any experts - renovating original floorboards..

boufje

just finishing my flat renovations, the last thing to be done is sanding and varnishing the floorboards, which should hopefully look good at the end of it as they are the original ones from when the house was built in 1840, have been under a carpet for the last 20 years, but there is no old victorian (black) varnish surprisingly. they should be oak but they are coming up a bit orange - should I woory?

The builders have started to sand the floors (using a grinder rather than a sander - should I be worried? ) then they will varnish with matt osmo polyx hardwax oil applying with a brush - or would a roller/flat floor mop be better. They clearly haven't got a clue about wood floors and seem not very keen ( he was trying to persuade me a laminate would be better!!).

I have been researching this online for months, and have concluded that I will need to seal the gaps myself when I move back in, learning to cut slivers of wood to size, or if that doesn't work, stuffing hemp rope between gaps and then using a flexible wood filler on top. can anyone offer any advice - the room I am most bothered about is the kitchen, as water is a big risk but I am hell bent on having the original floorboards - practical or not...and would really appreciate any advice..

sassybooboos

i renovated some in my old house, but i hired a professional floor sander and it works a treat. (very noisy and dusty though).

Paparika

A proper sander will sand with the grain, a grinder will probably cause horrible swirl marks in the wood that you might not even see until after the varnish goes on!

wallacebob

Using a grinder will leave marks everywhere when you varnish the floor. You must use a proper belt floor sander to achieve a smooth floor. Orbital or hand sander then used on bits you couldn't reach! I did my house a few yeras ago, we had very bad skirting so removed this first, then sanded floor, then fitted new skirting. Very tidy. Gaps can be filed with a "vee" shaped plastic strip to reduce drafts, filling is always noticable, unless you get an exact match. See http://www.gapseal.co.uk/ The colour will change as the sun gets at the floor, and any varnish even clear will darken it. Try a small bit in a corner, or use an offcut.
I used water based satin varnish applied with brush to get into all the bits for first coat, rub down lightly and second or third coat. Use a vacumn cleaner to get ALL the dust , then clean with spirit. This will give some idea of finished look. Brush with the grain and it will look very slick. Open all windows for ventilation, but remember you can't go back in the room to close them if it rains!

boufje

Thanks very much for the advice, esp about the grinder. Am hiring a floor sander from HSS for them to use tomorrow and will supervise to mske sure dome along the grain, will update with the results!!!

rdpro

When I did my lounge, I saved some sawdust from the 2nd fine sanding and mixed it with PVA glue to use as filler. Turned out ok

Canucklehead

Hi

The grinder doesn't sound too good.Hss sanders are the way to go. We can vouch for the Osmo very good but pricey.
One concern would be (if you are above ground floor) noise . The flat downstairs might not appreciate your efforts;)

Corgi Guy.

minxtress

I did everything same as wallacebob, done my first about 11 years ago and just recently resanded and done again, i filled the gaps both times with the sawdust mixed with pva, it is very effective and naural looking.
MAKE SURE when all dusted and pre varnishing to really give floor a good wash down with white spirit, i found a paint pad worked the best.
I done it all myself, sanded 3 rooms and edges in a weekend,with no man help so it really couldnt be that difficult, and the estate agents ive just had round have all commented on how proffesional the floor looks.

davey4444

Just out of interest how draughty are the floorboards when the gaps are filled correctly? We're currently unsure whether to recarpet our hallway, take it back to the floorboards (Victorian) or put down engineered wood flooring. Apart from cost etc.. one of the main factors in our decision is the draught.

tstodart

If you want a good finish, you might need to fill the gaps before the sanding (otherwise you'll have to sand again).

I have used the wood strips to fill gaps which works well but colour match is difficult.

Varnish is easy - I bought a 'kit' that came complete with a floor mop to apply it with. A bit more expensive than just buying a tin of varnish but really easy to apply.