Re-varnishing floors (pine, epoxy varnish)

BenEdwards

I originally cleaned floorboards with a mixture of caustic soda and wallpaper paste and a light sand to give it a more rustic look. I tried using a big sanding machine in my room and it was a nightmare. I then used an epoxy 2 part varnish. I ended up with practically the same finish and it was a lot cheaper and did not fill the house with nasty wood dust.

The method I used was to scrub the floorboards with the caustic soda/wallpaper paste/water, mix, scrub with water then neutralise with a vinegar/water mix.

Trying to work out how to redo the floors. My initial idea was to use the caustic soda method to clean

the floors but don't think this will remove the epoxy varnish (although I have found people talking about removing epoxy varnish on boats with this method they are talking about leaving in on for days).

I think I need to remove it all otherwise it will be patchy. Also, don't think other varnish adhesives to epoxy.

Any ideas?

Regards,
Ben

knightstyle

How big is the floor area? If small try a belt sander if large, hire a floor sander. Floor must be dry to do this and there will be a lot of dust.
We have done lots of wooden floors and always use epoxy based varnish, ventilate well till it goes off.