Can Parquet Flooring Be Bleached To A Lighter Colour?

[Soichiro 0]

I would like to have a lighter shade for my existing parquet flooring when doing my reno, was told by some that can only stain darker, not lighter, but some said can bleach. Confused.. anyone done that before, and any estimated cost?

I'm doing it for 3 rooms, walkway and stairs.

Thanks in advance

[morganwu 0]

yes, you can bleach it to a lighter color. although not advisable, because it is risky and may not turn out to be the color you want.

the person doing the bleaching has to be very experienced. if the H2O2 and NaOH mixture's proportion is not right, the wood may exhibit a 'dead' color, like kinda like zombies like that.

most installers i believe are not interested to undertake this sort of risk for something they cant quote high on.

you need to give us a estimated area for us to estimate a cost for you. your description is too vague.

in summary,

There are 2 ways to make wood look paler, lighter.

1. Bleach. Just as the name suggests, you bleach the wood.

2. Whitewash. You dilute white paint/oil/latex/stain and coat it on the wood. Would give you a white wash effect. Advisable to always try on a small area first. Works well on Oak floors, not fantastic but still quite nice on Teak floors.

Bleaching should be done by professionals, because of the potential hazard posed by the chemicals used. Whitewash can DIY, but your installer would probably be more happy to do whitewash than bleach. IF your installer have no idea what is whitewash.... u go figure.

Edited October 27, 2010 by morganwu

[Soichiro 0]

yes, you can bleach it to a lighter color. although not advisable, because it is risky and may not turn out to be the color you want.

the person doing the bleaching has to be very experienced. if the H2O2 and NaOH mixture's proportion is not right, the wood may exhibit a 'dead' color, like kinda like zombies like that.

most installers i believe are not interested to undertake this sort of risk for something they cant quote high on.

you need to give us a estimated area for us to estimate a cost for you. your description is too vague.

in summary,

There are 2 ways to make wood look paler, lighter.

1. Bleach. Just as the name suggests, you bleach the wood.

2. Whitewash. You dilute white paint/oil/latex/stain and coat it on the wood. Would give you a white wash effect. Advisable to always try on a small area first. Works well on Oak floors, not fantastic but still quite nice on Teak floors.

Bleaching should be done by professionals, because of the potential hazard posed by the chemicals used. Whitewash can DIY, but your installer would probably be more happy to do whitewash than bleach. IF your installer have no idea what is whitewash.... u go figure.

Thanks for the detailed response! Checking with my contractor now.