And I’m pleased to say, that I’m now typing all this from said room and I cannot wait to share it with you once accessorising and dressing has finished 🙂 But first I need to finish where I left off right? In my last post we had just opened up the chimney, which was the last major dusty work this room would see (thank god!) meaning we could begin moving onto some of the ‘finishing renovations’ such as the floor!
One of my most favourite loves for period homes are the floorboards. Wide or slim, scratched or not – I think they’re beautiful in every inch. I always dreamt that I would own a period home with the most amazing floorboards and I was super excited at the prospect of restoring the floorboards in our first home. Of course when we viewed the house they had been covered in the most atrocious blue carpet so the condition of the floorboards was a total mystery and I was somewhat disappointed to find that not only were they in a poor condition, but they were also horrendously covered in a thick coat of paint with large patches of wood worm. In this situation, a professional sander was the only way to go.
But this house was a completely different story. The floorboards (so far) had been covered in lino, covered by a quality underlay and then covered by carpet. That’s three levels of protection and oh-my were they in amazing condition. Of course they were dirty and a little rough and splintery – but no huge chunks, no wood worm, no horrific paint, just solid beautifully aged floorboards. After having sanded the floorboards in our previous house, I knew a professional sander would remove every inch of that aged look – all those dents, scratches and gorgeous old-age colour would be completely stripped off leaving a fresh pine new-look surface. I knew I definitely didn’t want this. I wanted to keep the character and I wanted them to look old and aged.
I introduce you to – the hand sander! Yes, it will take you forever and your knees will resemble a squished raison by the end, but it is so so worth it. Maybe invest in some knee pads first though? But, think of all the money you’ll be saving too! Hand sanders are much more gentle on the floorboards and take far less off. I actually used a multi-tool with a sanding attachment since we no longer own a hand sander. It took me around 2-3 hours of sanding in this small room working plank by plank. I started with a more coarse grit sandpaper first and then went back over with a fine grit. I wasn’t aiming for a fresh pine appearance, but just a smooth enough finish where I could brush my hand across and not be covered in a bazillion spikes of wood. You can see the colour difference between the sanded boards and non-sanded boards below. I love the added depth of colour sanding brings without giving it a full on fresh-pine appearance.
You can see how the two photos above are totally different looks. I do love the effect a professional sander achieves, they’re much cleaner looking, much smoother, and the light and bright fresh pine really works well in smaller and darker rooms. It’s also the best option for really badly damaged floors, particularly ones covered in thick paint impossible to remove by hand. But they do lose some of that original character, like some of the surface scratches and some of the woodgrain texture.
Notice how all the grain and knots have been completely covered by the varnish? How it lacks definition and variation of colour? And how ‘medium’ is so not medium, but actually definitely 100% DARK?! Needless to say, I much prefer our new floorboards any day!
So that’s how I’ve restored our old floorboards without hiring a professional sander. The savings of using a hand sander is also massive as well – we spent £150 on hiring a floor sander in our last house, where-as the cost this time around was just a mere £20. Which look to you prefer? And what’s your method for restoring old floorboards?
Total Costs
(rounded to the nearest pound)
New Tools Purchased:
None
Materials Used:
Sanding pads for multi-tool (60 assorted sheets) £20
Wax free from previous job
White Vinegar free from food cupboard 😉
19 Comments
Looks absolutely gorgeous. I have just finished our hallway today and was wondering about wax or varnish. Decision made! X
Thanks Kezza I too have some beautiful old boards and don’t want them to look too orange or look too new I’ve been quoted high prices to sand and finish you’ve given me the confidence to have a go I will start with the hallway and see how it looks I also only have a mouse sander so a trip to wicks today to look for the wax 😃
Ohh good luck – it’s definitely a back-aching job, haha! We used a cheap belt sander on our floorboards downstairs which gives a much harsher sand, but useful if you find your floor particularly splintery or rough. Good luck!!
Thanks for information I’ve sanded my old oak floor and need to fill the gaps with osmo gap filler do I fill the gaps first then use osmo oil or apply the oil first then fill the gaps. The floor looks very porous
Hi Christine, I can’t say for certain as I’ve never used a gap filler – but I would most likely fill first and then apply the Osmo Oil.
The boards look lovely and rich. I took my 28 year old carpet up last week out of my living room as it was dusty and had many stains that I had bleached due to sick dogs, I was hoping the boards underneath were original as the house is over 130 years old, but where there are splits and gaps I noticed the boards are tongue and groove. As finances won’t allow me to carpet the room yet I have to make do and try and take off the dark stain that is ingrained in the wood, my elderly friend said they used Darkolene years ago to protect the wood, it is nearly black in parts, hand sander just not getting it off, naughty me even tried white spirit, also white vinegar, no joy.
I also have to think of what to use to block the gaps where air (and mice) will come through in between the floorboards. you can get something called Stop gap sealer but it is not for tongue and groove. What do you recommend?
I looked on line for the wax at Wickes but they no longer sell it. Went to B & Q last night and they only do a Ronseal floor wax or oil – at £52!
Thankfully I have rugs to cover up the mess I am making and for the dogs to lie on. But I can’t give up.
Good to see us DIY women having a go. Pleased to find your site. Thank you.
Susan
Hey Susan!
Thanks for your comment! Sounds like your floor is giving you a lot of work!! Our living room was very similar with some black tar-like stain which sounds similar-ish. A hand sander simply would not remove and I even tried paint-remover and a heat gun, but not much luck. In the end, a belt sander and very coarse sandpaper was the only way – but it ate through paper and took A LOT of work, so I feel your pain!
We’ve used DraughtEx on the gaps on our floor – it’s basically a rubber rope that squishes between the boards I imagine you could use it with tongue and groove, it may just be more visible as it won’t sit as low between boards. I believe they sell fairly cheap sample packs on their website if you wanted to give it a try.
Good luck with the floor! I know trying to do DIY/home improvements on a budget usually involves a lot more hassle/work than needed – it’s usually worth it in the end, but can take a while to forget the pain, haha! Good luck! 🙂
I would always shellac bare wood it seals it, gives a lovely depth and then wax on top. A cabinet maker told me to do this.
I’ll have to look at that next time, thanks!
Did you fill the gaps between the boards?
Yes! We used a product called ‘DraughtEx’ which is basically a black rubber seal that fills the gap. You can also use wooden slivers, but I personally prefer the look of the hidden black rubber.
Do you gave actual name of wicked wax. Struggling to find it.
TIA
Unfortunately it’s been discontinued for a few years now! Ronseal have a similar floor wax product though in a range of different tints which I believe is very similar to the one we used in this room, or alternatively Osmo Oil is another great product we’ve used on floors elsewhere in the house which is a combined oil and wax.
Fiddes do a great range of floor waxes in clear and coloured options. I’ve just use their floor hard wax oil on my newly exposed floors, after hand sanding in the same way. Looks great, I tested with 5ml sample packs first.
See Fiddes.co.uk – all made in Cardiff, ordered from their website and was delivered in 1 day! 🙂
Oooh I will have to try them at some point! We’ve used Osmo Oil downstairs which I really liked and I think they’re quite similar to Fiddles? I’ll have to sand some more floors, haha!
I’m planning on sanding my wooden floors, but one room has a lot of indentations all over the floor. It looks like someone has moved a large object e.g. a wardrobe. Would a hand sander remove these visible lines and marks? Thanks.
Yes, it just depends on how deep the marks are! I’d recommend a handheld belt sander for tougher dents and marks, otherwise lighter scratches should sand out with a smaller handheld sander. Good luck!
Hi ! What type of hand sander did you use please? I want to do my strairs and landing?
The stairs are half white / half wood , and unsure on the landing state yet as not pulled up the dodgy 60s carpets yet ! As it’s a small space a hand sander sounds ideal! Thanks !
We used a multi-tool for this room as were on a budget and just using what we had – but to be honest, I’d recommend a belt sander to make the job much easier, which is how we sanded the rest of our rooms. It’s still a handheld tool just a bit more powerful!