Hi,
I am planning on sanding and varnishing the hallway and dining room in my Victorian house. The floorboards are in reasonable condition but there are some that will need replacing.
I have considered paying a professional but the difference in price is so great that I have decided to do the job myself. I know a professional would get a better result but I think I’ll be much more satisfied with the job knowing I’ve done it myself. I have a couple of questions thogh (I have searched the forum for similar threads and read the project page by the way):
1. If I am staining the floorboards (I will be using a darkish stain, maybe Ronseal Diamond Hard - Dark Oak) do I need to get reclaimed floorboard to replace the old ones or can I just get new timber? In other words with the stain on will you be able to tell the difference?
2. Some of the floorboards which will need repairing/replacing are adjacent to the skirting board. I have read that you need to remove the skirting boards to replace these, is this true or is it possible to do it without removing it?
3. The gaps between most of the floorboards seem fairly small, although there are some larger ones. I know that the best method of gap filling is to use wooden batons, but I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do this. If I do decide to go for a filler would people recommend the sawdust and resin option? If so can you recommend a brand of resin?
I have seen Bona gapmaster on the internet as an alternative, is this any better than the above method or will it show up as a slightly different colour to the boards?
4. Does anyone know if the ronseal varnish mentioned above is any good? Or can they recommend a better one?
Any advice gratefully accepted, many thanks in advance!
Adam
