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How to sand and polish floorboards?

Raddaz
Finding My Feet

How to sand and polish floorboards?

 

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Hey legends ,

 

I am very new to the DYI renovations as I have just recently purchased a property. The property itself is on a series of stilts and the floorboards need a bit of TLC. Attached to some photos and still a bit unsure as to what the medium was used for the floorboards. However, I'm hoping to send these back and repolish using a nice varnish. The other option would be to use hybrid flooring over the top on the off chance the floorboards would not be suitable.

 

I have looked at various videos at how to do this task but just hoping that these four boards should be acceptable to send and polish.

 

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

MitchellMc
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: How to sand and polish floorboards?

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Raddaz. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about sanding and polishing floors.

 

There appears to be a fair amount of wear on the floorboards, though it's entirely possible they can be sanded back and restored. It will come down to how aggressively the boards must be sanded to remove damage and wear marks. I recommend trying it, as a floor sander can be hired for a reasonable rate. Once you start sanding, you'll soon be able to see how damaged the boards are. If you need to sand away so much material that the nail heads are being sanded down, it's a good indication that a full restoration will be needed. I suggest sanding a small section to determine how well the boards respond to the work. If you cannot sand out the marks, you can always go the floating floor route.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

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Re: How to sand and polish floorboards?

Slowly but surely! 

 

Here are a few updates - hindsight should have used a much heavier grit to get through the paint but it's come up nicely!

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Using a detail sander and multitool to get to those hard to reach areas before sealing/vanishing ☺️

Akanksha
Retired Team Member
Retired Team Member

Re: How to sand and polish floorboards?

Many thanks for posting those updates, @Raddaz. You've made wonderful progress on sanding your floors. Any tips for those members who may be looking to do the same?

 

Look forward to seeing how your floors look once you finish polishing them.

 

Akanksha

 

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MitchellMc
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: How to sand and polish floorboards?

Oh, that's looking lovely @Raddaz!

 

In regards to the grit, you always want to use the finest possible to get the job done, even if it's slow going. Although a coarser grit would have likely stripped the paint quicker, there's a much higher chance that you damage the flooring by gouging out areas or over-sanding in one area. I think you made a good choice as the floor looks amazing!

 

Mitchell

 

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