Limed Floors

One of my friends mentioned the white floor thing on twitter yesterday. It turned into a heated debate about the practicalities of white floors, particularly for households with messy, small children.

So I have been asked for an alternative option for those who like the light look but don’t want the commitment to all white.

In our city house we have wide spotted gum floorboards. As the rooms are quite small and potentially dark, I went for a light Swedish-inspired look for the interiors which have lots of pale grey-blues and limed the boards. Many years later I can say that this has worked really well and has also worn well. The liming looks good on spotted gum as this species has a grey cast to it anyway. The liming is light but still hides scuffs nicely and looks particularly good with the French or Scandinavian style grey wash furniture.

A note of caution. Your floor sander or paint shop may tell you to go with the lime-and- sealer-in-one product because its easier and quicker. Don't do it. I have seen unfortunate results where the floor finish has cracked and de-laminated. I recommend liming floors the traditional way. That way you get to control the amount of lime on the boards.

In the bathroom photo there is a board which is not limed to show you the difference the liming makes.

Good luck with your floor choice!