How to restore timber floorboards?

Ashie_90

 I lightly sanded back next to the gap of the middle floorboard on its right side. (not much left in stain/top coat left where I sanded) just to show what the wood is.

Hello,

I’m wondering a few things in regards to my floorboards:

•What type are they? (I need to install boards where my landlord used ‘self leveling cement’ after taking walls out).

• I’m wondering what filler would best be used for my floorboards as I’ve read putty is no good due to lack of ‘flexibility’ in putty. The Sealeys looks like it may be the best but considering I need to do approximately 60-70m2 that seems like a lot of tubes and money?

•Is it possible to make the floors look lighter(would that just be staining them in a lighter stain?). 

Thank you

EricL

Hello @Ashie_90

Thanks for sharing your question about restoring your timber floorboards. Due to the number of knots in the board, it looks like Cypress. The traditional method of filling gaps is to mix PVA glue with sawdust from the sander. Your aim is to mix a soft slurry but not runny, you want it to be toothpaste-like consistency. Don't throw away the sawdust as you might need it to colour the fillers. However larger gaps may require you to use a proper filler. I also suggest having a look at this discussion - Filling gaps between floorboards in the bathroom by @Chris_T.

Movement in the timber floor is unavoidable as it is a natural product. But your restoration efforts should give it a fresh new look. Perhaps it's time to weigh the pros and cons of filling the gaps yourself or engaging the services of a flooring specialist to fill the gaps. My thoughts on this are that you'll need to consider the amount of time it will take for you to finish filling the gaps versus a specialist.  

If you're planning to put on a lighter stain on the floor you'll have to use a floor sander to remove all the paint currently on the timber floor. It must be stripped back to wood as any sealer left over will be very noticeable when you put on the new varnish on the floor. The spot where the self-levelling cement is must be broken up and replaced with a similar type of timber so that it doesn't stand out.

Here are some handy step-by-step guides:

• How to sand timber floors

• How to seal timber floors

Let me tag our experienced members @TedBear, @Noyade and @ProjectPete for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric