OK, I have sanded down the floorboards in my 1899 house. The colour of the old pine is gorgeous... Can anyone recommend what clear finish to apply. I guess I want something good-looking, non-slip, hard-wearing and long-lasting.
Thank you!
Frank
There's only one - Rustin's Floorcoat. Not cheap, but you don't need many coats (three for a good job, two is almost good enough) and it's extremely quick to apply. You can do a whole room in a day _and_ have it dry enough to put furniture on. I've done loads of floors - won't use anything else.
On the downside, it stinks to high heaven ! Use a full face mask.
If you really want to use a varnish, then use a water-based one. The resins are much paler than the spirit-based ones.
If you want the boards to look just as they were when sanded but with a total seal against liquids, even one coat works well. I brush as normal and wipe with a rag to remove the excess. A quick rub down with very fine sandpaper when dry gives you a sheen. This works well if the boards are a bit ropey and you don't want to highlight the faults.
On Tue, 12 Aug 2003 09:35:37 +0100, "stuart noble"
Just done my kitchen with Rustin's 2 part. Looks superb and feels much more substantial than varnish.
Prestained the pine with 50/50 mahogany/dark oak from wickes for that authentic pub floor look.
mmmmmmm, beeeeerrrrrr
I'm pretty happy with 4-5 coats of Ronseal Diamond Hard Clear Satin. Not cheap, though. We spent plenty more on varnish than we did on sander hire and sheets. Took me most of my week off to sand five rooms, but the boards are gorgeous, especially the master bedroom. Steer clear of anything solvent based, unless you are rich enough to live in a hotel for two weeks whilst the stuff dries.
Golden rule when sanding floors: DO use the fine grades. Finish off with no coarser than 100 grit, or you'll regret it.
Christian.
Yes it does stink to high heaven and the face mask is vital for H&S reasons. Reminds me of a story I read, years ago, in the papers about a guy in the States who died varnishing a floor. He was found stuck, face down, to the hardened varnish on the floor; apparently he'd been overcome with fumes, passed-out, and fallen face down onto the floor. A true story & not an urban myth.
A warning to all of us about the dangers from fumes.
Paul
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