Home Sweet Home

One of the simplest and most attractive floors is the polished timber-strip floor. In many a renovation or restoration, old floors of hard-to-get and well-seasoned timbers can be exposed, and brought to light in all their original glory by careful sanding and clear finishing.

For a new room, or when replacing a floor, there is nothing quite like a timber-strip floor. It’s not an easy project, but is well worth the effort - even if you hire a professional to do it.

This project involves sanding and sealing a timber-strip floor. Sanding floors properly is not easy and the equipment used is heavy and powerful, requiring a certain amount of strength to operate efficiently. There will be occasions, especially with problem floors, when even the most diehard do-it- yourselfer should seek professional help and advice.

Materials

• polyurethane finish
• 1 litre solvent

Special Tools Needed

• nail punch (3 mm)
• drum sander (hire)
• disc sander (designed for flooring; also hired)
• Iamb’s wool pad and long-handled extension

• 50 mm or 75 mm brush

• face mask and cartridge suitable for hydrocarbons
• hand-sanding float

Time

Two weekends, on and off. The final sanding and first coating should be on the same day to protect the newly sanded surface from accidental staining.

Step by Step

1 The first step is to decide whether or not the floor is worth doing; if it is badly damaged it will never look good. This investigation should also include checking under the floor to ensure that there is adequate ventilation. If the ventilation is poor, the floor will need improvement before work on the surface begins.

2 The floor should be cordonned off from the time work starts to stop any possible staining, dirt or other contaminants affecting the floor.

3 Any tacks from old carpet should be removed. Any old accumulations of adhesive should be scraped off as far as possible.

4 All nails should be punched to about 3 mm below the surface.

5 Sanding can now commence. The procedure will depend on the state of the floor. The sander should initially be fitted with a coarse grade abrasive, about 40 grade. This will level and cut into the floor. Normally three passes are made across the floor. The first at 45° to the direction of the floorboards. At no time should the machine be stationary while the drum is revolving as this will cause a ’stop mark’ or depression on the floor.

6 The second pass is at right angles to the first.

7 Clean the floor and vacuum, especially around the nail holes. Any splits, small depressions and nail holes should be stopped (filled) at this stage with a good-quality wood filler. Fill the holes well.

8 When the cleaning and filling work is dry, the final cut with the coarse abrasive can be carried out parallel to the floorboards.

9 The areas close to the walls or skirtings that cannot be reached by the drum sander need to be sanded carefully with the disc sander. Progress should be slow and careful as swirl marks are easily made. Any inaccessible areas will have to be scraped level or planed by hand.

10 The sanding belt now needs to be replaced with one of #80 to #120 grade, and the same three passes are made to remove all scratch marks. This should leave a smooth surface suitable for coating. Once again, the edges need to be carefully sanded with the disc sander, using #120 to #150 grade abrasive. Check for nails before sanding with fine papers. On completion sweep up the dust and vacuum thoroughly.

11 Apply the first coat of sealer once the sanded area has been cleaned. Brush around the perimeter, and follow this by using a lamb’s wool pad to apply the finish over the broad floor areas. This is made easier if the pad is on an extension handle. When the surface is dry, lightly sand it by hand using a float. An alternative is a shortto-medium nap roller.

12 Apply a second coat, allow it to dry and then sand it again. The final coat must be carefully applied. Shut all windows and doors to ensure that no dust or wind-blown matter can land and settle on the finish coat.

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