Advice on sanding floorboards

Leopardlady

We have recently removed carpets from our main bedroom floor and found great looking floor boards with one that is loose and has been cut badly.

Any advice on where to get the best value sanders would be very welcome.

Also we have removed nasty wood chip wall paper from the walls and found mixed quality plaster in need of some attention. Should we have the walls skimmed, then use lining paper and paint, or what?

We have a very tight schedule and are new to this.

Thanks in advance:beer:

covbaldy

Hi,
You will need to get a large floor sander and an edging sander. For this you'll need to find your local tool hire centre, phone around to get the best price.

I'm in cambridge & paid around £45 for the sander over the w/end + you will be charged per sanding sheet, nothing too expensive.

Although the tins of stainer/varnish are very expensive! But looks great when finished.

How bad are your walls? Can you get away with filling then lining & painting?

never_enough

I did the whole of my flat several years ago. It took me a week to sand then varnish but was worth the mess & tears (lots of both) as it looked amazing. I used a matt varnish in most rooms which gives a subtle sheen. Was dry to walk on within an hour or so if I remember correctly. I also used yacht varnish in the bathroom which worked really well, very glossy & obviously waterproof but took 24 hours to dry.
It took me a couple of days to go over every board & knock in each nail. It drove me nuts but was well worth it, otherwise you will just rip the sanding sheets to shreds & have to keep replacing it. They can add lots to the cost of the job. You need to knock nails in below the level of the board so that when you sand they are not sticking up. Use a nail punch will cost a quid or two, someone told me on here that they come in differant sizes.
I also replaced boards that had been cut around old pipes & gaslights. Just got new boards from Travis Perkins in the right width then stained them with several layers of stain until they matched.
You will love it & it's all the better for having done it yourself!