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Found a bunch of old threads on sanding old floorboards back (great info) but couldn't find anything on what finish to use. The boards were covered in glued down carpet backing (removed with a steam cleaner) and some horrible brown paint. I've sanded 40, 80 and I'll do 120 grit next with a belt sander, should have bought knee pads when I was in Screwfix! I've detailed all the edges so place looks pretty tidy.
Any recommendations for sealant, varnish, wax etc? There seems to be lots of options but I'm new to all of them!
Bedroom, floors mostly covered with the bed so doesn't need to be especially hard wearing, although saying that I'm probably not going to re-do that often
If they are pine just get a tough polyeurothane down on them.
And don't panic if it looks really yellow, it mellows nicely after about a month.
Whatever Osmo sell that fits th bill.
Carpet.
Ronseal diamond hard varnish worked really well for us.
But we now have carpet.
Ha, theres a lot of carpet fans in the old threads! I've saved all the saw dust from the sanding, have pretty much a bucket full now so I'll mix that with PVA to fill the gaps, and whittle some thin strips of wood to fill any wider ones - my old house had bare floorboards on the first floor and I never noticed any real issues re drafts over the 10 years I was there.
The floorboards must be 100 years old or so but look pine as they've come up in the usual pine'y colour
F&B wimborne white modern eggshell.
Lift the floor board, sheets of boarding underneath to stop the cold drafts and dust, refit the floorboards, finish with oil or varnish and then carpet in a years time.
I’ve saved all the saw dust from the sanding, have pretty much a bucket full now so I’ll mix that with PVA to fill the gaps,
From experience in our house - if you have central heating, don't bother.
It'll crack and you'll be left with slightly smaller but much more ugly gaps.
You can get a roll of rubber-like stuff to jamb in the gaps instead (Draughtex? I forget the name). It flexes with the changes in the wood and looks much nicer. We had that until we got carpets 🙂
'Oil finishes don't prevent floor damage as effectively as varnish, but the damage is much easier to repair. You can sand the wood without having to first remove the finish, and once you're done, you only need to apply one coat of oil to blend the repair with the rest of the floor.'
I hate removing varnish, I'd go for whatever Osmo has for the job.
The previous owner did our. 100+ years old
They left some big gaps and had used a filler that started to crack and drop through.
I refilled with an acrylic I found in Germany. It's held up for 8 years.
On bits we've replaced we may he'd with a ronseal varnish. Satin or Matt to hide the scuffs. Still shoes in high wear areas.
If I was doing the job from scratch, I wouldn't. I'd probably go for some sort of engineered wood or look at other hard surfaces. Its not amazing astheatically as everyone has lifted or cut boards over the years and some have needed replacing.
About to re-do our hallway. We had Ronseal diamond hard that's now worn off in places (dog / cats / kids etc)
Is is best to remove the old stuff or can just put another couple of coats on?
Don't fill the gaps with PVA and sawdust, for gods sake. It'll look rubbish and crack/break.
I'd use Ronseal diamond hard floor varnish.
Also consider doing as WCA suggests. Or just get carpet down and have done with it; forget finishing the boards.
What was the acrylic product Jonba?
For filler I used lecol 7500, seemed to hold up pretty well for the 3-4 years before we sold and moved on.
Varnish wise, Dulux trade diamond glaze has been good, very matt in finish, almost looks unvarnished but it’s really hard wearing.
Osmo fan here.
Got quite badly scratched when having the hallway re-plastered when debris got under the dustsheets, but a gently rub in with a cloth over the damaged bits blended it in with funny patchy dark bits. As it's oil it sinks into the wood, so there's no layer to wear off like varnish. It's a bit expensive by the tin, but goes a long way too, so not too costly per square meter.
rub in with a cloth over the damaged bits blended it in with funny patchy dark bits.
Should of course have read NO funny patchy dark bits! Way too late to edit.
Re gaps - was just about to take a walls worth of lathe to the skip...it's all pretty much 'gap' sized, so I'm going to have a crack with the soft mallet and a bit of PVA to fill anything too wide - should help a bit with drafts but I'd hardly noticed at my last place
Also would recommend oil; Osmo and other brands often use Linseed oil, as well as vegetable/plant oils, which help protect the wood. Many varnishes also use Linseed oil, but with other chemicals to create a harder outer coat, but a much bigger pain to apply and maintain. Tung oil gives a clearer finish, as Linseed based oils tend to yellow over time, although depending on type f wood, this can add more colour and character (it's lovely on say Sapele or similar reddish-brown and darker woods). I'd prefer Tung oil on Pine flooring, but then I'd be ripping it all out and replacing with something nicer anyway. 😉