We had a Vic Ash floor laid recently in our living room. The floor polishing person we used was excellent in every way, including helping us choose which products to use, which was a great start. He said that polyurethane gives timber that tan colouring, but water based (non-toxic) finish doesn't develop any colour - so you get the natural colour of the timber, intensified just a tiny bit as if it is wet - our finished floor is beautiful. If you want the timber tinted, they have tints they can apply before sealing. The water based non-toxic finish is more expensive, but more durable than polyurethane, and not high gloss which I dislike, so I decided readily that it is worth it. We are in Melbourne and the business name of this gentleman, Sasha, is S&A Flooring Services. They were very clean and methodical, leaving no mess or unsatisfactory areas of work. They did a beautiful job, and the finish was as he described in the first place when we chose the products. Getting people in for various advice, repairs or restorations in the home can be difficult and disappointing, so trades people like this man Sasha, and the resultant finish we live with, are a pleasure.

I think painting the walls lighter and brighter is the right move but don't be restricted to white necessarily - although that would be the safe option and you know for sure it would work! You could introduce a contrasting colour on the ceiling if the walls were white obviously dependent on your furnishings and other colour choices. How about a soft grey or "greige" as an alternative to the white? Finally, you could introduce a dado rail at approx 1m from the floor - painted white the same as cornice and ceiling and then paint the upper and lower sections in contrasting colours of say charcoal on the base and white above or 2 shades of the same colour.

i added a dining room extension 2 years ago and chose cyprus pine flooring to match the existing timber floor of my old cottage. Im near beaches so decided to lime wash the floor. 2 years down the track whilst i really love the look i can tell you the finish does not last. It is not even a high traffic area and you have to keep an eye on it to keep it clean of any little marks so they dont damage the surface of the wash. So my advice would be whilst a really beautiful look avoid because it does not go the distance.

Hello, Staining timber floors after floor sanding can be a tricky job. As someone has suggested, it is best to do some tests on the boards that you have. The floor sanding company that you choose should be able to do some stain samples for you if you give them the boards to experiment on. Feast Watson is a good product, but you will probably find that best stain colour for your timber floor is a blend of a couple of colours. Perhaps a blend of walnut and another colour . It really comes down to personal taste. Some contrast to other timber furniture is a good idea. Take a look at our Budget Floor Sanding Brisbane blog page for some more floor sanding information. Type "staining"into the search box, the second floor sanding blog has a couple of photos of a new timber pine floor( light colored similar to Baltic pine ) that we stained with Feast Watson prooftint, to blend in with a older floor. Hope this helps. All the best with your timber floor restoration. http://budgetfloorsanding.com.au/