Floorboard treatment

Try Dulux Trade Diamond Glaze. It aint cheap mind and it is water based so no nasty pong when applying. I'm not using it a "wet" area so haven't checked the datasheet for kitchen use exclusion but I have read it all and have no memeory of such an exclusion.

Not having a nasty pong seems to be the only non-hazardous property. Sanding between coats doesn't look like a lot of fun. One problem we have is that the kitchen/dining area is at one end of a large space in a converted barn, so any airborne stuff will go all over it. Perhaps a belt sander with a vacuum cleaner attached.

I'll have to think about it.

Sanding is optional. I found screwfix water based flooring varnish to be tough.

NT

IME there is no such thing as a tough water based varnish but little else is available these days. Rustins Plastic Coating is a 2 part solvent based product and there may be others through trade wood finishing outlets

Nick

Ah, that's reassuring. A little of that stuff goes a long way too. The last lot I used I wiped on with a rag because I wanted a seal rather than a high gloss. Even then there wasn't a mark on it after several years of heavy traffic, piano castors etc

Thanks Nick and Stuart, that sounds like a good bet. The kitchen itself is only about 14m**2, but later on there's the dining area, living room and the upstairs bit to do. About 100 m**2 in all, so quick drying time and as low a toxicity as possible are important factors.

Thats just a denibbing not a sanding. ie a couple light passes with 1200 grade wet 'n dry followed by a just damp cloth to remove the very little dust.

But you will need to sand and prepare the floor properly before you start with the varnish. Floor sander and the dust *will* go everwhere, not much you can do about that. Large light weight plastic dust sheets taped up at that end and a vacuum cleaner (with hose) just running in the space. The latter left for an hour after the sanding has finished does clear the air quite well.

Yes you will need to sand the floor first if you want a good finish.

I have successfully used Ronseal Ultra Tough Mattcoat on all my pine floors. It's a solvent-borne poleurethane varnish. It's not sold specifically for floors but I have found it to be hardwearing. I chose it because I wanted a matt, rather than a shiny finish to my boards, and water-borne floor varnish tends to come in Satin and Gloss only. The Ronseal stuff also comes in Satin and Gloss (I think the gloss is called Hard Glaze).

As has been said, sanding between coats only involves a light denibbing by hand; I usually remove any dust with kitchen roll and white spirit. I do three coats.

Cheers Richard

Regards Richard

Personally I find a belt sander more manageable to sand the floor, than a big lawnmower-style floor sander. OK for a smallish floor anyway. Less dust and less chance of eating through the floor if you come to an unexpected stop. Gets to the edges better.

Regards Richard

My comment was based not on the amount of dust created but on the nastiness of it according to the SDS, which prescribes wearing skin protection and a respirator.

At that point the room is 6m20 wide and the ceiling is 4m50 high. Not an easy place to put a dust sheet! I do appreciate the helpful suggestions though.

Arse covering... though it's always wise to use a respirator in really dusty enviroments. I have a half mask with replaceable filters for that not those mostly useless bits of thick paper.

The fumes from Rustins Plastic Coating are pretty powerful but they are totally gone within a couple of hours, unlike some of the water borne finishes where the smell, although slight, hangs around for a lot longer. IIRC it can easily be diluted with the official thinners, which makes it easier to use on floors.