How to refresh old floorboards?

[mpb2011]

hi everyone. I’m an absolute newbie and have never been good at DIY. I’m an office worker with hands made for keyboard..... with the lockdown and spending so much time at home, I’m looking to increase my confidence with DIY and improving my house with help from this community. 

So how can I make these floor boards look a little more reasonable without sanding? Thanks very much 

 

 

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Workshop community @mpb2011. I'd be more than happy to give you my opinion on the floorboards.

I'd be interested to hear what our fantastic community members ideas are, on enhancing the look of these boards without sanding them. In my personal experience, unfortunately, I can not see a way or think of a product that will improve them sufficiently. You could coat over the floors as they are, but the results will not be particularly impressive and it may cause more work at a later date.

The coating is clearly worn through exposing the raw timber. This is shown as the darker areas which are now picking up dirt and grime. Any product or coating will seal the surface, but in doing so, is trapping the discolouration within it. This is, in my opinion, a classic example of a timber floor which needs re-surfacing.

I note you wish to increase your DIY confidence and I believe this would be a perfect project to do so. Sanding a timber floor seems a daunting project, but with help from our wonderful community, I am sure it is within your capabilities. The benefit to sanding before the coating is that there will be an incredible difference in appearance, not only looking great but it will add value to the property.

I've included some D.I.Y step by step tutorials on the process Tips for using a floor sander and How to sand timber floors.

I'll also invite some of our resident experts @ProjectPete, @PJA and @gippslandhome, to see if they would like to add to the discussion.

If you would like more advice on going about sanding your floor or had other questions, please feel free to ask.

Mitchell

[ProjectPete]

Always love to hear someone wanting to boost their DIY experience @mpb2011 

Whilst there's a bit of extra skill, time and effort involved, you want to sand those floors before refinishing/resealing them. You'll be wasting your time and money otherwise.

There are many tips and sayings in the DIY/trades world. One perfectly suited to this situation is "If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing right."

[mpb2011]

Thanks Mitchell, I was afraid that was going to be the solution, but i think I can tackle it with all the helpful information on here. Thanks once again 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @mpb2011.

There are many helpful members like ProjectPete on Workshop, that can also provide assistance whilst you complete this project. We look forward to providing guidance in rejuvenating your floorboards and can't wait to see the results.

If you have other questions about the process or need further advice, please let me know.

Mitchell