Is it Wise to Put Two Coats of Stain on Sanded Hardwood Floors?

Applying two coats of stain to your hardwood floors will result in darker tones; however, this may be necessary to obtain the stain tones you wish for. When staining hardwood floors, you must be careful how you apply the stain. Too much stain can result in darker tones, too little stain can result in tones that are lighter. You should know how stain applications can and will affect your floor color. By following a few simple rules, you can be sure the depth of color on your floor will turn out the way you intend.

Whether you are applying one or several coats of stain, the length of exposure time--time stain stays on wood floor--will determine how much stain absorbs into the wood. If you leave the stain on the wood floor for longer than the required time of 30 seconds, then the wood will absorb more of the product into its pores. If you intend to apply more than one coat of stain to your floor, you must note that the longer you leave the stain on the floor, the darker the final product will appear. This factor must be accounted for when you apply the stain. For example, two coats of stain that is left on the floor for 30 minutes each will cause the floor to be much darker than two coats of stain that are left on the floor for 30 seconds each. Another factor that will affect the tones and shades of your stained hardwood floor is the original color and type of stain. Stains that are lighter in color to begin with will require more coats to achieve darker floor colors. If you intend to apply two coats of stain to your floor, and you want a dark colored floor, then you may need to apply more than two coats of stain. Gel stain will also affect the depth of color on your floor. Gel stain tends to penetrate the floor wood deeper because more remains on the wood after the excess has been removed. Less gel stain is required to achieve a darker stain color.