I have a house built in 1863. the floors are t&g pine.Iwould like to sand and refinish them, however there are some wide gaps between the floor boards. Any suggestions?
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Either learn to live with the gaps, or replace the flooring.
The boards swell and shrink with changes in humidity. If you use a filler while the wood is wet, it will shrink as it dries, and the gaps will re-appear.
On the other hand, if you use a filler while the wood is dry, as it swells, it will squeeze the filler up out of the spaces, leaving the gaps to re-appear.
Find ya some Sisal, Hemp, or Cotton rope/twine just a bit bigger than the gaps. Soak it in whatever finish you use, and or stain.
Jab it in with a screwdriver or dull chisel.
After sanding, and between finish coats.
Do NOT use any thing plastic or nylon or polypropylene, for obvious reasons.
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Sphere got here with the same thing I was going to say - oakum. It's reversiblke, historically correct, and cheap - what more could one ask???
Is that T&G pine the only floor or do you have a subfloor? For years (pre plywood) the pine 1X's used to form the foundation were stripped and used as the subfoor. Sometimes at an angle (stronger) but usually perpendicular to the joists. Look underneath for concrete coating on boards.
How about a new layer over the old boards--especially if they are form boards and you have no subfloor. Tyr