I am about to sand down floorboards (tongue & groove) and need to fill the gaps with something. Bigger gaps will be filled with narrow strips of wood, but I heard that mixing PVA with saw dust works ok and can be stained and varnished. Has anyone tried this ? how does it look, and what consistancy is best ? Or has anyone just left them as gaps and lived happilly ever after ? Thanks in advance, Paul.
Hi Hammer, PVA does not take stain when it has gone off. I would try mixing stain with the sawdust first and let it dry off. Then mix with the PVA. Plastic wood is good as a filler as it does take stain, but check with the brand you buy. However you will never disguise filler perfectly. DWD
Cheers DWD, glad I asked, never thought about it not taking to stain so well. Might try wood filler. Is the screwfix one any good ? (I won't tell anyone if you say no!!) I'm still considering leaving them as they are (range from 1 - 3mm).... a hoover should shift the dust ! ? ? ! .... and it looks nice in Elle Decoration !
I tried this about 6 weeks ago with poor results. At first it looked great, but over time, and with people walking on them, the mix has become almost brittle and has started to fall through the gaps in places. I would suggest leave them along, or try some kind of flexible resin filler.
i used cuprinol filler with a separate hardener about 2 years ago on my bedroom floor and not a single crack has appeared, was a green tin. i'll have a look in the shed later see if i can find out exactly what it is. personally i think they are better filled and cleaner but it is down to personal preference. dj.
sorry got the name wrong it was "ronseal" and you can get it in different colours. don't put too much on as it is very difficult to sand as it dries extreemly hard. http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/product/product.jsp?CATID=95136&PRODID=27272&textLocation=top dj.
DJ, Did you stain or varnish the Ronseal stuff and does it look lighter or darker than the wood ? Anyone, Is it better to fill the gaps before sanding the wood, or will it slow down the process too much.... some boards will need a fair bit of sanding to level them off.
Hi If I Adam Ammer, You dont mix sawdust with PVA but sanding dust taken from the bag on a sander. Using this as a filler is only normally used where it wont normally be seen, never where it will be seen all the time. It's usefull if the wood is to be painted but not if left natural or stained.
i varnished and it looks a little bit lighter, i've been and taken a piccy for you and although it isn't a brilliant piccy it will give you an idea of shade, it was actually very close to "new" wood in colour but the timber has darkened and the filler hasn't, anyway take a look, see what you think.......... http://www.trustedtradesmen.com/forum/forumposts.asp?TID=729&PN=1&TPN=1 dj.
Cheers DJ, pic helps a lot, looks ok to me. And thanks to everyone else, definately won't bother with PVA and dust from sanding... filler saves time and a big mess if nothing else!! good advice
Hi IIAA. Depending on how old your house and floorboards are, leaving the gaps is always an option, as you say. I sanded and stained the existing floors in my last house, but had to replace the boards in the bathroom cos of all the exposed plumbing holes left after changing the suite position. I fitted all this T&G tightly, stood back and looked at the expanse of perfect timber...and promptly lifted it all up and reset it with gaps! 3mm <u>max</u> is really not all that big! After you've applied a few coats of varnish (I presume you are using varnish to finish?), the gaps shuld be pretty well draught proof... Always an option!
Hmmm, gaps wouldn't really be a problem I guess, just need to clean out all the dust from the last 85 years. Think I might just leave them and if I don't like it, fill them next year when it all needs varnishing again ! ! Thanks Devil.
I think you should indeed question whether you need to fill the gaps at all - leaving gaps of 2-3mm certainly, to my thinking, enhances the 'floorboardiness' of the result. I normally think of filling the gaps as being an issue with boards in old houses that pre-date tongue & groove, where - if you are on ground floor in particular, with a suspended floor - you'll get an awful lot of cold air coming through. If I'm upstairs, I leave the gaps. Make sure you clean the gaps good and proper before any painting / varnishing - a vacuum is not enough to get decades of dirt out. Use a strip of thin metal, say a old steel ruler, wrapped with a turn of cloth, and thoroughly clean every gap. Tedious in the extreme, but worth the effort.
well big all, after handy andy's chart sucess I get all kinds of hassle in the playground due to my unfortunate name... He doesn't wanna know what I'd do if I had an 'ammer ! ! actually, if I 'ad a long thin bit of steel I wouldn't have rubbed the numbers off my ruler by using it to clean between the cracks in my floor boards ! ! didn't think to protect it with cloth or something. Decided last night to forget filling the gaps. This Forum is very helpful, cheers!
I would avoid using sawdust and PVA. It cracks and falls through gaps very quickly. All gaps should be done with pine slivers. If you get decent ones, they are sharp enough and hard enough for a tip of a sliver to fill even small gaps well.
Agree 100%. My last house was Georgian and all the floorboard gaps were treated this way. Not too sure if was so pleasing on the eye when the floorboards were new, but absolutely was when i bought the house. I think the Georgians did it more for keeping draught's at bay more than for looks.
Geyzer's now got carpet as 12 years ago when the question was posted varnished floorboards were in fashion!
facepalm if we had one lol How many times has i been caught out by old threads ?..........................................answwer, far too many