Floor Sand & Varnish

Big Nasty

I'm sure this has been asked before but I couldn't find any recent threads or anything in the FAQ.

I'm going to be taking up the carpet in my parents house and sanding and varnishing the floors. The house was built in '75 so the boards are good and solid.

Can anyone give advice on the type of sander I should get and the best varnish to use? Also in terms of application should I use a brush or a roller?

Thanks in advance.

CarrickMcJoe

It may work better to get a professional to do them. Not as easy as it seems.
Nails need to be hammered home.
Hire roller sander and 2/3 different grades of paper.
Edging sander for going round the sides where the larger one can't reach.
Square buff sander for between coats.
Varnish, you could go waterbased, easy to apply and dries fast with little odour, or 2 pack, mix hardener in and apply within working time (stinks for days after).

Big Nasty

Thanks Joe. I want to have a go at it myself first. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth as it's an older house so if there's a few imperfections it'll help create a more rustic look - that's my theory anyhow.

So rip up the carpet, hammer down the nails. I have a small hand held sander that should do grand for the edges.

Reckon I'll go with the water based varnish. I was reading that you can get varnish with hints of colour so I was thinking of cherry.

Big Nasty

Started this today. Ripped up carpet and found underlay was nailed down using a staple gun. Got all that up and hammered down any exposed floor board nails.



The boards are in good condition so running with a square sander only which I'm picking up Saturday morning. I have a small hand held sander which I'll be using for the edges. Tried it out a little to see how the boards come up (went out a little further than necessary just to get a feel for it) and happy so far.



Only thing is there are some white marks on the boards which look like paint and is probably there from when the ceilings were being painted when the house was built and before carpet was put down. Had a go at some of them with the small sander (coarse grain) and they weren't really clearing. I didn't go to heavy on them with the sander so maybe they'll clear after a couple of passes. Any ideas?

dodzy

Big Nasty wrote: »

Only thing is there are some white marks on the boards which look like paint and is probably there from when the ceilings were being painted when the house was built and before carpet was put down. Had a go at some of them with the small sander (coarse grain) and they weren't really clearing. I didn't go to heavy on them with the sander so maybe they'll clear after a couple of passes. Any ideas?

The professional sander will remove them, no problem

Big Nasty

Started the job this morning and got on great. Sanding was pretty easy and I got down two coats of varnish using a decking varnish applicator. Have to buff in the morning and put down the final coat. One question though in relation to the buffing - should I just use the sander for this without attaching any sandpaper?

Pretty happy with the results so far anyhow and an overall enjoyable job to do.

slave1

Nice job

Lex Luthor

i went thro similar earlier in year, decided to go for rustins clear floor sealer, polyurethane, so far happy with results

in a high traffic area you need something that will stand up to the wear and tear

great job on the floor....