Hi, My house was built in 1863 and I have wide plank pine flooring that I would like to re-finish. However, there are some large gaps between the floor boards. Any suggestions on what to do about this?
Mick.
Hi, My house was built in 1863 and I have wide plank pine flooring that I would like to re-finish. However, there are some large gaps between the floor boards. Any suggestions on what to do about this?
Mick.
Source control, ventilation, and filtration are the keys to healthy indoor air quality. Dehumidification is important too.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox
Fine Homebuilding
Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox
© 2024 Active Interest Media. All rights reserved.
Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox
Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.
Start Your Free TrialStart your subscription today and save up to 81%
SubscribeGet complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.
Already a member? Log in
Replies
bump
Give Sphere a shout -- he has a technique using rope soaked in varnish or shellac or something -- I forget. You can also route groves to even up the cracks and fill them with more pine.
FWIW, be careful refinishing pine flooring. It's pretty soft and gets thin fast.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Everything fits, until you put glue on it.
bump
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.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
"If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"
Jed Clampitt
View Image
Did well over 3000 sq ft of it in my circa:1680 dump (in the website below) about 7 years ago. Eastern white pine...some just face nailed with rosehead nails and some I glued down and faced nailed. Some areas of seperations aren't bad at all...they're expected and it's what doing a floor like that is all about but then again theres a few areas that seperated beyond my liking so I tried varies things. The one thing really shocked me how well it worked was Bondo...the Bondo made for home use. HD sells it in gallon cans. It's been about a good four years since I did it and it's still rock solid without a hairline crack and it even stained pretty well. Pretty much any other filler will work for a season or two then fergtaboutit.
One other thing I used....by mistake actually that worked REALLY well....was....
Well I asked DW to pick me up some mahogany color wood filler a ways back and she grabbed the minwax I think was the brand but it was the WAX filler that never gets hard...I was so pizzed when I put it down before I realized what she bought....( I was in a real hurry)...but low and behold...being it's a wax and never gets hard it's stayed put real well through lots of seasons.
I forget who here in BT sent me a link to a site that tells you how to make your own cause i mentioned it sure would be nice if they sold it by the quart not that I really used all that much anyway.
There are areas in my house that have thin strip wood fillers that a previous owner used in a section of the house but my own personal taste isn't all that happy with that look but you might be. It's just a matter of personal taste and what won't crack out.
You could always throw an area rug over it...lol... a plant might work too..hee hee
http://www.cliffordrenovations.com
http://www.ramdass.org
Edited 6/9/2009 4:44 pm ET by andybuildz