How to Tint a Timber Floor White with Bona Toner

The whitewashed, Scandinavian look -- how to get it with the Bona Toner White pigment additive, and why Australian hardwoods don't behave like oak.

Short version Bona Toner White is a 100 ml pigment additive (part of the Bona Additive+ range). Mix one bottle per 5 L of Bona waterborne primer or lacquer, apply along the grain, and build the white over multiple tinted coats. Finish with a matt or extra-matt Bona topcoat. It's a tonal tool, not a paint -- and on Australian hardwoods you'll get a softer effect than on oak or ash.

What Bona Toner is

Bona Toner is a water-soluble pigment additive in a pre-measured 100 ml bottle. Rather than stocking a separate pre-pigmented primer for every look, you tint a standard Bona waterborne primer or lacquer on the job. It comes in four colours -- White, Natural, Amber and Black -- so the same system covers whitewashing, knocking back yellow, warming to an oil-tone amber, or going dark.

The White version is the one people ask for: it creates or boosts a whitewashed, lighter, toned-down appearance on lighter species and lets you control how white the floor goes by how many coats you tint.

Mixing and method

Step	Detail
Sand	Take the floor to bare timber and dust off thoroughly. A clean, even substrate is what makes the tint read evenly.
Mix	Add one 100 ml bottle of Bona Toner White per 5 L of primer or lacquer. Stir thoroughly so the pigment is fully dispersed.
Apply	Roll or T-bar evenly, working along the grain. An even wet film is what stops the white going patchy.
Build	Let it dry, light intercoat abrade, then judge the tone. Want more white? Tint and apply another coat. The colour builds with layers.
Topcoat	Finish with two coats of a clear matt or extra-matt Bona topcoat -- gloss fights the chalky white look.

Primers, TanninShield and hardwoods

On light, high-tannin Australian species the enemy is tannin bleed washing a yellow/brown haze up through your nice white. Use Bona TanninShield in the primer stage on those floors to lock the tannin down before you tint. The whole point of the Additive+ system is that these additives stack into the same Bona primers and lacquers you already use.

Reality check on Australian species Bona White / Toner White was built around northern-hemisphere softwoods and oak. On dense Australian hardwoods you will not get the dramatic limed-oak white -- you get a softer, toned-down lift. Always lay a sample board in the actual species and show the customer before you commit the floor. It's a tonal adjustment, not a dark-to-light transformation.

Safety (from the Bona SDS)

Bona Toner White is not classified as hazardous under CLP/GHS -- no signal word and no hazard pictograms. The one thing to know: it contains trace isothiazolinone preservatives (BIT plus CMIT/MIT) and may produce an allergic reaction on sensitive skin. Treat it like any waterborne coating additive -- gloves, safety eyewear, good ventilation, and keep it out of drains and watercourses.

Eyes: rinse with clean water for 10+ minutes, get medical advice.
Skin: soap and water -- do not use solvents or thinners.
Swallowed: do not induce vomiting; seek advice and show the label.
Fire: alcohol-resistant foam, CO², powder or water spray -- not a water jet.

Full document: Bona Toner White Safety Data Sheet (PDF).

The Bona Toner range

100 ml pre-measured pigment additives, 1 bottle per 5 L. White and Natural for the raw/whitewashed look (best with Classic UX + matt lacquer), Amber for a warm oil-tone (with Intense primer), and full-coverage Black (any primer).

Get the look right the first time

Ring with the species, the square meters and the topcoat you're running. We'll tell you whether Toner White will get the floor where the customer wants it, how many tinted coats, and which primer and topcoat to pair it with. Call 1300 950 551.