Diesel fuel to preserve wood floors?

[Phorester]

I seem to recall from my distant youth in the South that country stores would use diesel fuel to clean and preserve their wood floors.  I remember walking on some right after treatment; the floors were somewhat slick, and any liquid spilled on them would bead right up. It gave the floors a pleasing semi-dark appearance with contrasting dark and light colors where the different growth rings would absorb the diesel at different rates.   There was a faint smell of the diesel fuel, but I didn't find it offensive.

Am I remembering right, or was there something else they were using? Maybe a combination of diesel and something else?  Any other old fogeys out there that remember this?

[beenthere]

Mineral spirits makes more sense than diesel fuel oil.  The beading would be the paraffin wax mixed into the mineral spirits.  Boiled linseed oil also was used when applied to wood.  Diesel could have been used as the carrier but that was usually an outdoor application. Penta was added for good wood protection from decay.

[sandhills]

We used to use waste engine oil on the bed of our old underslung hay mover, worked great but can't say I'd want to use it on any wood floors  ;).

[Jasperfield]

It was probably boiled linseed oil. They'd soak sawdust with the oil and cast it about on the floors. By the time the whole floor was covered it was ready to be mopped with a dry push mop. Mopping evenly coated the floors with the oil while collecting the sawdust.

[Woodwalker]

It was probably boiled linseed oil. They'd soak sawdust with the oil and cast it about on the floors. By the time the whole floor was covered it was ready to be mopped with a dry push mop. Mopping evenly coated the floors with the oil while collecting the sawdust.

Can't remember if it was a brand name, but I do remember what we used was just called "floor sweep". 

[scsmith42]

Yup, I remember floor sweep too.  Basically wood shavings soaked in some type of oil.

Rather than diesel fuel, those floors may have been treated with kerosene.  Less smell, and I think that I've seen it used in some old southern feed stores.

[Ironwood]

To get a better smell mix in some turpentine. Pine odor is good.


Ironwood

[jim king]

Diesel is used here all the time on wood floors in the poor peoples homes to keep the insect problem down.  Also the framing is painted with diesel for the same reason. 

[Phorester]

Kerosene....... ah-hah.  I bet that was it.  I thought about coal oil, but I think that would have more odor than what I remember and too expensive to use on floors.  Kerosene would be real cheap and more likely to be used in these old country stores than mineral spirits, linseed oil, etc.  

Next chance I get I'll check with a couple of my country uncles to see if they remember.

[SwampDonkey]

I wouldn't want diesel on the floor, what a mess that would be. That smell goes all through the house.

[woodmills1]

try 5 gal diesel   1/2 roofing tar no fibers    1/ boiled linseed



Uncle Larry's Walnut stain

[venice]

Back in the days, my granddad had me to treat the rafters of his wood-storage with diesel fuel against insects. As i can say today. It worked in some places.

For the wooden floors inside living spaces they used linseed oil. But they also had a pretty rigid cleaning and maintenance schedule in place to keep the floor(pine) from turning ugly; sweep it wet and scrub with sand and a limestone once a week.

Once or twice a year the floor got a light sanding and a new coat of linseed oil.

Makes up for a wooden floor with character down the road, but it's quite a bit of work.

Best. Venice

[Wudman]

Kerosene - There was an old store near me that used it....I've seen a couple with some pretty interesting fires in them after they were vacant too.

[tomsteve]

wouldnt the odors from these(except the BLO) be a concern for health reasons?

[SwampDonkey]

I can't imagine wanting to smell the stuff. Even a  little spill of stove oil in the basement goes all through the house.

[Phorester]

TOMESTEVE, I'm talking 50 years ago.   ;D  Although I saw it being used as recent as about 25 years ago in an old country in my area.  Back then, no knowledge or concern about health issues with this. They just wanted something cheap to preserve the floors.

[Woodchuck53]

Walk into any old auto shop and that is the smell you will have if you were to use diesel fuel. I think kerosene or boiled linseed oil is what they were using. I can tell you for sure that crude oil want smell like the refined oil or fuels when used as a barn perservative.

I bet those fires were impressive.