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Restoring Floorboards without Hiring a Professional Floor Sander

February 3, 2016 - 19 Comments - 6 min read
…and I’m back! I took a random week off blogging as my creativity were seriously lacking and I just couldn’t get my head into gear and type the words I was trying to say. I mostly blame the chaotic environment which surrounded my PC (an overloaded lounge full of storage boxes and DIY equipment!). Being just so close to finishing our spare bedroom and my newly appointed home office, I decided to ditch the blog and use every available minute to get the room to a stage of completion where I could move in and get organised.

And I’m pleased to say, that I’m now typing all this from said room and I cannot wait to share it with you once accessorising and dressing has finished πŸ™‚ But first I need to finish where I left off right? In my last post we had just opened up the chimney, which was the last major dusty work this room would see (thank god!) meaning we could begin moving onto some of the ‘finishing renovations’ such as the floor!

One of my most favourite loves for period homes are the floorboards. Wide or slim, scratched or not – I think they’re beautiful in every inch. I always dreamt that I would own a period home with the most amazing floorboards and I was super excited at the prospect of restoring the floorboards in our first home. Of course when we viewed the house they had been covered in the most atrocious blue carpet so the condition of the floorboards was a total mystery and I was somewhat disappointed to find that not only were they in a poor condition, but they were also horrendously covered in a thick coat of paint with large patches of wood worm. In this situation, a professional sander was the only way to go.

But this house was a completely different story. The floorboards (so far) had been covered in lino, covered by a quality underlay and then covered by carpet. That’s three levels of protection and oh-my were they in amazing condition. Of course they were dirty and a little rough and splintery – but no huge chunks, no wood worm, no horrific paint, just solid beautifully aged floorboards. After having sanded the floorboards in our previous house, I knew a professional sander would remove every inch of that aged look – all those dents, scratches and gorgeous old-age colour would be completely stripped off leaving a fresh pine new-look surface. I knew I definitely didn’t want this. I wanted to keep the character and I wanted them to look old and aged. 

How to Restore Floorboards without Hiring a professional sander

Of course they weren’t quite perfect yet though – they were really darn splintery in places, there was absolutely no way you could walk over these in bare foot (you can slightly see the spikey wood splinters sticking out of the floorboards in the picture below) and they were mainly looking a little dull. Sure the character was there, but it was just a little flat with no definition – if you know what I mean?! They had, after all been smothered in different textures for the last 60 odd years; they just needed a little oomph!

splintery floorboards

How to sand floorboards and keep their original character?

I introduce you to – the hand sander! Yes, it will take you forever and your knees will resemble a squished raison by the end, but it is so so worth it. Maybe invest in some knee pads first though? But, think of all the money you’ll be saving too! Hand sanders are much more gentle on the floorboards and take far less off. I actually used a multi-tool with a sanding attachment since we no longer own a hand sander. It took me around 2-3 hours of sanding in this small room working plank by plank. I started with a more coarse grit sandpaper first and then went back over with a fine grit. I wasn’t aiming for a fresh pine appearance, but just a smooth enough finish where I could brush my hand across and not be covered in a bazillion spikes of wood. You can see the colour difference between the sanded boards and non-sanded boards below. I love the added depth of colour sanding brings without giving it a full on fresh-pine appearance.

sanding floorboards by  hand

And if you’re wondering what kind of appearance a professional sander can achieve, here’s a snap of the floorboards in our old house….
(floorboards sanded with professional sander)

floorboards sanded with a professional floor sander

You can see how the two photos above are totally different looks. I do love the effect a professional sander achieves, they’re much cleaner looking, much smoother, and the light and bright fresh pine really works well in smaller and darker rooms. It’s also the best option for really badly damaged floors, particularly ones covered in thick paint impossible to remove by hand. But they do lose some of that original character, like some of the surface scratches and some of the woodgrain texture.

In this room, we had one board in particular in this room which was in pretty bad condition. It actually resembles a good example as to what most of the boards in our last house looked like, and the type of floorboards where a professional sander is a better option. Even after hand-sanding, this was never going to be perfectly smooth without taking way too much off and having a massive dip in the floor.

large dip in floorboard

After sanding, it’s important to clear up all the dust. Vacuuming doesn’t always pick up that finer surface dust, so I like to give the floorboards a quick wipe down too. I used a diluted mixture of water and white vinegar. 

using white vinegar to clean floorboards

cleaning floorboards

To finish the look, I use a floor wax. I think the finish of wax is much more natural looking than coloured varnish (can’t comment on the clear stuff though!) and it brings out the original depth of colour in the floor rather than masking it in a paint-like way. The wax I use is by Wickes and I cannot recommend it enough! I applied two coats, painting on quite thickly but making sure it’s worked into the floor.

using wax on floorboards

floorboard wax

floorboards covered in a flooring wax

Two coats later (the tin actually recommends three) the floorboards are slightly darkened in colour but it still maintains all its original character and different shades within it. I love love love it! The wax has a slight sheen to it, ensures the floor is waterproof, protects against scratches and also ‘seals’ down any imperfections and rough edges that the sander couldn’t get out (in particular that huge dent photoed above). Under foot these boards now feel much smoother and are definitely suitable for bare foot walking! Plus, how gorgeous do they look?! I love all the character, dents, scratches that remain!

character floorboards

restoring floorboards and keeping character

floorboards with character

sealing rough edges in floorboards

And if you’re wondering what coloured varnish looks like, let me introduce you to “medium oak” in ronseal diamond varnish (used in our last  house) which I was utterly disappointed about.

ronseal medium oak floorboard varnish

Notice how all the grain and knots have been completely covered by the varnish? How it lacks definition and variation of colour? And how ‘medium’ is so not medium, but actually definitely 100% DARK?! Needless to say, I much prefer our new floorboards any day!

So that’s how I’ve restored our old floorboards without hiring a professional sander. The savings of using a hand sander is also massive as well – we spent Β£150 on hiring a floor sander in our last house, where-as the cost this time around was just a mere Β£20. Which look to you prefer? And what’s your method for restoring old floorboards? 

Total Costs

(rounded to the nearest pound)


New Tools Purchased:
None

Materials Used:
Sanding pads for multi-tool (60 assorted sheets) Β£20
Wax free from previous job
White Vinegar free from food cupboard πŸ˜‰

Total Cost: Β£20

Kezzabeth

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19 Comments

  • Hannah Watson April 12, 2020 at 6:55 pm

    Looks absolutely gorgeous. I have just finished our hallway today and was wondering about wax or varnish. Decision made! X

  • Gail June 18, 2020 at 7:11 am

    Thanks Kezza I too have some beautiful old boards and don’t want them to look too orange or look too new I’ve been quoted high prices to sand and finish you’ve given me the confidence to have a go I will start with the hallway and see how it looks I also only have a mouse sander so a trip to wicks today to look for the wax πŸ˜ƒ

    • Kezzabeth July 14, 2020 at 1:42 pm

      Ohh good luck – it’s definitely a back-aching job, haha! We used a cheap belt sander on our floorboards downstairs which gives a much harsher sand, but useful if you find your floor particularly splintery or rough. Good luck!!

      • Christine mcreath January 3, 2023 at 8:50 pm

        Thanks for information I’ve sanded my old oak floor and need to fill the gaps with osmo gap filler do I fill the gaps first then use osmo oil or apply the oil first then fill the gaps. The floor looks very porous

        • Kezzabeth January 7, 2023 at 2:37 pm

          Hi Christine, I can’t say for certain as I’ve never used a gap filler – but I would most likely fill first and then apply the Osmo Oil.

  • Susan Giles July 25, 2020 at 4:50 pm

    The boards look lovely and rich. I took my 28 year old carpet up last week out of my living room as it was dusty and had many stains that I had bleached due to sick dogs, I was hoping the boards underneath were original as the house is over 130 years old, but where there are splits and gaps I noticed the boards are tongue and groove. As finances won’t allow me to carpet the room yet I have to make do and try and take off the dark stain that is ingrained in the wood, my elderly friend said they used Darkolene years ago to protect the wood, it is nearly black in parts, hand sander just not getting it off, naughty me even tried white spirit, also white vinegar, no joy.

    I also have to think of what to use to block the gaps where air (and mice) will come through in between the floorboards. you can get something called Stop gap sealer but it is not for tongue and groove. What do you recommend?

    I looked on line for the wax at Wickes but they no longer sell it. Went to B & Q last night and they only do a Ronseal floor wax or oil – at Β£52!

    Thankfully I have rugs to cover up the mess I am making and for the dogs to lie on. But I can’t give up.

    Good to see us DIY women having a go. Pleased to find your site. Thank you.

    Susan

    • Kezzabeth July 26, 2020 at 5:40 pm

      Hey Susan!

      Thanks for your comment! Sounds like your floor is giving you a lot of work!! Our living room was very similar with some black tar-like stain which sounds similar-ish. A hand sander simply would not remove and I even tried paint-remover and a heat gun, but not much luck. In the end, a belt sander and very coarse sandpaper was the only way – but it ate through paper and took A LOT of work, so I feel your pain!

      We’ve used DraughtEx on the gaps on our floor – it’s basically a rubber rope that squishes between the boards I imagine you could use it with tongue and groove, it may just be more visible as it won’t sit as low between boards. I believe they sell fairly cheap sample packs on their website if you wanted to give it a try.

      Good luck with the floor! I know trying to do DIY/home improvements on a budget usually involves a lot more hassle/work than needed – it’s usually worth it in the end, but can take a while to forget the pain, haha! Good luck! πŸ™‚

  • Janette Dewar September 19, 2020 at 8:21 pm

    I would always shellac bare wood it seals it, gives a lovely depth and then wax on top. A cabinet maker told me to do this.

    • Kezzabeth October 8, 2020 at 11:21 am

      I’ll have to look at that next time, thanks!

  • Esther January 14, 2021 at 7:53 pm

    Did you fill the gaps between the boards?

    • Kezzabeth January 18, 2021 at 5:09 pm

      Yes! We used a product called ‘DraughtEx’ which is basically a black rubber seal that fills the gap. You can also use wooden slivers, but I personally prefer the look of the hidden black rubber.

  • Fiona January 18, 2021 at 2:26 pm

    Do you gave actual name of wicked wax. Struggling to find it.
    TIA

    • Kezzabeth January 18, 2021 at 5:13 pm

      Unfortunately it’s been discontinued for a few years now! Ronseal have a similar floor wax product though in a range of different tints which I believe is very similar to the one we used in this room, or alternatively Osmo Oil is another great product we’ve used on floors elsewhere in the house which is a combined oil and wax.

      • Edward March 21, 2021 at 4:43 pm

        Fiddes do a great range of floor waxes in clear and coloured options. I’ve just use their floor hard wax oil on my newly exposed floors, after hand sanding in the same way. Looks great, I tested with 5ml sample packs first.

        See Fiddes.co.uk – all made in Cardiff, ordered from their website and was delivered in 1 day! πŸ™‚

        • Kezzabeth April 4, 2021 at 12:24 pm

          Oooh I will have to try them at some point! We’ve used Osmo Oil downstairs which I really liked and I think they’re quite similar to Fiddles? I’ll have to sand some more floors, haha!

  • Alasdair Reid January 18, 2021 at 7:58 pm

    I’m planning on sanding my wooden floors, but one room has a lot of indentations all over the floor. It looks like someone has moved a large object e.g. a wardrobe. Would a hand sander remove these visible lines and marks? Thanks.

    • Kezzabeth February 5, 2021 at 2:54 pm

      Yes, it just depends on how deep the marks are! I’d recommend a handheld belt sander for tougher dents and marks, otherwise lighter scratches should sand out with a smaller handheld sander. Good luck!

  • Redlippedmother January 5, 2022 at 9:22 pm

    Hi ! What type of hand sander did you use please? I want to do my strairs and landing?
    The stairs are half white / half wood , and unsure on the landing state yet as not pulled up the dodgy 60s carpets yet ! As it’s a small space a hand sander sounds ideal! Thanks !

    • Kezzabeth March 16, 2022 at 7:13 pm

      We used a multi-tool for this room as were on a budget and just using what we had – but to be honest, I’d recommend a belt sander to make the job much easier, which is how we sanded the rest of our rooms. It’s still a handheld tool just a bit more powerful!

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    Hi - I'm Kezzabeth! Self-taught DIYer, Renovator and Blogger on a mission to turn our house into a home. Seven years ago I was clueless and skill-less, but since then I've learnt how to build, tile, plumb and more. This is my little place on the web where I share everything I've learnt so you can learn too. Read More

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    DIY Content: We’re not builders or experts in the trade industry, so please take any information on this blog as a rough guide and just our own experiences. This blog relates to our home only and you should always consult a professional in you’re in any doubt of work. Please also be aware Building Regulations change often, so always do your own research as well.
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