Varnish worn off on semi-solid floor

shaneh

Hi all,
just wondering if somebody could give me some advise about fixing a small problem I have with my semi-solid oak flooring. I have a problem whereby a few patches have appeared in the varnish of the flooring. I think when the builders were laying it, they made a few scratches on it so they sanded these scratches down a little. Over time due to traffic the rest of the varnish in these patches has worn off.

My biggest concern, aside from aesthetic reasons, is that without the varnish the actual wood will be worn down and become rotten. I've attached 2 photos to try and give an idea of what I'm talking about.

Can anybody advise of what I would need to do to restore these patches?

Cheers
Shane

10-10-20

You may get away with applying some floor varnish such as Ronseal.
It's going to be a suck-it and see approach as you may have difficulty in getting the colour to match.
http://www.ronseal.co.uk/products/product.jsp?id=74

shaneh

Thanks 10-10-20. Light Oak would definitely be the closet match for me. Do I need to do anything to the surface, eg sanding before I apply or just simply brush it on and fingers crossed?

What's the difference between this varnish and all the others? There's so many types I wasn't sure what to do

Cheers
Shane

10-10-20

There are full instructions with the varnish, it will need a light sanding fith a fine grade (210 grade I believe) around the spot to key the surface. Then brush it on. This stuff is pricy though, so maybe you could look at topping up the areas around doors and near the foot of couches etc... Be aware that there is a good chance that the new varnish won't be eactly the same shade as the previous coat and the you'll have to decide on matt, or gloss finishes...
The main difference between floor varnish and the normal type is that it's much more hard wearing, normal varnish will peel off very quiclky under foot.

Wertz

Before you put anything near it, you need to find out if it really is a varnish finish or if it is, as would be more usual on a pre-finished floor, a lacquer. Then my advice would be to find some of the finish in question....a CLEAR finish (do NOT stain, unless by some chance the finish is a stain, which it doesn't look to be) and spot prime the bare area using a small soft bristle brush. Allow that to dry and then sand the whole board that contains each worn area, dust it and coat each whole board as applicable.
Doing it any other way is going to make it stand out by either darkening it too much or leaving a differing lustre across the parts of the floor. That finish also looks like a satin as far as I can tell...

shaneh

Hi guys,
I've emailed the builders to try and find out the exact finish. Once I hear back, I'll let you know. If it is a lacquer, what type of product do I need to get? I would assume that it's a lacquer since I doubt the builders varnished all of the boards in the apartment block.

Thanks for all the advise
Cheers
Shane

antoinolachtnai

Will the builders realistically know? I'd imagine they bought these boards ready-lacquered. Might be more realistic to ask who the manufacturers were.

shaneh

Good point. I'll see what they come back with even if anything at all!

lil minx

try puttin down a nice carpet or mat or style it and hide it with a big bean bag

shaneh

A big bean bag behind the front door in the hallways should catch any burglars unaware!

Wertz

Yeah I should have mentioned that you'd really need to contact the sellers or manafacturers of the floor.
Semi solid would alomost always come pre-finished and as I mentioned, would usually be lacquer. A pre-finished floor would be done in a factory using a sprayer.
As for what product to get, it all depends on what the shop/manafacturer tell you...most industrial lacquers are solvent based acid-catalysed lacquers of varying degrees of sheen/lustre. It may be hard to find an exact sheen match unless the makers can supply you with some or recommend a brand. Only problem you have then is finding a small sized amount of it for sale; smallest sizes I know of are 1 lt packs by Rustins:
http://www.rustins.co.uk/product.htm?chgprod=PCF
It's a 2 pack system, that is you add both together to form the product which then cures through a chemical reaction. You ONLY mix up as much as you can use in a few hours. It dries very quickly but it stinks.

lil minx

shaneh wrote: »

A big bean bag behind the front door in the hallways should catch any burglars unaware!

ye exactley thats even better

shaneh

Hi guys,
I managed to get the number of the contractor who laid the flooring so I'll give him a shout tomorrow. I'll keep ye posted on what he recommends. Cheers
Shane

shaneh

Hi all,
I managed to get through to the contractor today. His recommendation was to sand the patches first with some fine sandpaper and then apply 2 coats of yacht varnish.

I asked him should I use a stain, eg light oak and he said I could if I wanted to. None the wiser then if I should use a varnish with a stain or simply just use the yacht varnish.

Any recommendations?
Cheers
Shane

10-10-20

Shane, sounds like a cop-out to me. I wouldn't stain it anyhow, but yacht varnish isn't as hard-wearing as the floor compounds mentioned above...

shaneh

Yeah 10-10-20, it sounded like he just wanted to get me off the phone.
I think I'll try for a Ronseal floor varnish with either light oak or clear and satin finish. I'm lucky enough to have the same flooring in the walk-in cupboard so I can give that a decenting sanding and apply the varnish to see what the end result is before tackling the hallway.

The only gripe is the cost. This stuff ain't cheap but if I don't do I reckon there will be more permenant damage the longer I leave it so just gotta suck it up.

So, last question. Should I go with a light oak colour or clear?

10-10-20

shaneh wrote: »

So, last question. Should I go with a light oak colour or clear?

Now that question is worth more than the price of the varnish!
What I'd do is remove a small sliver of the varnish from the hidden part in the cupboard with a knife and see what colour it is. Try and get it off in flakes.

mad m

You can actually get water based lacquer as well in both Gloss or satin finish. A mate of mine who is a carpenter had a problem with a floor he put down, in the middle of the floor there was a piece of flooring that was not the right shade as the others, it was a big enough knot and the coats of lacquer soaked more than usual and didn't look the same as other boards he laid.

I masked up the outer edge of the bad board with some masking tape, sanded down with some wet/dry P120 grade. Got some of the satin finish water based lacquer and rolled it on with a mohair 3 inch roller sleeve. It drys fairly quickly, after a few coats of satin it still wasn't the right finish from it so I gave it one coat of the gloss finish and it matched perfectly.

I'd do as I did on your patches making sure to mask off the area with masking tape. You can get the water based lacquer in Brooks Thomas which doesn't need a catalyst, you can use it straight out of the container. Think its €60 a gallon, not sure they come in 2.5 litres though.

shaneh

Oh god, more options!

Excuse my ignorance, but what does water based finishes bring as opposed to other the other types?

mad m

Well for one the smell!!! Cellulose based lacquers can emit some fumes. But they can last longer than water based paints/varnishes/lacquers. But water based products are getting better these days. The pre-finished floors are probably sprayed with water based lacquers anyway....

Wertz

I've heard stories of water based lacquers reacting or not taking to surfaces previously treated with solvent based.
I've also found with water based products for wood that you need to apply either more of it or additional coats to get the same level of sheen and durability of finish.
...then there's the cost; 5 lt solvent based ~€30, 5 lt water based ~€65 both from becker acroma (I know the OP doesn't need that amount).
For such a small touch up area I'd still go for the solvent base....but using solvent on a large surface in a residential area is a no-no these days.
Just thought of another posibility, plasti-kote do an automotive clear lacquer in a spray that might do the job, although it could be too high a gloss. Shouldn't be hard to find either. Mad m's tip on masking surrounding boards off is a good one, even if you have a steady hand...

As for yacht varnish :rolleyes: lol just lol. Builders are w*nkers, for the most part.

shaneh

Hi all, sorry about the delayed response on this but only got to do this over the weekend. In the end, it wasn't too much work and turned out ok.

I sealed off each area with masking tape and then used fine sand paper on each mark. Washed down the sanded area with white spirits. It's funny but after cleaning each spot the makrs didn't look half as bad. I think it must have been the dirt that was making them more noticable.

Anyway, after sanding and cleaning I applied 2 light coats of Ronseal Ultra Tough varnish Matt finish. I know it's not floor varnish but it's alot cheaper,~8 bucks, and comes in small jars. If it doesn't last, I'll go for the more expensive floor varnish next time. Once the varnished dried, gave it a very light sanding totake the new look sheen off it and blend it a bit better with existing floor.

The spots are still noticable but not half as bad. Considering I didn't have to resand the whole, I reckon I got the best result I could. Thanks to all who offered their advise on this. Cheers
Shane

stick-dan

If the problem reoccurs use ronseal diamond coat. It comes in gloss, satin and eggshell. Satin would be the best option if it was an aged/aging floor as it would fit in best.