Special
How do I mix colours and apply them?
THERE’S NO NEED TO BE WARY MAKERS HAVE BEEN REFINING THE APPLICATION FOR MANY YEARS
Photo – Plastor
There are very few aspects of the parquet floor fitting profession which require more expertise than mixing and applying colours. After all, this is a work of precision where professionals have to take exceptional care. However, contrary to what many people think, it’s not really necessary to be wary of mixing and applying colours. We called upon Blanchon, which is a specialist in this field and, amongst other things, covers this part of the trade amply during their Technical Days. They reassured us even before we could finish our first question: ‘No, there’s no need for parquet floor fitters to be wary of applying colours.’ They told us: ‘First and foremost, that’s because the various makers, ourselves included, have worked hard for many years to make the job easier and improve results. Nowadays, professionals generally agree that it’s a lot easier and safer to apply a water-based stain (which mainly contains lightfast pigments and not the sometimes unstable colouring agents) than it was 20 years ago. Two decades ago, you had a stain based on alcohol or ‘petrol’ (in reality petroleum solvents)
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Floor Forum International 121
which dried almost at once. That made it extremely difficult to apply these products in rooms bigger than 15m²!’ ‘Moreover, a finish which is designed to give a parquet floor a new look and/or feel for the benefit of both potential clients and financial gain is not considered to be on the same level as a ‘classic’ colourless glaze. And so, it provides added value in every respect for specialist parquet floor fitters to present a range of shades.’
The preparation of the wood We’ll start at the beginning: What about the preparation of the wood before you colour it? ‘There are various technical options for colouring a floor. You can use a stain, a colour, a distressing agent (sometimes called a staining agent or positive stain), or a colour oil. The use of the latter is very popular because this gives the floor both colour and a finish in one operation.’ ‘In fact, the deployed procedure is exactly the same with new or old parquet. There are no special requirements, except obviously that the wood has to be prepared in line with professional standards and that the standard safeguards should be applied as regards moisture
