Ripping up carpets and stripping floors - advice needed

[bramley]

Later this week we (as in me, while the wife watches) are taking up the carpet in 3 rooms and lino in kitchen to reveal the floorboards underneath. Wife has made enquiries about hiring a big sander and a small sander for edges.

Anyone got any advice for me? (apart from don't do it)

Plan is to buy polythene sheet and attempt to tape up doors etc round the house to contain the dust. Haven't looking into suitable products to put on the sanded floor yet so would welcome recommendations.

Ta

[Dupont666]

bramley said:

Later this week we (as in me, while the wife watches) are taking up the carpet in 3 rooms and lino in kitchen to reveal the floorboards underneath. Wife has made enquiries about hiring a big sander and a small sander for edges.

Anyone got any advice for me? (apart from don't do it)

Plan is to buy polythene sheet and attempt to tape up doors etc round the house to contain the dust. Haven't looking into suitable products to put on the sanded floor yet so would welcome recommendations.

Ta

What type of house have you got?

have you tried to take up a small section to see if you have decent floor boards or not?

Would be such a PITA if you got to the day in question and then saw that the floorboards are not worth saving but there is nothing you can do about it since you have a sander and stuff already hired...

[bramley]

Ah, yes forgot to mention that, floorboards are cool. Have seen another house 2 doors down with them stripped, and checked ours and they're fine.

I'm not sure what to do about gaps between them though?

[David1975]

bramley said:

I'm not sure what to do about gaps between them though?

Same issue we have at the mo. We have varying gaps between the boards. They are not gaps as such (ie see straight through to voids below floor) but are the tongue and groove type so there is no draught but just wondering about looks.

Just finished sanding the beech block kitchen floor. Even with all the doors shut the dust still managed to get all the way to the second floor. I still have a hall and two lounges to go but dreading it after last time.

[Dupont666]

bramley said:

Ah, yes forgot to mention that, floorboards are cool. Have seen another house 2 doors down with them stripped, and checked ours and they're fine.

I'm not sure what to do about gaps between them though?

I left the gaps and took the risk no liquids that could go mould seeped down if anyhting was knocked over...

I prefer gaps:

http://www.sandedfloors.co.uk/gap%20film.info.htm

the filler just isnt right somehow, but you can do this, the old-fashioned (and v time-consuming) way used to be to cut fillets of old floorboards to fill the gaps! Hammer into place with a rubber mallet and sand down to match existing.

here is the full process, but you probably knew this anyway...

http://floorsanderhire.com/process.php

[Goochie]

The sander wont like coming into contact with nails, you'll quickly use up the supply of sanding belts the hire shop will supply.

So before you start, get on your knees and do a finger tip search of the entire floor, feeling for nail heads that protrude from the wood.

Make sure all nails are hammered down BELOW the floor surface using a center punch.

We sanded the floor in our bedroom before we moved in (1930's semi) and it looked great. However the draught and noise became annoying and we now have a nice fitted carpet.

[bramley]

Thanks for the help chaps. Will have a good look at the size of the gaps tonight and decide what we do about them. Quite like the idea of leaving them provided the edge of the boards don't pose a splinter risk for us and the (little) kids. Failing that I'll get the bandsaw out and cut some strips.

[Dupont666]

bramley said:

Thanks for the help chaps. Will have a good look at the size of the gaps tonight and decide what we do about them. Quite like the idea of leaving them provided the edge of the boards don't pose a splinter risk for us and the (little) kids. Failing that I'll get the bandsaw out and cut some strips.

dont forget with the little ones present that there is an uncontrolable desire to post anything valuable down between the floor boards, so keep it out of reach if you go for gaps.

[bramley]

Dupont666 said:

bramley said:

Thanks for the help chaps. Will have a good look at the size of the gaps tonight and decide what we do about them. Quite like the idea of leaving them provided the edge of the boards don't pose a splinter risk for us and the (little) kids. Failing that I'll get the bandsaw out and cut some strips.

dont forget with the little ones present that there is an uncontrolable desire to post anything valuable down between the floor boards, so keep it out of reach if you go for gaps.

ooh good point!

[cuneus]

Never buy the belts from the hire shop. The carbide ones last a LOT longer (CSM abrasives)

Be very careful with a floor sander - are you sure you even need one ?

I did two (Oak about 600sq ft) with a Makita 4" belt sander but it depends how much you need to remove

Use Danish oil and buy in bulk

[bramley]

cuneus said:

Never buy the belts from the hire shop. The carbide ones last a LOT longer (CSM abrasives)

Be very careful with a floor sander - are you sure you even need one ?

I did two (Oak about 600sq ft) with a Makita 4" belt sander but it depends how much you need to remove

Use Danish oil and buy in bulk

Dunno if we really need a massive sander, the room is roughly 16m x 3.5m, then a small hallway and small kitchen - whaddya reckon?

[cuneus]

bramley said:

cuneus said:

Never buy the belts from the hire shop. The carbide ones last a LOT longer (CSM abrasives)

Be very careful with a floor sander - are you sure you even need one ?

I did two (Oak about 600sq ft) with a Makita 4" belt sander but it depends how much you need to remove

Use Danish oil and buy in bulk

Dunno if we really need a massive sander, the room is roughly 16m x 3.5m, then a small hallway and small kitchen - whaddya reckon?

Can you post some pics ?

[bramley]

Will get some later

[rugbyfiend]

Goochie said:

The sander wont like coming into contact with nails, you'll quickly use up the supply of sanding belts the hire shop will supply.

So before you start, get on your knees and do a finger tip search of the entire floor, feeling for nail heads that protrude from the wood.

Make sure all nails are hammered down BELOW the floor surface using a center punch.

We sanded the floor in our bedroom before we moved in (1930's semi) and it looked great. However the draught and noise became annoying and we now have a nice fitted carpet.

I did this a couple of weeks ago in our 1930's house.

Don't underestimate how long and what an arse it is to hammer the nails in, it took me and my dad 2 1/2 days total, and around 1 1/2 of that was hammering the nails in so that they are below the level where you are sanding. Any that you miss (and you will ) it shreds the sanding belt and you'll need another one.

If you hire an edging sander be very careful around radiator pipes, when I was picking mine up, bloke in the shop said that the last people had been rushing a bit and had gone through a pipe which had then pissed grubby radiator water all over the nicely sanded floor boards; staining them and ruining the ceiling below.

[Merlot]

We're doing this in a couple of weeks to the new house. It is a late Victorian built pub, converted to residential in 2004 but has chipboard + carpets. There is (was?) a cellar underneath. Interesting to read the advice here

[mas99]

Use a punch to hammer in the nails - then you dont make a mess of the floorboards.

Buy some poly sheeting and tape up doorways into other rooms.

Dont try to use filler between boards. Either make up fillets or get some suitable string/rope and soak in woodglue. I[ve seen people use paper mache.

I would go for Osmo rather than danish oil.

[russ_a]

We resanded our floors about 3 months back. The dust goes everywhere!!

Watch out using the big sanders too as its very eesy to sand a big grove in the wood.

Another vote for Osmo oil here!

[crackthatoff]

I know a good carpet guy when you lot decide hard floors are too noisy, dusty and cold lol !