Andy wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...

I'm planning to sand the floorboards in our dining room this weekend
and would like to get my wife and baby out of the house while I'm doing
the sanding but have no idea how long it will take?

I've got everything prepared, room cleared, all boards screwed down
etc.

I want to sand the floorboards first to get rid of the top layer of
dirt etc and then sand a second time to collect the sawdust to fill the
gaps between the floorboards. I will mix this with some special glue
like liquid (which I'm getting from sanding shop) and allow to dry
overnight. I will then do the final sand on Sunday using 2/3 different
grade sandpapers.

The room is about 12 foot by 12 foot.

Obviously they only need to be out while the sanding is going on, not
while I'm filling the gaps.

Another thing. I suspect you've booked the sander now, but unless your floor
boards are really yukky there is a school of thought that just says clean
them with a scrubbing brush to get the ingrained dirt out and then
stain/varnish/oil. The reason is that sanding them flat removes all the
character,

makes it look more like a cheap laminate floor

whereas really old floorboards look best with a myriad of dings
in them.

ha, no, its not often domestic floors are like that. Sanding is good
for public halls, but for domestic houses its normally well OTT. All
most domestic pine floors need is a good clean up and refinish, plus If
theres the dreaded black gloop on them those area will need sanding.

A good clean up of a room took me what, an hour and a half start to
finish? way easier than sanding, costs nothing, and looks better in the
end.

Another prob with sanding is it sometimes uncovers old worm tracks,
making the wood look like real junk. This is irreversible. If that
happens you can either live with your woodworm on show, replace the
floor or hide it with lam. Either way its a floor ruined.

Damaged boards can usually be turned over.


NT