Wood stain without varnish

[Diyisfun]

I want to redo a small hall way, it is natural wood floor boards (old), that have been stained no gloss/matt/satin finish. I need to remove some paint stains & want to redo the floor, all the stains I seem to see have a varnish.
Are there stains without?
Floor area about 3sq mtr

 

[footprints]

Search on line for "Wood dye" Rustins, Colron etc.

 

[Diyisfun]

Never thought of 'dye'. thanks

 

[JohnD]

on a floor, with no varnish, it will wear away from foot traffic.

Why don't you want varnish?

 

[Diyisfun]

Like the look of what is there (its just got paint on & needs a clean), its a 200 yr old property.
This bit of floor gets very little use & no use at all with shoes on.

 

[getitdone]

Possibly some confusion with the terms here but either way a stain is just that - a stain that colours the wood's fibres - and provides no protective properties at all. Varnishes for floors are these days known as lacquers and these come in a variety of sheen levels - dead flat, matt, gloss etc. Given you've got such a small space, why not use a pigmented Hard Waxoil? Easy to apply, good range of tints and a level of protection that if you do ever damage, can be repaired. Different brands provide varying levels of resistance: Ciranova is outstanding as is Treatex and Fiddes. Given as you say its a residential, low traffic space, there are others like Blanchon that are less durable but are cheaper. Either way, make sure to sand the boards evenly on no finer than a 100 grit.

 

[Diyisfun]

I decided to sand the floor & re-stain using Ronseal Dark Oak satin.