Staining Plywood Shop Floor

[Izzy Charo]

After many months of delay, my shop addition is almost done. I have new plywood floors that I would like to stain rather than paint or leave unfinished. I have tentatively settled on a Miniwax oil-based stain, and the plan is to first use an oil-based pre-stain, then the stain, then something to give a bit of protection. Applying the stain over a 500 sq ft area will be tedious, but doable....but I'm wondering about the best way to then wipe-off the excess after it soaks in for 3-5 minutes? Seems like to too big a job for clean rags.... Would love some ideas on ways to apply and wipe-off excess stain, while still keeping the "wet-edge"...
Thanks,
Izzy

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Just get a cotton mop. Also, I would finish with an oil based poly.

[Frank Pratt]

Do you really want to do that? Softwood plywood is probably the worst kind of wood to try to stain & will end up looking like a badly done Etsy piece. If you must add color, I think tinting the poly would give better results. Do a base coat of clear (to minimize blotching), followed by several coats of lightly tinted finish. That way you can put down coats until the desired level of color is achieved and the color will be more even.

[Jim Becker]

I kinda agree with Frank here. And a pigment based stain can really go wrong on softwood like pine, even with "pre-conditioning". You'll have double the cleanup, too, with a whole bunch of dirty rags or mops that are dangerous because of the possibility of spontaneous combustion. I'll suggest you consider using Minxwax's Oil Emulsified Waterborne polyurethane floor finish and as Frank mentioned, add some transtint to it to change the hue. This is nice stuff and you'll be able to get two coats a day on easily and it builds nice. Easy to use a pad-on-a-stick to apply, too...which can be washed out with hot water and dish soap between coats. I see zero reason to use an oil based product for this.

[Izzy Charo]

Glad I asked! Thanks... I will get some of the water based poly and start experimenting with tints on scrap boards...The oil based stain looks good but I couldn't figure out how to use it safely and easily on such a large surface area... This seems a much better approach. Appreciate the advice!

[Andrew Seemann]

Also you tend to want a light neutral color for a shop floor, to find all those screws and small pieces you drop on it. A clear or amber finish on plywood (basically some kind of oil or water poly straight out of the can) is about as good a color for a shop floor as any. As a bonus it also camouflages the sawdust well:)

[Andrew Hughes]

I don’t understand why you would want to stain your floors.
Won’t they get stained from just normal shop time.:)

[Jim Becker]

Glad I asked! Thanks... I will get some of the water based poly and start experimenting with tints on scrap boards...The oil based stain looks good but I couldn't figure out how to use it safely and easily on such a large surface area... This seems a much better approach. Appreciate the advice!

Make sure you are using a product made for floors. The one I suggested is specifically for this application.

[Izzy Charo]

Hi Jim, This is what I'm going to experiment with; advertised as for floors: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Minwax-Satin-Water-Based-Polyurethane-Actual-Net-Contents-128-fl-oz/1000691048
Thanks again,
Izzy

[Jim Becker]

That's probably just fine. I really do like the Oil Modified Waterborne product I mentioned and it has the amber-ish tone of an oil based product with the convenience of a waterborne. Available at your local Sherwin Williams store.

[Bryan Lisowski]

I would just do a couple coats of clear, not tint. I say this because after awhile the floor will probably get scuffed, so a clear may be less noticeable.

[Tom Bain]

Depending on how much light you get in your shop, the floors may also darken slightly over time with UV exposure. I know mine have.

[Kris Cook]

I can certainly relate to the "many months of delay" concept, although my delays have been self-imposed. I am close to putting the floor in my shop as well, and plan to install plywood. I am going to paint the plywood with a good quality floor paint. Partly because I think it will wear well (based on research, including a good friend's shop with painted plywood floor) and I don't like the look of wood on wood of a lot of shops where the plywood floor and the walls kind of blend together.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Mike Kees]

When I did my shop floor I found a great deal on 60 sheets of 3/4'' exterior spruce that had been used. The guy I bought this from had a business of renting and setting up party tents for weddings and such. The plywood was stained grey on one side. I installed it with the stain up. There were two shades of grey so I purchased exterior deck stain and rolled it on with a paint roller and handle. So far it has held up well, I may still paint it someday but I doubt it.