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    Stop your wooden floors turning orange

    Keep oak and pine looking pale and natural, closer to the raw wood.

    Why it happensStop itAlready orange?

    Why do wooden floors go orange?

    • The finish warms the wood. Clear oils especially, and lacquers to a lesser degree, deepen the colour of the timber and bring out its yellow and red tones.
    • Oak is naturally yellow. Freshly sanded oak looks pale and creamy, but its yellow undertone turns golden, then orange, under a clear finish.
    • Pine is naturally warm. It ambers more than oak, and the effect deepens over time.
    • Light changes wood. Sunlight gradually mellows and warms most timbers over the years.
    • A sample on different wood misleads. A finish that looked pale on a showroom board can look very different on your floor.

    Next

    Stopping it

    Continue

    How do I stop my floor turning orange?

    1. Sand to the right grit

      Clean the floor thoroughly, then start at 80 grit and work up, finishing at 120, or 180 at most, depending on the wood and the product. Finishing finer gives oak a lighter, more even colour.

    2. Make a sample board

      Always test first on your own timber, on a spare board of your floor.

    3. Counter the warmth

      Apply Earth Stain Chalk to cancel orange and red tones for a paler, natural look. For a soft, smoked or grey-toned oak, try Earth Stain Clay.

    4. Let the stain dry

      Let it dry fully. Never judge it wet.

    5. Choose your finish

      Water-based lacquers such as MyLac Matt warm the wood less than oils. For an oiled floor, use Hard Wax Oil Natural over your stain, or sample our coloured Hard Wax Oils.

    6. Finish the sample

      Use exactly the same finish and number of coats as the floor will have.

    7. Judge it dry

      Look at it dry, in the room’s own light, before you commit to the whole floor.

    Which Mylands products help avoid an orange floor?

    What you wantTry thisThen finish with
    Paler, natural oak, no orangeEarth Stain ChalkMyLac Matt or Hard Wax Oil Natural
    Soft smoked or grey oakEarth Stain Clay, at a strength you’ve testedMyLac or Hard Wax Oil Natural
    Your own custom toneA mix of Earth Stain colours, recordedMyLac, MyLac Extra or Hard Wax Oil Natural
    The least warming clear finishNo stain, MyLac MattTwo to four coats, depending on traffic

    From the Mylands Experts

    For a soft, smoked oak

    Try Earth Stain Clay at a few different strengths on your own boards. Clay’s grey tone works with oak’s natural yellow rather than fighting it. But don’t thin it so far that the colour disappears once it dries, and always judge the result with the finish on top.
    Martin, Mylands

    Next

    If it has already gone orange

    Continue

    My floor has already gone orange. Can I fix it?

    Cleaning won’t remove it: the colour is in the finish and the wood beneath. To change it, sand the floor back to bare wood, then restain with a counter-tone such as Chalk and refinish.

    Before you do, make a sample on a sanded area to be sure you love the new colour. If only part of the floor is affected, work to natural breaks such as doorways so the change isn’t visible across a board.

    Shop

    Products in this guide

    • Earth Stain ChalkMYLANDS EARTH STAIN CHALK ON OAK - Wooden panel with a natural finish on a white background
      Earth Stain Chalk
      Sale priceFrom £16.55
    • Earth Stain ClayEarth Stain Clay
      Earth Stain Clay
      Sale priceFrom £16.55
    • Mylac Matt
      Mylac Matt
      Sale priceFrom £47.78
    • Hard Wax Oil NaturalHard Wax Oil Natural
      Hard Wax Oil Natural
      Sale priceFrom £48.20

    Questions

    Orange floors: your questions

    Why did my oak floor go orange after oiling?

    Clear oil deepens oak’s natural yellow and red tones. A pale Earth Stain such as Chalk underneath stops it.

    Does lacquer turn floors orange?

    Less than oil. Water-based lacquers like MyLac Matt keep oak closer to its natural colour, but always test first on your own timber.

    What stain stops oak going orange?

    Earth Stain Chalk counters orange and red warmth. Earth Stain Clay gives a grey, smoked look.

    Can I put white wax on an orange floor?

    White or liming wax can soften warmth as a decorative effect, but it isn’t a reliable colour correction. For a lasting change, sand and restain.

    Will a pale floor stay pale?

    All wood changes a little with light over the years. Starting from a counter-toned stain and the right finish keeps it far closer to the colour you chose.

    Need advice?

    Ask our team

    Call us on 020 8670 9161, Monday to Friday, or visit our showroom in West Norwood. We make every tin, so we can answer almost anything.

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