier to correct. It is enough to clean the brightened areas and re-cover them with several layers of tinted oil. Do not be alarmed if the new coating will stand out slightly, after a few weeks the difference will completely smooth out. Important point: oil and wax penetrate deep into the wood, and it is almost impossible to remove them later from the surface of the parquet, so if you decide to change the oil to varnish, you will have to change it along with the parquet.