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Get on your hands and knees and apply a liberal layer of boiled linseed oil. There is NOTHING like the beauty of hand subbed oil. Really work it in. But remember to dispose of your rags properly the same day so they don't combust.

Boiled linseed oil. Just like medusa said, it is a gorgeous finish. I just finished a desk with it and it is wonderful. Keep in mind though, it is no where near as durable a finish as anything synthetic. If you drip water on it, it needs to be wiped up, and it will scuff and scratch...but it will wear with your house and in my opinion only look more beautiful over time.

If you would decide to do that, it works in best with something like 0000 super fine steel wool. Put it on real heavy, let it sit, and wipe it off. Let it dry for a day and do it again. Do three coats and buff it out, it will look fantastic.

The most important thing, as stated above, is to make sure you soak any rags in water for 24 hours as soon as you finish using them. The oil oxidizes as it dries, which causes it to heat up and can combust, thus burning up your nicely finished floor - which you of course don't want.

I've been hearing great things about engineered Tung oil as well. I'd imagine it's fairly similar to boiled linseed oil. Be sure to take some before, during, and after shots for us!

Engineered tung oil is just that - engineered. It is not really tung oil. It is a very watered down oil with a large amount of poly that most companies claim will cover in one coat. That one coat will be equal to about a quarter coat of a good poly.

Pure tung oil on the other hand would be another good option. There are trade offs from this and linseed oil though. Linseed will add more of a rich color to the wood and allow for more of a color change over time. If you like this, it is desirable (I do - some don't) Linseed penetrates the wood more, but doesn't offer as strong of a finish as tung oil. Hence the suggestion for 3 coats at least. Tung oil will provide a stronger finish, but takes what seems to be an eternity to dry.

Some people may flat out tell you not to use oil at all on your floor, others may say that just one or the other is an ok option. I would tell you to go out, do the research, and most importantly - think about where the floors are being refinished. It looks like you are doing a hallway, which might be high traffic, and in which case an oil finish may not be what you want to be looking at. In a bedroom it might be fine, but you may need to look elsewhere in the hall. Weigh your options and do your research, you can find something that will make your floors beautiful.

Linseed oil is the way to go. We just refinished our old pine floors with it (after ripping up carpeting that had been there for years and years) and they look fantastic.

While linseed oil isn't the most durable of finishes, the wonderful thing about it is that if you do incur scratches, you can simply rub more oil on that spot to fix it. (With a more durable, synthetic finish, you're kind of screwed.) We have a great dane, so that's one of the reasons we chose to use linseed oil rather than some of the other products out there.

When Oiling isn't enough:
I just refinished some very scuffed up floors (previous owner had dogs) -- sanded, stained and varnish. There are some eco-friendly water based products that are quite common for the final coat. Any professional floor person willknow about this. I noticed a faint smell, but it was gone in a day. I am told the finish will last for 10 years. My floors look fabulous, and they are protected. It's an old house-- 1948, and I was told that this might be the last time that the floors can be sanded, so I went with something durable. The entire process took less than a week, and I am so happy I did it.

When Oiling isn't enough:
I just refinished some very scuffed up floors (previous owner had dogs) -- sanded, stained and varnish. There are some eco-friendly water based products that are quite common for the final coat. Any professional floor person willknow about this. I noticed a faint smell, but it was gone in a day. I am told the finish will last for 10 years. My floors look fabulous, and they are protected. It's an old house-- 1948, and I was told that this might be the last time that the floors can be sanded, so I went with something durable. The entire process took less than a week, and I am so happy I did it.

I'll keep the linseed oil in mind, should I need it it in the future.

How long does it take for each application of linseed oil to dry?