Hardwood floor contractors are asked a lot of questions and field a lot of requests from prospective clients. Some requests are challenging, impossible, or at least seem to be impossible at first, like changing a wood floor color without sanding it. Continue
reading to learn about how Basic Coatings® can turn this seemingly impossible request into a reality.
Standard Stain Application
For most, changing a wood floor color requires many steps to ensure it is done properly and the wood floor will fully take on the brand-new color. Standard stain application requires sanding down to the bare wood, which is arguably the most important
step as it will reveal any imperfections once the project is complete. Following sanding, screening takes place by smoothing out any scratches left by the sander. These steps are time-consuming, challenging, and messy, and most contractors could probably
agree that they are unavoidable.
Some contractors took it upon themselves to try various methods to try and achieve the goal of changing a wood color without sanding. Some succeeded, while others did not. Today, Basic Coatings has an approved system and one-stop solution to accomplish
this goal on sport, commercial, or residential wood floors. Our entirely waterbased system can help contractors change a wood floor color without sanding with a simple, easy-to-follow process.
Step 1: TyKote® Dust-Free Refinishing System
The TyKote® Dust-Free Refinishing System was originally developed for the sport market, but has been successfully used on sport, commercial, and residential installations for decades. Begin by cleaning the wood floor with Intensive Floor
Treatment (I.F.T.) Floor Cleaner by tacking the floor with a push broom and clean towels. Next, neutralize the floor with Squeaky™ Concentrate Floor Cleaner. Apply a thin film of TyKote Recoat Bonding Agent to be used as an adhesion
promotor. For more details about TyKote Dust-Free Refinishing System, products, and procedures, click here.
Step 2: Tint StreetShoe® NXT with HyperTone Stains
HyperTone™ Stains are low odor, non-flammable, easy-to-clean stains for hardwood flooring. In addition, they are also warranted as a tint for all Basic Coatings waterbased finishes. With 14 standard colors, including red, blue, and yellow,
unlimited custom colors can be created to be used as a stain and as a tint.
When using HyperTone Stains as a tint for StreetShoe® NXT, add anywhere from 0.5% to 10% of stain to the finish per gallon. 0.5% is roughly half an ounce and will usually give a light tinting to the finish, depending on the color.
10% is roughly 12.8 ounces and will darken the finish dramatically, especially with heavily pigmented colors like Onyx, Blue, Deep Red, and White.
Additionally, a tint can be made very translucent with light percentages of HyperTone Stains. Or a tint can be made more opaque by adding White or heavier doses of HyperTone Stains into the finish.
When mixing the stain and finish, remember that it is easier to start with a lower percentage of tint. With a t-bar, apply multiple coats to build a more uniform film instead of applying a single heavy load of tint and finish. The initial pass with a
t-bar will create microscopic “peaks and valleys,” and the subsequent coats will “fill in” the valleys to create the uniform film and color.
Projects Using HyperTone Stains as a Tint
Tinting floor finish with HyperTone Stains to adjust or completely change the wood floor color has become a staple for wood floor contractors who use Basic Coatings products. HyperTone Stains can tint any of our waterbased wood floor finishes, making
it extremely versatile and convenient for contractors to utilize this method. Below are a few real-life examples of HyperTone Stains being used as a tint.
- This is a sport floor that tinted GymShoe® with HyperTone Stains Deep Red and Blue to create a custom purple color.
- This residential floor tinted StreetShoe NXT with HyperTone Stains Tobacco, which darkened a white oak floor.
- Here is another residential floor that used StreetShoe NXT tinted with HyperTone Stains White. It toned down a darker, orange color wood floor to a white, natural colored floor.
For more details about tinting finish with HyperTone Stains, refer to our technical bulletin or watch the video below.
HyperTone Stains
HyperTone Stains is the best product line for staining wood floors and tinting wood floor finish. HyperTone Stains delivers high-quality pigment of unmatched depth and vibrance that brings out the beauty of hardwood floors as a stain and a tint. They provide unrivaled color penetration, but with all the benefits of a waterbased stain:
- Non-flammable
- Easy to clean up
- Low odor
- Fast drying
Available in pints and gallons and in 14 standard colors, HyperTone Stains can be endlessly mixed and matched to create a custom color pallet and complement any existing design style. Its versatility allows for use on sport, commercial, and residential wood floors.
For more information about HyperTone Stains, click here. If you are a homeowner or facility manager, click here and we will connect you with a contractor who has experience with HyperTone Stains. If you are a distributor, click here and we will host a demo for your customers at your location. If you are a contractor, click here and we will come to your jobsite and help you with your project.