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

On Mon, 11 Aug 2003 17:05:41 GMT, ("Doc" Frank
Z. Watson ) wrote:

Can anyone recommend what clear finish to apply.

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.

Andy Dingley wrote in message
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)
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"
wrote:

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.

It's still a floor though - people will insist on walking on it. You
have to balance how well it looks on day #1 with how well it will look
after some wear.

I did one about two years ago, where owing to my useless supplier
(Robbins in Bristol) having removed the catalyst from the box (!) I
couldn't start painting until the Monday morning, when the movers were
arriving in the afternoon. I managed two coats, but not the three I
would have liked. Two years on it still looks OK, but not perfect.

I've also done a bedroom with oil and wax. Now that was a lovely job,
but it just had no wear resistance at all, even for a bedroom. I
wouldn't do it again.

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

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.

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