Expert: Dave Coil - 5/8/2004

Question
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Thanks so much for answering my question. That's what I was thinking, pine T&G, although I'm not sure what to do then to achieve that look. If you don't mind, could you point me to or give me quick directions, to see if this is too much for me to undertake.
thanks,
Robin
Followup To
Question -
Hi,
I am hoping you will be able to help me. I live in a newer home(6 yrs old) and already I have to replace the carpet in a child's bedroom.  I LOVE the look of old white-washed plank flooring. The best example I can give you is it's featured in many of the pictures of bedrooms in a Pottery Barn catalag.  How can I get this look?  My husband wants something easy but I haven't been able to find a laminate like this.
Your help is greatly appreciated,
Robin
Answer -
Some lumber yards still have access to T&G Pine flooring.  You may also have the option of finding a "milling house" that can fun the flooring for you.   A pine or fir floor looks great whitewashed.  Some of the hardwoods CAN look good, but you would have to experiment to find the one you like best.   Whitewashing is time consuming but easy enough.

Answer
After the installation.... vacuum thoroughly...sand with 220 grit or finer sandpaper...white paper is preferred to remove all sanding marks.  After you experiment with the look you want on the leftover scraps....apply the stain/wash as evenly as you can.   Take into consideration that it will not dry as fast and just paint would.   The additional water will slow it down a bit...a good thing.  It could take a couple of days for it to thoroughly dry and allow the boards to seal.  Still relating to your sample scraps...check to see what sealer you can use conveniently for the large area of a floor.  A sanding sealer is prefered if you can handle the fumes.  It dries very quick and allows a much harder surface to be applied.  For your final coats I would recommend Shellac vs a Polyurethane.  It dries much harder and I think it is easier to work with.
I hope you can get some helpers for this...it can get ahead of you real easy as a one man job.