Replies

1. 
   mark_cadioli | Nov 26, 2000 08:24am | #1

   *
   Rob,

   My experience with fillers is that after a while they crack and look unsightly.

   As for finish. I would stay away from the polyurethanes and go for an oil instead. Any of the "varnishes" tend to lock the boards together, resulting in cracking at the joints with floor movement.

   Kind regards

   mark

1. 
   George_Abramshe | Nov 26, 2000 08:58am | #2

   *If what your talking about is like a grout mixture made with dust from the sanding bag and a woodgrout then this is what I heard. I wanted to use the same thing at one time so I consulted my wood floor supplier and his answer was that it's a highly volatile mixture. Set up time is extremely fast and the noxoius fumes are very harsh. Unless you find some in a local dealer the cost of having it shipped is astronomical. It's the equivlent of shipping gasoline through the mail, the EPA goes nuts about it. Taunton Press sells a book on floor installation/finishing, the author mentions a product called 'wood flower dough' I think. He gives a brief commentary but does not really cover what my supplier told me. Don't know if this helps. I have just stuck to using regular fill, here's a tip though, fill in your cracks after your first belt sand pass and vacumm(you'll need the machines for two days for this). Because the floor is now basically smooth it is easier to apply and fill gaps. Your spackling knife gets caught on the ridges and doesn't properly fill crevasses otherwise. You MUST let fill sit for 24 hrs. before sanding again, it sets up in an hour but actually hardens overnite. If you sand it before then it will just break loose. The best way not to use too much fill is by good installation. Make sure that you sand your last pass well if you stain, the swirl marks in the grain will rise if done improperly.Stain shows every mistake of improper sanding. Finish is a personal choice, I like a high quality oil base, satin or semi-gloss polyurethane.At least three coats with screening in between. Whatever you buy , make sure it's a good product ,no Home Depot or Minwax. Fabulon is good and they have a good website. One last thought, why do you want to cover all that beautiful birch with stain???? Hit a few pieces nailed on a piece of plywood and you'll see it looks fantastic natural. Don't know if this helps ,but I can't sleep and just got typing.

1. 
   jamesbond | Nov 28, 2000 03:12am | #3

   *Best Filler Available is to use a paste made of your own sawdust and some woodglue. THE TRICK is to use one of those cooking strainers with fine stainless steel mesh. They're avail. in small sizes to fit a cup, or larger to fit small/medium pans.Pour some of your birch sawdust into strainer from chopsaw bag, use strainer to get VERY FINE particulate. Mix with woodglue, small batches because of quick setup, putty knife with force into nail holes, etc. ***USING straight, unscreened sawdust yields a lumpy/grainy filler.Can also buy commercial mixes matched to your wood, i.e. red oak, white oak, birch... BUT all fillers, including the home made above, will take stain differently from the rest of the grained wood and show up faintly on finished floor.Someone else said use just poly or oil, not a bad idea, the clearcoat birch looks real good. USE AT LEAST two coats of clear sealer, one won't be enough to properly seal, will wear quickly. Don't slosh it on, consider three coats for durability. Each coat will require less sealer due to earlier coat.Use premium poly like Zipguard for durable finish.Cheap polys have "sander-sealer" on label. Stay away, formulated for softer finish for easy sanding, good for sander, not so good for homeowner.

1. 
   Qtrmeg_ | Nov 29, 2000 05:05pm | #4

   *Oh geez, Zipguard = quality? Not.Sanding sealer is a varnish or lacquer based product and too soft for a floor, and not spec'd under a poly finish.Why fill a closed grain wood? Generally you fill open grain woods like oak.As I don't have any "tricks", I use a Miracle Wood type product to fill the nailholes, (alcohol based filler), then sand the floor and finish.Most floor finishers I know like oil-based poly and thin the first coat a bit to aid penetration. If you find a product with uv protection that will slow down the yellowing of the floor. I guess the big thing to keep in mind is that if you use an oil-based stain use an oil-based finish.

2. 
   Rob_Swartout | Nov 29, 2000 05:07pm | #5

   *
   This is my first time finishing a hardwood floor. It is a new installation. It is a birch floor. I have it completely sanded right now. I plan to stain it and then clear it. I would like to know your feelings on going over the whole floor with a filler, like I have read about doing. I haven't heard of people doing that step in my area. Maybe because it is less work not to. I would also like to know an opinion on the best product to use as my final clear coat over the stain.
   Thank you