Wooden floors NB

[StellaGirl]

I fancied a change in my kitchen so have removed the flooring and gone back to the original floorboards.
I hired a sander and now have a beautiful finish and the floorboards are in excellent condition. I think its the first time they have been walked on!

My question is - being a high use area and prone to getting wet when HWMBO is washing up whats the best way to finish them off.
I dont want to lose the colour they are now. Considered boiled linseed oil but not sure this would provide enough protection.
Anyone have experience of this that could offer advice?


<hr width=100% size=1>Its 11.59am - lets open the beers...

 

[melker]

Was convinced by a sailor (my first mistake) to use Tung Oil.
I don't recommend it. It hasn't lasted. Though looked beautiful at first is horrible now (1 1/2 years later) - back to square one.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[tonyran]

silk finish polyurethane varnish................now lets get back to s**l*ng and b**ts

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[snowleopard]

no question - polyurethane varnish. ronseal now sell a product they call 'yacht varnish'. i wouldn't let it anwhere near the outside of a yacht but fine on houses.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Stemar]

Pretty much anything except acrylic varnish will will yellow and darken the wood, so that's something to bear in mind.

Whatever you do, don't expect it to last forever. I did the parquet in my house - stain then a 2 pack varnish and it look great for about 3 years, then it started to go downhill and I didn't catch it in time. Now I need to start again from the beginning, and now, with a serious boat addiction, I just haven't got the time /forums/images/icons/frown.gif - or money /forums/images/icons/frown.gif/forums/images/icons/frown.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[ShipsWoofy]

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>

silk finish polyurethane varnish................now lets get back to s**l*ng and b**ts

<hr></blockquote>


OH God another one. 13 posts in and dictating how the forum should be run.

I am not suggesting this to be a private club, but for g**dne*s s*ke (? I don't know either) this probably counts as the most boaty non boaty post this month. Varnish, wet environment, hard wearing, hmmmm, can anyone else see the similarities here.

So Mr T, used obviously to plastic fantastics only, would it be ok for anyone else to answer the query using knowledge gained from boats, please, please Mr Tony.

Oh and in answer to the question, I would suggest a mat finish and never polish, once you start polishing wooden floors it is the start of weekly chores and dark polish build up in the corners where you can't get to. Would also suggest a non slip machine wash mat under the sink, reduce wear and aid safety.

As for coating, sorry, would not have a clue. As a family when younger, my father and I striped back the parquet flooring. Knowing my dad, we will have used the cheapest B&Q type floor varnish he could find, I seem to remember it still looking good after 16 years when they sold the place, this was the hall floor too, so lots of wear and tear.

Keep your high heels off though!

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk>All New website</A><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by ShipsWoofy on 20/11/2004 14:43 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[StellaGirl]

Thanks for the response - nice to get some support for my post. I did only ask here due to similarities honest!

Agree about mat under sink too.

<hr width=100% size=1>Its 11.59am - lets open the beers...

 

[tome]

I laid an ash floor in our kitchen and used a water based product called (I think) Aquaseal. It's stuff they use in gymnasiums and squash courts.

5 years on and no wear whatsoever- brilliant finish which doesn't hide the grain or discolour the wood. Highly recommended, I'll get details if you want. We have no mat under the sink. There was a primer and a topcoat and we applied it with a mop.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Colin_S]

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>

I laid an ash floor in our kitchen

<hr></blockquote>

How long did that take at 50 a day? /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[tome]

Ho Ho!!!

Never again, I was totally knackered after doing this. The ash came in 3 different widths tongued and grooved and each run had to be braced up against the previous and secret nailed. 5 years on and there's no sign of movement, but next time I'll pay someone handsomely to lay it for me.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[DepSol]

Would be grateful if you can give me advice on how to do it as I too have a wooden floor I need to sand and varnish.

<hr width=100% size=1>Dom

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.soltron.co.uk>the website</A>
MMS - Discount Chandlery

 

[poter]

seriously....

Nothing, if its a natural wood floor a light coating of oil & a nutral polish to keep out the dirt.

There is no treatment that will last anyway as the floor will flex and move.
DO NOT USE ANY POLYURATHANE products, all they protect is the surface and the wood underneath will dry out and get damaged easily, & whatever you do it will then discolour...yuk!

Just keep it clean and it will last a lifetime & beyond. Don't worry about marks etc. as it adds to the beauty of natural wood.

If the floor is a laminate then it dos'nt really matter as you do not have the same problems.

poter.

<hr width=100% size=1>Lookin for new Shady! /forums/images/icons/frown.gif

 

[robind]

Check out with the professionals I had a new oak, dance/function hall laid and they used a suitable finish and it lasted for years with heavy use. Only needed polishing with non-slip (traffic master I think it was called?) polish. however the wood won`t look so good when the stilettoes have finished with it though!
Rob

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Stemar]

This is based on my experiences of sanding the entire ground floor of my house. If you’re only doing one room, you may be able to skip parts one and 2, but you’ll have to decide how you edge the sanding at the door. Some of it’s slightly tongue in cheek, but only slightly. You decide which bits…

1. Clear all other people from the house (Most important this, for your sanity and theirs)
2. Wait for a high pressure weather system system (1 & 2 may be reversed, that's up to you)
3. Move all furniture outside (This is why you needed the high pressure system)
4. If you have floorboards, and they have gaps between them, the right way is to lift all the boards and nail them back close together. The cheat is to fill gaps with papier maché a bit proud of the wood and allow to dry before sanding. (Ordinary filler will just drop out) Repair any bad bits, knock nails a few mm below the surface, do any filling necessary. A lot of my skirtings had quarter round mouldings at the bottom. If you do, remove them. If the skirtings come off easily, you may want to remove them, but only if you're planning to redecorate the walls afterwards.
5. Hire a floor sander or two. The main one is like a cylinder lawn mower with a big drum of sandpaper instead of the blades, the other is a seriously heavy duty disc sander
6. Seal off the bits of the house you don't want covered in dust.
7. Wear a mask and possibly ear protectors and do as much as you can with the big sander. DON'T STOP halfway across to light a fag, or you'll have a big dent in your floor! Sand with the grain as much as possible.
8. Do the bits you can't reach with the big one with the little one, and the bits you can't reach with the little one as best you can. By hand is VERY hard work!
9. NOBODY walks on the sanded wood with wet/dirty feet. This is the reason for No1.
10. Clean up all the dust
11. Stain the wood if necessary. Let it dry and sand very lightly if you used a water based stain.
12. Clean up all the dust. (you'll need to do it again even if you didn't sand in No11)
13. Wipe the floor down with tack rags or a rag dampened with white spirit
14. Apply varnish - the more coats the better, sanding between coats if necessay
15. Allow to dry thoroughly
16. Replace skirtings a few mm lower - or add quarter round mouldings to cover the gap
17. Replace furniture
18. If you haven't been divorced in the meantime, allow SWMBO and kids back in the house


<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Strathglass]

Planning to do that next week to a bedroom.

Once the room is sanded, I will be using Ronseal stain then Ronseal water based clear floor varnish. I have already removed the skirting.

I will not be moving the floorboards ( in spite of the gaps ) as they were properly nailed using square nails many many years ago.
I think I would damage them too much if I attempted to lift them. They are 1 1/8" thick and 5" wide.

I did find a web site selling some material to fill the gaps between floorboards before sanding them. If I decide to fill the gaps I will use a mixture of sawdust and glue.

What I have done however is to insulate between the joists under the floor with 6" of polystyrene. I imagine the room could get quite cold with the carpeting removed. It was -4 deg C yesterday.

I think this is quite a valid subject for the forum as it is very similar to previous postings on boat floors.

I have used a professional domestic wood flood sealer on the ply floor of a cruiser. Looked stunning initially but did not last.
It was quite expensive stuff.

Cheers

Iain

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Shanty]

When I built our house about 15 years ago, I used Rustin's Plastic Floor Coating on the maple flooring that covers most of the ground floor. Haven't done anything to it since. It is beginning to look a bit tatty in high wear areas, but most of it is still OK.


<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[BlueSkyNick]

"My question is - being a high use area and prone to getting wet when HWMBO is washing up whats the best way to finish them off."

Answer - stop HWMBO doing the washing up, and do it yourself. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif


<hr width=100% size=1>I can't be bothered with a footnote - it's usually rubbish anyway.

 

[DepSol]

I did notice than when Porrick shook hands they were soft as your face....wonder what washing up liquid he uses /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Dom

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.soltron.co.uk>the website</A>
MMS - Discount Chandlery