I replaced a couple of bits of floorboard in a bathroom whilst it was being refurbished as they had been badly damaged in successive electrical / plumbing jobs.
I now need to trim a couple of millimetres off the top surface to blend them in with the original boards before thinking about laminate or tiling the floor.
I don't have any suitable tool for doing this and I need to hire something.
What would you recommend? A power plane or a belt sander?
A belt sander.
Don't think about laminate. It's only one step better than carpet, and marginal at that.
Tiles are the way to go, laid on a sheet of ply attached firmly and regularly to the boards.
Plane would be quicker and tidier, you can buy them for about =A325. Dont try taking all the depth off in one go.
NT
Power planer deffo...
Either would do it - the plane would be better for taking off more material, and will make less dust. The sander would probably be easier to use in situ, and is less likely to be damaged by nail or screw heads in the proximity.
As MrHall suggested(Belt Sander) do not use a (Plane) for wide boards as if you're not familar with a plane it can leave gouges in the wood particulary the (Electric plane). A belt sander can be used the full lenght of the belt and sweeping it down the flooring will take off the amount you need in no time at all as opposed to a plane..
Much cheaper and easier to go and buy some thinner floorboards!
Go to a timber merchant rather than a diy store as the selection will be much better. If you can only find boards which are a bit thinner than required then that's far better - it's easy to put packing underneath(eg bits of cornflake packet) to bring them up to height.
David
Agree on both counts, belt sander & no laminate.
The normal way is to chisel out rebates on the board where it fits over the joists. Or even easier with a router.
I had ruled out tiling in the bathroom until recently. But after learning that there is a specific tile cement for tiling on wood I am now thinking about it. The floor is 22mm kronospan but it isn't flat...as in totally horizontal..there being a slight fall toward one wall...of perhaps an inch.
Is tiling on this surface a good idea?
Arthur
I was thinking afterwards....
There's a business opportunity to sell floorboards to DIYers in thicknesses to match the original precisely.
I could run them through my thicknesser at 12m a minute. Two or three passes should be enough in most cases.
Trouble is the transport costs. Oh well.
A fall is not a problem for the tiles, the only thing that would upset them would be an uneven floor (i.e. pronounced humps, sags etc). The fall may mean the water runs to one side if you get the floor wet enough though ;-)
(Hey, ideal candidate to be turned into a wet room - stick a plug hole in the low corner)
You could plane them underneath just where they fix to the joists
Thanks - I don't want to lift them as they run under a shower tray and bath foot. They were replaced in a hurry before a new suite was fitted.
In that case belt sander for most of it, and an orbital sander for the edges. Personally, I'd use my small disc sander but I don't know how easy they are to hire these days. The type with a flexible backing pad used in car finishing
I'd agree, as you have to do it in situ then you need a belt sander, not a power plane.
But given that you can buy a cheap'n cheerful belt sander with a 2-year warranty for 15 quid: you really don't want to think about hiring one - a day's hire would cost more than that (admittedly a much better model, but that wouldn't be vital for just two boards.
David
Another good reason not to hurry things. ;-)
Is that the same as a rondom orbit sander - or are they different beasts?
Mine's a 4" version of this i.e. like an angle grinder without the guard
Different beast.
See Rotary Disc cf Random Orbit:
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