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sanding newish wooden floor

I am about to move into a 15-year old house. Under the carpets are nice-looking pale wooden boards, which I'd like to use as my floors. The boards are in good condition, and have never been stained or varnished. Do I still need to sand the boards before applying a varnish?

If so, I presume the job would be a bit easier and quicker than sanding down old boards to remove a previous finish? How long might it take a complete beginner to sand the ground floor (sitting room 5m X 3m, study

3m X 4m, dining room 3m X 4m, entrance hall plus corridor) using sanding machines?

thanks, Russell

Reply to
Russell
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Russell I did the same thing to my old place. You will still need to sand down the floors. If they are nice and smooth then a finer grade of paper can be used saving some time. I think it should take no longer than a day. A few points to remember though.

  1. Tap down any exposed nails
  2. Wear mask and overalls, even with the bags on the sanding machines dust gets everywhere.
  3. Wait for the dust to settle before varnishing/staining (a least a day)

Adrian

Reply to
Adrian

If the boards are nice looking and pale, don't get sucked into the horrors of floor sanding! Try just washing them first

Reply to
Stuart Noble

I agree with the last poster, if they are in good condition, and they are just a little dirty, try scrubbing them. Sanding is a right royal pain. My old ( 1939 ) boards had a lot of ingrained dirt and stains from carpet washing, etc so they needed sanding, but a perfect finish is not necessary, if the boards are clean then having a patina of small dings in the surface just gives them character.

Andy.

Reply to
andrewpreece

I did this, the hire shop gave me a massive random orbital sander rather than a belt/barrel sander. it was much easier to use.

Rick

Reply to
Rick

Hi

This will only give good results if the boards are in 'as new' condition - unlikely after 15 years under carpet.

Sanding is a bit of a pain, but with boards in fairly good condition you could probably get away with one sanding on a fine grit.

Dave

Reply to
David Lang

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