Questions relating to work on existing floors - perhaps you have just bought a home or removed an old carpet...
Full question:
I have recently purchased a house (late Georgian or very early Victorian) with antique pine floors, and I would like to restore and lye wash them. In total I think it is about 140 square metres of flooring. I would like to disrupt the wood as little as possible - is it possible to solvent strip a floor of this size (the area is spread over 8-9 rooms), then do the lye wash treatment, so you retain some of the physical patination, or is the sanding necessary?
Answer:
From your description of the floors I'd be really surprised if stripping the surface would create an evenly open grain to allow a decent job with Lye and White Oils. The result would be browny / grey/ blotchy and old looking - however, this might be exactly what you want from a historic house! Its the sort of work, however, done by yourself or a labourer under your direct control as you wont know in advance what you are going to get or how long it will take.
The correct option is sanding and finishing from a well prepared surface. You may think that this will sterilise the appearance of the floor, but actually the lye / oil system is the one option that avoids this. It would be lacquers that create too perfect a surface. There was a house we worked on a few years ago that followed my recommendation and then had the 'artists' doing the character on window panelling and door architraves to stunning effect. The flat floor was the background to the furniture and finishes and in no way diminished the appearance of the property.
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