Wooden floor sanding project

[overlander matt]

It's a job that I've been avoiding for a long time but having read a few posts recently, it has spurred me to action. A large quantity of abrasive discs arrived today and I have set about a few minor repairs to the floor before the sanding commences. I am going to hand sand the lot as the old oak boards are already thin (12mm) and I need to be careful. The floor was previously finished with a water-based lacquer quite some years ago and an aggressive sander has left its mark from that time.



I am planning on filling the gaps with a mixture of Lecol 7500 and dust... The gaps are generally fairly small and have been filled before - I just about get a multi-tool blade in. Have others had a good outcome with this approach? Presumably it fills any smaller splits in the wood well.

There was a small repair required - downstairs there are 3 diamonds each featuring a much darker wooden diamond which has typically deteriorated more than the oak. I've lifted this section and reinforced/packed the joists below to allow getting the floor roughly level again. There are quite a few holes that need filling and wondered what you would recommend for filling and perhaps colouring the filler with. I don't want to fill all the holes in the floor but there are a few nail holes and a couple of old radiator pipe holes that need filling. Just interested to know the best way to hide these repairs discretely.

Thanks in advance.

Matt

 

[lizziecupcakes]

Oh wow, this is an exciting project. I am also going to be sanding my own floors. I think they’re original, pine though. Not quite sure what that means.

I’ve been recommended the festool hand sander, which is quite pricey. First I’m checking dewalt products though, and will upgrade to festool if i just don’t think it’s doing the job.

Which hand sander are you using? I would absolutely love to follow your journey and experience with this so please keep us updated with it all, including photos.

Personally, I quite like your floors as is. They don’t look too bad

 

[overlander matt]

---

Oh wow, this is an exciting project. I am also going to be sanding my own floors. I think they’re original, pine though. Not quite sure what that means.

I’ve been recommended the festool hand sander, which is quite pricey. First I’m checking dewalt products though, and will upgrade to festool if i just don’t think it’s doing the job.

Which hand sander are you using? I would absolutely love to follow your journey and experience with this so please keep us updated with it all, including photos.

Personally, I quite like your floors as is. They don’t look too bad

I've been watching your flooring posts. Thought I would show some solidarity and get started on our floor. There's a bit of a colour mismatch between upstairs and downstairs that we hope to put right plus we want to expose some wood on the staircase.

I almost had someone in to do the work but I had a nagging doubt there would be corners cut... I've procrastinated enough with this job.

I'll buy a new sander for the work - nothing too expensive as it'll just sit in the garage once finished. I've used a Screwfix brand (Erbauer) with Mirka dustless abrasives up to this point on the house work.

I'll keep you posted.

 

[Lacan07]

It's a job that I've been avoiding for a long time but having read a few posts recently, it has spurred me to action. A large quantity of abrasive discs arrived today and I have set about a few minor repairs to the floor before the sanding commences. I am going to hand sand the lot as the old oak boards are already thin (12mm) and I need to be careful. The floor was previously finished with a water-based lacquer quite some years ago and an aggressive sander has left its mark from that time.

View attachment 14618View attachment 14619

I am planning on filling the gaps with a mixture of Lecol 7500 and dust... The gaps are generally fairly small and have been filled before - I just about get a multi-tool blade in. Have others had a good outcome with this approach? Presumably it fills any smaller splits in the wood well.

There was a small repair required - downstairs there are 3 diamonds each featuring a much darker wooden diamond which has typically deteriorated more than the oak. I've lifted this section and reinforced/packed the joists below to allow getting the floor roughly level again. There are quite a few holes that need filling and wondered what you would recommend for filling and perhaps colouring the filler with. I don't want to fill all the holes in the floor but there are a few nail holes and a couple of old radiator pipe holes that need filling. Just interested to know the best way to hide these repairs discretely.

Thanks in advance.

Matt

View attachment 14620

I tried using Lecol for my bathroom as I felt all the gaps needed to be sealed. Its easy to apply but along the length of the boards where the wood expands and contracts its gradually started to fall out. Toby did warn me! Along the width where the board doesn't expand and contract its been fine.

Its also gone a grey colour in places which is fine with me as I like it a bit Boho and most of it will eventually fall out anyway, but in general I wouldn't bother filling the gaps along the length. If you're worried about drafts there's these foam strips specifically for the purpose that you can shove into the gaps which maintain the silhouette. Floors look much better with the natural silhouette unless its a repair.

You should use pine slithers to fill the bigger gaps. This involves gluing strips of pine into the gap and removing the excess with a sharp chisel. Bear in mind its probably wise to leave some gaps for your floor to expand and contract

For things like radiator holes just use a two part branded wood filler. If you have access from beneath glue a bit of wood across the hole to cover it, if not use something to bung the hole from above before filling.

 

[lizziecupcakes]

this might be an alternative to the gap filler @Lacan07 mentions. I’m not sure if it’s any good tbh. I’m going to try this myself too, but only around the rugs I’ve laid down as it’s quite costly to do all my rooms, hallways.

 

[fernicarry]

old radiator pipe holes that need filling

Lovely floor and tbh doesn't look that bad in those photos.

I plug holes with various bits of scrap cut to roughly the right shape, hammered in and trimmed off flush with chisel or multitool. My floors are pretty basic pine though so plenty of other defects to distract attention from my efforts...

There were some existing areas of filler in this room that were noticeable as the stain was quite wishy washy over it so I'd try to avoid using it. I actually changed out one section of board because of this (it had been cut and lifted to get at the gas main and the filler was to disguise the raggedy edge).

 

[lizziecupcakes]

I quite like defects, scratches here and there. Even my main bedroom has burned through floorboards from an overzealous sander. It tells a story. I would embrace the imperfections. Unless it’s actual damage that causes a problem , walking on it or will lead to further issues, I kind of don’t mind. Perfect floors kinda look boring to me. But it depends on the house and the interior design really.

 

[lizziecupcakes]

---

I've been watching your flooring posts. Thought I would show some solidarity and get started on our floor. There's a bit of a colour mismatch between upstairs and downstairs that we hope to put right plus we want to expose some wood on the staircase.

I almost had someone in to do the work but I had a nagging doubt there would be corners cut... I've procrastinated enough with this job.

I'll buy a new sander for the work - nothing too expensive as it'll just sit in the garage once finished. I've used a Screwfix brand (Erbauer) with Mirka dustless abrasives up to this point on the house work.

I'll keep you posted.

Good luck.

I’m currently wrecking my wrists using a scrapper to get this awful paper from the 1920s-1950s off the floorboards. I’m just doing a small section a day or so, so I don’t lose the will to live. I’ve decided to try and enjoy the process

 

[Lacan07]

this might be an alternative to the gap filler @Lacan07 mentions. I’m not sure if it’s any good tbh. I’m going to try this myself too, but only around the rugs I’ve laid down as it’s quite costly to do all my rooms, hallways.

DraughtEx Floorboard Gap Filler for Draught Proofing Floors

Buy DraughtEx floorboard gap filler to stop draughts from gaps between floorboards. Free delivery.

www.draughtex.co.uk

 

[overlander matt]

I tried using Lecol for my bathroom as I felt all the gaps needed to be sealed. Its easy to apply but along the length of the boards where the wood expands and contracts its gradually started to fall out. Toby did warn me! Along the width where the board doesn't expand and contract its been fine.

Its also gone a grey colour in places which is fine with me as I like it a bit Boho and most of it will eventually fall out anyway, but in general I wouldn't bother filling the gaps along the length. If you're worried about drafts there's these foam strips specifically for the purpose that you can shove into the gaps which maintain the silhouette. Floors look much better with the natural silhouette unless its a repair.

You should use pine slithers to fill the bigger gaps. This involves gluing strips of pine into the gap and removing the excess with a sharp chisel. Bear in mind its probably wise to leave some gaps for your floor to expand and contract

For things like radiator holes just use a two part branded wood filler. If you have access from beneath glue a bit of wood across the hole to cover it, if not use something to bung the hole from above before filling.

Thanks Lacan07 - I get the feeling the gap filling is the key decision to make here. The gaps are generally small - the floor is made of thin (12-15mm) oak lengths that don't seem to move as much as an old pine floor. I think the thin gaps have been filled with something before or it's just the lacquer that has sat in the thin gaps . I wonder whether there is an optimum gap size for the Lecol filler. There are a couple of boards with minor splits that I was looking to fill/glue without lifting the boards. I wonder whether I could just fill the largest gaps. Do you think that might look odd?

The downstairs diamonds that have a very dark brown wood typically have a larger gap around. I wondered whether a fine paint brush and a dark brown paint might be the option here to cover the nail hole filler and gaps.

As for the radiator hole, I think I have a spare board that I might be able to cut a plug from. That would reduce the amount of filler needed.

I'm also interested to know whether the Lecol/dust filler will work ok in worm holes or perhaps the other finishing layers will fill these. I've not included a photo of the stairs yet but I did a lot of the elbow work here a couple of years ago. I plan to fit a runner and keep a section of the oak treads and risers visible, hopefully matching the landing and hallway as has probably never been seen for a very long time!

 

[Lacan07]

Thanks Lacan07 - I get the feeling the gap filling is the key decision to make here. The gaps are generally small - the floor is made of thin (12-15mm) oak lengths that don't seem to move as much as an old pine floor. I think the thin gaps have been filled with something before or it's just the lacquer that has sat in the thin gaps . I wonder whether there is an optimum gap size for the Lecol filler. There are a couple of boards with minor splits that I was looking to fill/glue without lifting the boards. I wonder whether I could just fill the largest gaps. Do you think that might look odd?

The downstairs diamonds that have a very dark brown wood typically have a larger gap around. I wondered whether a fine paint brush and a dark brown paint might be the option here to cover the nail hole filler and gaps.

As for the radiator hole, I think I have a spare board that I might be able to cut a plug from. That would reduce the amount of filler needed.

I'm also interested to know whether the Lecol/dust filler will work ok in worm holes or perhaps the other finishing layers will fill these. I've not included a photo of the stairs yet but I did a lot of the elbow work here a couple of years ago. I plan to fit a runner and keep a section of the oak treads and risers visible, hopefully matching the landing and hallway as has probably never been seen for a very long time!

I would head to Toby Newell's website and read his guides. It's very detailed and informative.

Fixing splits without lifting the board is difficult I would have thought, unless you do something like screw the split down into a Counter sunk hole and fill hole.

I filled a lot of large gaps in my bathroom but then again it's a bathroom. It looks fine, it doesnt spoil the aesthetic, but in general id try and maintain the silhouette where possible.

When you fill a large gap like a radiator hole it's not necessarily about minimising the use of filler, it's about stopping the filler from falling through the hole.

Lecol will fill the worm holes just fine, use one of those thin putty spatulas that decorators use. I left my worm holes as they look great when stained and vanished, part of the history.

 

[Cubist]

I’m currently wrecking my wrists using a scrapper to get this awful paper from the 1920s-1950s off the floorboards. I’m just doing a small section a day or so, so I don’t lose the will to live. I’ve decided to try and enjoy the process

Have you tried 'spritzing' the paper patches with a little water? This could loosen the bond and save your wrists.

If that doesn't work you could also try painting on a little solvent such white spirit or methylated spirit while scraping as this may loosen/destroy any adhesive used to apply the paper originally.

 

[lizziecupcakes]

Have you tried 'spritzing' the paper patches with a little water? This could loosen the bond and save your wrists.

If that doesn't work you could also try painting on a little solvent such white spirit or methylated spirit while scraping as this may loosen/destroy any adhesive used to apply the paper originally.

Oh thank you very much. This is very helpful. I used a damp sponge on the paper and it did loosen it abit. I will try the spirit ! I’m just thankful it’s only in one room (dinning room) and not all over the house.

 

[Cubist]

I have to say Matts floor would have me running to my Cheats Box of the bits and pieces I might use with similar repair needs. Amongst other things this contains: -

• A variety of old coloured wax crayons, filched from my daughter, that I can shave and blend together using a little heat to fill small holes or divots in a board.
• Small boxes of fine sawdust from a variety woods that can again be blended and mixed with a little resin to make a filler.
• A few old soft lead pencils, some fine artists brushes and a few felt tip pens to fake or accentuate grain lines.
• A few old tester pots of paints - like the chocolate brown which, from a distance, can fool the eye into not seeing a stark repair of even a joint in old oak.
• And more...

Which is yet another two reasons why the First Lady is not allowed into the darker corners of my Toy Sheds. The first because it would add to her already strong argument that I need to 'chuck stuff out' and the second being that discovery of my thievery from my daughter would result in an even closer eye being kept on me when around my granddaughters crayons.

 

[overlander matt]

I would head to Toby Newell's website and read his guides. It's very detailed and informative.

Fixing splits without lifting the board is difficult I would have thought, unless you do something like screw the split down into a Counter sunk hole and fill hole.

I filled a lot of large gaps in my bathroom but then again it's a bathroom. It looks fine, it doesnt spoil the aesthetic, but in general id try and maintain the silhouette where possible.

When you fill a large gap like a radiator hole it's not necessarily about minimising the use of filler, it's about stopping the filler from falling through the hole.

Lecol will fill the worm holes just fine, use one of those thin putty spatulas that decorators use. I left my worm holes as they look great when stained and vanished, part of the history.

Thanks again. It's helpful to hear of your experience on your floor. I've spent a long time looking at Toby's approach over the past couple of years. The bit that always held me up was how to colour the floor after sanding. That might sound daft and I've still not reached a decision...

I agree that it's important to retain the outline of the board. Generally the majority of the boards are tight fitting with less than a 1mm gap. Only a handful have a larger 2-3mm gap and it is these I'm particularly interested in filling with the Lecol paste.

So the general (simplified) procedure is repair, sand, fill, sand, stain, shellac then wax or lacquer? Would that sound about right?

I'm interested in the dark arts box of felt pens, paints and crayons that get mentioned. Presumably this is to camouflage the filler. Presumably a dark straight line with a permanent Sharpie could help in the case of a gap fill?

Lots of questions. Thanks again!

 

[overlander matt]

I have to say Matts floor would have me running to my Cheats Box of the bits and pieces I might use with similar repair needs. Amongst other things this contains: -

• A variety of old coloured wax crayons, filched from my daughter, that I can shave and blend together using a little heat to fill small holes or divots in a board.
• Small boxes of fine sawdust from a variety woods that can again be blended and mixed with a little resin to make a filler.
• A few old soft lead pencils, some fine artists brushes and a few felt tip pens to fake or accentuate grain lines.
• A few old tester pots of paints - like the chocolate brown which, from a distance, can fool the eye into not seeing a stark repair of even a joint in old oak.
• And more...

Which is yet another two reasons why the First Lady is not allowed into the darker corners of my Toy Sheds. The first because it would add to her already strong argument that I need to 'chuck stuff out' and the second being that discovery of my thievery from my daughter would result in an even closer eye being kept on me when around my granddaughters crayons.

I do like the sound of this and definitely kit that should be kept hidden in a safe place! I terms of making a dark filler, how would you go about the nail holes and damage in the dark wood diamonds? A light filler with a black felt tip? I had wondered if these pieces were originally stained dark but lifting these pieces and sanding suggests a softer blacker wood than the adjacent oak. It's a great feature.

Thanks Cubist.

 

[Cubist]

My small experience and knowledge relies on lessons from a few writers on the dark arts of furniture restoration and, to some smaller extent, on the strategies used by camouflage experts during WW2 in particular. With nail holes and the like there may be a need to break up or otherwise interfere with any regular patterns as these will draw the eye. In such cases, and much better with lighter coloured woods, a reasonably close match to the base colouring for the filler can with the addition of a few lines of appropriate colours be made to look like the surrounding grain structure. Also with such woods, I've sometimes used a much darker brown or black even to emulate something that will look like a birds-eye knot. Colour blending of wax oddments can be difficult as a lot of trial and error is needed before attempting the repair, the last thing you want is to find your new wax ends up lighter in shade than the surrounding wood - it can end up looking like a domino. In the past though I've had some, again small, success by using a base colour wood filler that is as close as I can get to the target wood and then applying a little paint or ink to close the colour gap.

Oh, and theres a slightly more radical approach I've very occasionally used with larger nail or screw holes that relies on taking more wood out of the edges of the holes to make them as irregular as possible before they're filled. Adjacent grain structures to each hole can be used as guide to making them seem more natural and therefore help to deceive the eye.

Hope this helps, Cheers.

 

[Lacan07]

Thanks again. It's helpful to hear of your experience on your floor. I've spent a long time looking at Toby's approach over the past couple of years. The bit that always held me up was how to colour the floor after sanding. That might sound daft and I've still not reached a decision...

I agree that it's important to retain the outline of the board. Generally the majority of the boards are tight fitting with less than a 1mm gap. Only a handful have a larger 2-3mm gap and it is these I'm particularly interested in filling with the Lecol paste.

So the general (simplified) procedure is repair, sand, fill, sand, stain, shellac then wax or lacquer? Would that sound about right?

I'm interested in the dark arts box of felt pens, paints and crayons that get mentioned. Presumably this is to camouflage the filler. Presumably a dark straight line with a permanent Sharpie could help in the case of a gap fill?

Lots of questions. Thanks again!

If you plan to stain the floor you really need to make some samples if possible unless you're not that fussy. Its a big decision to stain a floor.

So I prepared the floor removing any nails, etc, and filling radiator holes. Then I sanded going through the grades to the final grit. After this I filled the gaps with either pine slithers or Lecol (using the collected sawdust), then sand that back before a final hand pass of the final grit.

What you do after that is entirely up to you. What you use is dependent on the type of stain whether water based or a Nitrostain for example. As I've said before it may be simpler to choose your stain (for example a Morrells water stain) and follow their advice about how to finish, i.e stick to the same brand for the varnish or whatever finish they recommend. That way you won't mess up.

 

[lizziecupcakes]

If you plan to stain the floor you really need to make some samples if possible unless you're not that fussy. Its a big decision to stain a floor.

So I prepared the floor removing any nails, etc, and filling radiator holes. Then I sanded going through the grades to the final grit. After this I filled the gaps with either pine slithers or Lecol (using the collected sawdust), then sand that back before a final hand pass of the final grit.

What you do after that is entirely up to you. What you use is dependent on the type of stain whether water based or a Nitrostain for example. As I've said before it may be simpler to choose your stain (for example a Morrells water stain) and follow their advice about how to finish, i.e stick to the same brand for the varnish or whatever finish they recommend. That way you won't mess up.

@Lacan07 curious, but can you fill gaps using sawdust/Lecol paste for suspended floorboards? If so, I think i'd give this a go too. Would this affect the ventilation? I imagine it's great for draught and will help insulate the house better. Many thanks

 

[fernicarry]

If you plan to stain the floor you really need to make some samples if possible unless you're not that fussy. Its a big decision to stain a floor.

This was almost my downfall in the hallway. I got a load of testers (Morrell's I think), tried them out on a spare piece of floorboard and decided on the one that seemed to best match the doors.

After applying a couple of coats of it across the whole floor it was veering too much towards orange for my liking. Saved by a couple of coats of shellac sealer which brought it back to the more honey-like colour I was aiming for.

Unless you have years of experience doing it, I think its really difficult to tell how it will turn out until you are well committed. The thought of having to start over was just too dreadful to contemplate. Sorry Matt, not helping with your procrastination...

For the next room I may skip the stain and just do extra coats of shellac. The challenge with that one is going to be the 4 or 5 rows of replaced boards that are much whiter than the original boards.