What is the best (most economical) way to fill the gap between floor-boards prior to sanding and staining?
Question:Looking for a good proven method to prepare the floor boards prior to staining and varnishing
Answers:
This is method ive used twice,give the floor a light sand,collect the dust and mix with pva glue,and fill the
gaps with it,let dry then sand,same colour works a treat.
Use Carpenter Wood Putty . very sandable and stainable.
you can get a silicon filler in different colours (wood shades)
you might have to order it specially from a manufacterer or they might do it in your hardware shop, i had a wood unit which my dad filled in the scrtaches with this stuff, he got it from work, hes a floor layer and it looked nice afterwards.
Nothing works don`t even try. Either live with the gaps or pull up the floorboards and use a jack to clamp them together then cut a new floorboard to fill the one gap that will be left. You can get special floorboard cramps for this but I found a car jack or even just wooden wedges hammered against one another work just fine.
I found the cheapest method was to soak newsprint (plain if you can obtain it) otherwise newspapers ) in water until it turns to a mush. Then add to the mush 20% PVA glue, mix well,squeeze out some liquid and fill the gaps. This mix will eventually dry fairly hard. However please note if newspaper is used it will dry in a grey colour.If you use this method do a small experiment first, to get the hardness right for you. Best of luck.
EZ-Poly Wood Rebuilder, find at EZ-poly.net
My choice was sawdust which I packed tight into the gaps. It has worked for years and no draft has come through. If you decide this is the way forward for you just take care to pack the sawdust down so that none of it lays on the surface of the boards otherswise you will not achieve a smooth finish when you stain or varnish. Try a flat mat clear varnish it can looks splendid.
An alternative to the sawdust which you can get from B&Q in bags is to make a mache out of newspaper and pack the gaps with this.
Good luck
PS forgot the important bit... sorry. Mix the sawdust with pvc glue before puting into the gaps. Never use carpentars wood glue or wood filler you will be sorry as it discolours.
Go to homedepot and buy Pro Finisher Wood Filler. It is a trowelable wood filler for floors. They have it in the paint department and it comes in quarts. Dump it out on the floor. Then use trowel or grout float to smear it all over the floor. Wipe as much as the excess off as you can. Then sand the floor. They probably sell it at a flooring store also.
Press in paper màchè with a filling knife and clean off excess. Leave the filling to set hard, then smooth it with medium-grade sandpaper.
get some strips of wood and glue them into the cracks then sand it down to the board level ,that will be a better job and a better finnish, good luck.
sand the floor first,save the saw-dust,mix it with some p.v.a glue and fill in the gaps,should be the same colour as your floor when dried as its the dust off your original boards? cant get much cheaper than that?
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