Pine floor repair and restoration - complete AMAZING project

Ever wondered just how much work goes into complete pine floor restoration, sanding and sealing project?
Well, here we have a sweet timelapse video showing the full story!.
Complete repair, restoration, sanding, staining and sealing of pine floor in Altrincham, Cheshire. This wood floor was found in a bad condition with half the boards loose, broken, split, badly fitted and cuts all over. All that topped off with heavy cupping and crowning of the boards with many pipes and cables underneath to deal with as well, made this project a challenging one.
Amazing transformation displayed in the video follows all the steps required to refinish pine floor to a beautiful finish.
hhfloorcare.co.uk for your wood floor restoration & maintenance needs
Music: www.bensound.com

[@hhfloorcare788]

Don’t forget to give us a thumbs up 👍 and subscribe to our channel 🔔 . It’s the best way to support our channel. We have a lot more exciting videos coming up soon 😃

[@antonvarga711]

did you twist all pannels??

[@hhfloorcare788]

@@antonvarga711 what do you mean twist?

[@antonvarga711]

@@hhfloorcare788 switch other side😃😃

[@hhfloorcare788]

Oh ok, no they were not turned over. You cannot do this on these floors for few reasons. Staining from joists is one of them. Damaged boards cut and re-used, floor re-juggled to create randomness and so joints don’t align on two rows, completely gone boards replaced with few boards from other areas in the house that we could re-use and also few reclaimed boards added. There were many very damaged boards in this room and all that was repaired or replaced. Never turn over such boards. Hope this answers the question.

[@antonvarga711]

@@hhfloorcare788 thanx for your time and good expline I got it 👍😊 🥂

[@northernlights8126]

I’m very impressed.What a beautiful result, such care and attention to detail.I like the visuals too, no endless chatter, flogging or promoting of products.It’s a perfect video and you’ve done an amazing job.

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thanks - glad you enjoyed the video 😊

[@brucek66]

Wood is so resilient - amazing transformation. It could have been a subfloor - great job and video

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 🙏. Indeed, wood is one of the most sustainable and re-usable materials one can find. You are so right - it could have been just a subfloor, but now it’s a lovely looking floor. We have done exactly this for the client in their master bedroom, hallway, dining room and lounge. Character and sustainability - best combo. 👌

[@brettbuck7362]

@@hhfloorcare788 I am not sure what I am seeing here. There appears to bo no subfloor and there appears to be nothing sealing between the boards. Does moisture/bugs/whatever just come up between the boards? What does "grade II listed property" mean?

[@xAKIMBOCURLYx]

Carpets on hardwood floor is genocide

[@darkknight17]

Why do you say that? Curious for your perspective. Thanks

[@xAKIMBOCURLYx]

@@darkknight17 wooden floors especially good hardwood floors like this look truly fabulous. Carpets can leave the wood deteriorating underneath and, ultimately, don't look as good. Rugs are a better option if you want to soften the room compared to carpets. Another important note is cultural, as in the UK, carpets like the one that must have been used here are associated with the 60s to the 90s when beautiful original features were stripped out of properties and replaced with low quality fixtures like strip lights, thin carpeting, magnolia walls etc.

[@darkknight17]

@@xAKIMBOCURLYx thanks very much for your detailed reply. This helps me a lot. I've recently moved into my first home which is a 1950s semi. The carpet had blotches of fungal mould and common sense told me I needed to uplift it all immediately to let the floorboards underneath breath. The windows and also been closed for some time with no functioning heating system (needs new boiler). I took up all of the ageing 40 year old carpet to reveal the condition of the floorboards and was disheartened at the staining, but can now see they can be saved and reclaimed by sanding down. I'll never have carpets ever, maybe the odd rug here and there to give cosy vibes.

[@xAKIMBOCURLYx]

@@darkknight17 yeah that's what you want

[@darkknight17]

@@xAKIMBOCURLYx thank you for sharing your knowledge my bro.

[@yakirareus4663]

Saving this video as inspiration so I can remodel my wood floors.

[@hhfloorcare788]

Best of luck 👏

[@ajdexter4195]

A lot of work but definitely worth it, the end result is just gorgeous 😍

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thanks 😊

[@lizardpenny928]

Ours look just like this at the minute so - to think they could look so good is amazing!

[@hhfloorcare788]

Yes it definitely transforms the property once completed. Although it’s a soft wood - it can still look great and last quite a bit if maintained correctly and taken care of. Best of luck with your project if you are getting this done 👍

[@mrmrso228]

Wow all that in 3 minutes amazing lol....beautiful floor 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@hhfloorcare788]

Haha I wish it was that quick to bring it to the great looking floor. Thank you for your comment 👍

[@elliottlester74]

Great video and a ton of work gone into that restoration, including finding all the decent boards from throughout the house to replace the ones that had been hacked about. I know it's sometimes necessary but sparkies and plumbers have a lot to answer for sometimes with that kind of damage.

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thanks Elliot - glad you liked it👏 pine floor repairs to make them look really good is always a tough one. I guess sparkles and plumbers never though this floor could be used as an actual floor hence the ‘creative’ cuts all over, although it also had damage just from age (splits and all sorts).

[@MrPidibi38]

@@hhfloorcare788 can I ask what staines/ oils were used on this floor? Really like the finish, good work!

[@bosse641]

Old floors are so beautiful.

[@hhfloorcare788]

Totally agree with you. Way more character than any new stuff

[@ethanhanbury4455]

And the floors were usually made of “cheaper” wood. Really goes to show the quality of the era

[@strjourneys7919]

​@@hhfloorcare788 it's a piece of wood. You can get the exact same thing at home depot. No "character" nonsense

[@carlosdanger1843]

Dang, that looks great! You put a buttload of work into it and it shows!

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thanks 😊 doing best we can

[@barbaralee8363]

@@hhfloorcare788 Incredible work. A step by step WOULD be so appreciated.

[@pancraseash9002]

lol i see what u did there XD

[@sauntahrae5244]

The OCD in me wanted to vacuum under the boards before he laid them back down lol. Very very nice job.

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 🙏. Haha yes it would make sense to vacuum up (need shovel first) if the whole floor is lifted, otherwise it makes no difference really.

[@mohammedwaheedraza257]

Too good, after seeing this definitely will be considering doing the whole house mainly the living room and the hall

[@karenferns6160]

Beautiful..!!!! Lots of work but restored for yrs to come. Top job 😎🙌

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you - definitely will last for many years if looked after. 👌

[@dracoflame8780]

Just found out my grandma had hardwood on the stairs and the entire second floor. That she first painted over white. Then later carpeted over

[@hhfloorcare788]

@@dracoflame8780 she is not the only one to hide wood floors for someone to discover them later 😁

[@robjohnston5292]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[@hhfloorcare788]

My pleasure 🙏

[@free_at_last8141]

Great job!

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 🙏

[@miryreina925]

Beautiful hard work!

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 👏

[@frankbarone4065]

Thx for posting, I 'm about to do a very similar job. Video helped a lot.

[@hhfloorcare788]

Pleasure - glad it helped. Although not much education on this one but happy to see you had a benefit from it 👏. Best of luck with your project. Any questions just ask

[@abdulahmed5971]

Amazing work and results. Your passion and professionalism is reflected in that high quality finish! Would you mind advising what equipment was used through the whole process? Would greatly appreciate that!

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you. It’s a variety of machines used. Hummel belt sander, edgers, American sanders multi disc buffer, scrapers etc.

[@HardwoodFloorRefinishing101]

Spectacular job man!!! Well done!!!

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 🙏

[@chellelechelle]

Wow, I need this done. My kitchen floor looks horrible

[@user-tl9cr9vm3x]

Amazing!

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 🙏

[@Matesszka]

Top work lad

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 👌

[@suleikaotero7232]

Love it!

[@joelmoreno2446]

Great work

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 🙏

[@iosiamointroppi-wi4sf]

capolavoro!

[@hhfloorcare788]

@@iosiamointroppi-wi4sf thank you 🙏

[@Nurseninjarider]

Wow 😍😍😍😍

[@hhfloorcare788]

@@Nurseninjarider 🙌 thank you.

[@sarahkikiuk]

I have original flooring on my room and it looks terrible, hoping to revamp it using KZbin for ideas as I’m clueless!

[@hhfloorcare788]

Best of luck with your revamp 👍 don’t be afraid to ask for professional help. In most cases it’s just easier and much better finish overall with f done professionally. However if you have good hands with tools then go for it 👏

[@kirstie7187]

Weekend sanding hire is cheap in uk

[@ImaginaryHouse]

Any chance there’s a list with the corresponding steps/explanation to follow along with the video? I’m curious as to the what and why if each step you took for this particular one…it looks absolutely stunning

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thanks. Yes, that’s a good idea to have some explanations to go along with the video. Will have to either do another video or will just add as a text in the description 👍

[@shelleyhartley5289]

Yeah I agree. Video is so fast, I have no clue what he was doing.

[@mizuwarikun]

Around 2:30mins into the video, what is that liquid you are applying? Is it a lacquer or simply an oil? Absolutely wonderful result!

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 👍 It is the last coat of lacquer being applied around that time.

[@Ritzi66]

Wow nice work

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thanks 👏

[@romanzelik2884]

Hey man this video is super helpful as are all your answers to the comments...I have just one more to add. What was the progression of sanding grit that you used? Was it low to high or high to low?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thanks Roman 👌 you always have to go low to high. On this floor started from 36, 40, 60, 80 and finished at 100.

[@kierand9410]

@@hhfloorcare788 Can I ask how many of each roughly?

[@adamlw7181]

BEAUTIFUL.

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 🙏

[@davidcoomber4050]

I could never work that quick

[@hhfloorcare788]

Neither could I 😅

[@abbyleighton.studio]

What product did you use to finish/seal the floors? Love the soft matte natural look. Fantastic job!

[@hhfloorcare788]

@@abbyleighton.studio thank you - glad you liked it 🙌 Used Berger Seidle Greenstar in matt. It is definitely a very lovely finish

[@lsav1085]

That helped thanks

[@hhfloorcare788]

Pleasure 🙏

[@baghdadcamper]

Good job

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 👏

[@pamelag7553]

Great job! How long does it take for the new finish smell to die down so you can stand being in the room for an hour? I heard it takes many weeks.

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you! To be fair the finish we use, you can’t smell it in few days. All the off-gassing is usually done within couple of weeks though. The finish we use in particular has zero harmful ingredients so even if there is smell to begin with it is not going to affect anyone as much as any other brand finish would. Important bit is to ventilate the area during first couple of days to get any smell out of the room and then it’s fine. some people are more sensitive to stronger smells than others so that is also to take into account.

[@davidroosa4561]

at first i was dubious, but it turned out great

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 👌

[@bluejay_j]

I have a home I bought, it's about 150 years old, we're ripping up the carpets and the floorboards have some decent gaps between the floorboards. Other than the gaps the wood is in really good condition since we're sanding it. I'm not entirely sure what to do about the gaps if anyone has any suggestions

[@hhfloorcare788]

You can fill the gaps with flexible frame sealant towards the end of the sanding process. Other than that you can also use pine slivers, but if the gaps are large - frame sealant would be my choice.

[@RS-hz1yi]

@@hhfloorcare788 how do you know if the wood has mold or not? my wood is old and dark. i plan on washing it with vinegar and borax the sand and stain.

[@tonttitonttersson5065]

@@RS-hz1yi if the wood isn't soft it's good.

[@hhfloorcare788]

It shouldn’t have mould unless the environment is extremely damp and wood is soaking wet. All old boards are dark if they never had a finish on. I wouldn’t bother washing it with anything and introducing moisture to the wood for no reason. Don’t mess with it and keep it simple - sand it, stain it, then put the finish on 👍

[@somerandomguyfromtheintern480]

plywood subflooring would help reduce squeaks and better insulate.

[@hhfloorcare788]

True, but then we would have to uplift entire floor and do more repairs and cost would go up significantly. That said, the way we fit/repair floors like that you don’t get squeaks, well at least not on the boards we refit anyway. In regards to insulation - yes it would help but this is 2nd storey room and no cold is coming through the floor anyway. 👍

[@matthewwilson3078]

These floor look amazing - very similar to my current project. Sorry if this has been asked/answered - didn’t see it. We have 100+ year old pine floors that we have sanded down to bare wood. The gaps are random widths. We want to fill the gaps and have been considering caulking to avoid another round of sanding (from a wood filler). The order of operations has got me baffled. Should I staying the floors first - poly - then caulk the gaps - or another order. I have been planing on using oil based minwax stains and sealers. I am willing to change products if there are problems with reactivity to caulking/stains. Also not sure which type of caulking would be best - acrylic/latex etc. I have heard that some caulking is stainable - hmmm. Anyway - any advice you can provide would be appreciated. All the best - Matt

[@hhfloorcare788]

A bit late response to your comment but hopefully helps. Right, first things first - if you want to fill the gaps with something to avoid the another step of sanding, you will be disappointed as that’s not how refinishing of floor works. If you want to fill - you have to sand off surplus product from the boards. Sorry - no shortcuts here. In terms of filler - use brown acrylic window frame mastic that will be the most complementary to clear or darker finishes. Fill it thoroughly and then use plastic supermarket card or similar to remove access product and have a smooth line of filler in the gap. Then once cured next day - sand it off. Order of works usually goes like this: Sand the floor 40 then 60 grit, fill the gaps, cure, sand with 80 grit to remove all filler that’s around the joints from the filling process, then sand 100 grit if staining or leave at 80 if not and going with clear finish then screen the floor then stain if you want different colour to clear finish or straight to lacquer application. Lightly screen the floor with very fine mesh (240+ grit) to remove raised grain after 2nd coat of lacquer and apply final coat. There is a lot more to it than that but these are the basics. Screening the floor before last coat will give you smooth finish, otherwise you’ll have rough floor. Hope it helps.

[@kirstie7187]

Absolutely beautiful job Top man👍 im gonna sand my victorian house floorboards soon i did them about 20 years ago when i moved in theyre really not that bad in low traffic areas i dont want to varnish as they look shiny can i just seal them with something so they look as they do when just sanded thank you

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 🙏 There are ways to keep the colour light and sheen low with couple of products. One being oil with white pigment additive but that needs perfect sanding to achieve great look. Anything less and will look terrible. Second would be lacquer with white additive. It is ultra matt so very little sheen and easier maintenance. Need 3 coats of that. If you look at my instagram page you’ll find few posts with pine floors that look very light in colour - they would be the ones finished like that or very similar process. Some have white stain before putting white lacquer on to reduce yellow tone even more but can go without it too. Berger Seidle natural white lacquer it’s called. If you in uk then only Grand Parkett in Liverpool sell that, if other country then many big countries have stockists there too. Hope this helps 👍

[@kirstie7187]

@@hhfloorcare788 Thanks so much for your helpful response and information I will have a good look 👍😊

[@gorringeman]

That's a lovely job, so you took up all the boards to make them nice and flat? I have uneven floor in my Victorian place, do you fill gaps between the boards?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you and thanks for your comment. Boards were taken up only where needed as about half of it was loose, split and otherwise damaged. Floor has to be made solid and suitable for sanding. Some floors would not need repairs if they are in good shape and not been hacked up by every trade in the dictionary, but in this instance this floor was in bad shape and never repaired or intended for refinishing and was hidden under the carpet. New owner decided to get this up and running and have as actual floor. Gap filling is a choice to be honest and sometimes necessity if draft is coming through. In this case client didn’t want it as the floor is not exposed to any crawl spaces and is not causing any heat loss. We normally fill with acrylic mastic during sanding process if client chooses this service. Hope this helps. 👍

[@RiannaStuart-y8v]

what did you use to finish the floorboards? Varnish/wax? We’re stripping pine floorboards in our house and I’d love something similar. It looks great 😁

[@hhfloorcare788]

@@RiannaStuart-y8v thank you 🙏. This floor was stained with Fiddes stain and then 2 part lacquer from Berger Seidle called Greenstar in matt finish. If you haven’t done floors professionally I would advise staying away from staining to avoid problems. Instead you can use solvent primer called uniquik and then Greenstar lacquer in matt or ultramatt. make sure floor is sanded very smooth first to about 100 grit while removing all scratches. Also don’t forget to very lightly sand it after 1st coat of lacquer to remove raised grain and make floor smooth again. Then carry on with further 2x coats of lacquer. Hope this helps.

[@RiannaStuart-y8v]

@@hhfloorcare788 thank you! 😁 I’ll try that :)

[@fatfatthewaterrat5010]

Was a wood flooring contractor for 20 years and not sure what I just watched.

[@119hellyeah]

can you explain what you mean?

[@user-qu6on4qs9c]

Я тоже не совсем поняла, вы доски переложили внутренней стороной на верх, т. е. перелицевали как старый костюм?

[@user-qu6on4qs9c]

Никогда бы не подумала, что так можно, браво

[@hhfloorcare788]

@@user-qu6on4qs9c no, many boards removed where damaged, split and unusable, replacement boards were brought in from other rooms in the house and also some more reclaimed boards to replace the damaged peaces. Then all screwed back in and sanded. You cannot turn them upside down because joists leave stain marks on the underside and you will never sand them out. Always have to use the good side of the board.

[@hhfloorcare788]

@@user-qu6on4qs9c thank you. 🙏 Anything is possible.

[@IreneChu-xr7ct]

Why did the floor like that bad before your work? Was it under the carpet? Btw, marvelous work 👍🏼🧡💯

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 🙏. Yes the floor was under the carpet for many years and the boards were lifted, cut and ripped out too many times to count by plumbers, electricians and other trades for various reasons. It was never meant to be an actual floor to walk on hence no trade really cared about it, until this particular client decided to get this repaired and restored to its best. Thus saving buying a new floor etc. If the floor can be repaired and restored - why not! Thank you for your comment 👏

[@kacifilms9192]

hi! I loved watching your restore! and it’s so nice that you answer comments! I sent you a instagram DM asking about a project I’m working on! I’m putting down a diy old school pine floor and would love your expert opinion!

[@spanishjohn420]

looks better when its just sanded before its oiled

[@hhfloorcare788]

We do a variety of finishes that could keep the floor looking just like sanded (or very close to it anyway). It’s all down to clients requirements at the end of the day. 👍

[@ANDYGLEGENDSSING]

So u sanded with floor sander polished then varnished looks amazing ?

[@hhfloorcare788]

@@ANDYGLEGENDSSING absolutely amazing 👍

[@ctoaun2]

Wonderful results - very impressive! We're planning to have our Victorian floorboards restored and are unsure about the best method for filling gaps (different companies have recommended different solutions!): would wood slivers or something like DraughtEx be a better choice?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 👍 in regards to your floors all depends on type of floor construction and size of gaps. Hard to advise without seeing - too many variable. All systems work but depends how each is installed. And cost varies too. If you would like send some clear pictures over the email - I could take a look at it and reply here with my thoughts. Where are you located out of interest? Email: [e-mail]

[@fahmidamiah]

Looks amazing! How do you know they are pine wood floors?

[@hhfloorcare788]

@@fahmidamiah thank you 🙏. Pine has very distinct grain pattern - lots of resinous grain and smell when sanding. Most popular species we know by heart, it gets a bit tricky with some rare and exotic species, then we have look at some materials or ask someone in ‘reclaimed world’ for a hint. Hope this answers your question. 🙌

[@LeodisFightingChampionships]

Hi can you clue me in what you were using as what im guessing is wood filler at around 1:29? Was this just for nail holes and the like? Thanks!

[@hhfloorcare788]

Yes it’s wood filler for screw and nail holes, some splits etc. On this occasion used two part flexible filler from Berger Seidle which was a bit of a headache to remove the residue when set, but normally use resin and sawdust mix. Hope this helps 👍

[@melliness123]

Did you add insulation underneath? Is it a good idea to insulate so as to keep the room warmer?

[@hhfloorcare788]

The room is not on the ground floor so there is no real difference if you insulate or not. But on the ground floor it would make sense if you have cold coming through. 👍

[@melliness123]

@@hhfloorcare788 ok thank you

[@ludivinegervais1427]

The gaps seem quite wide between the boards. We have that too at home. Is there anyway to fill those gaps? Like you we have a sort of void below the boards.

[@hhfloorcare788]

Where needed by customer we fill such gaps with brown acrylic mastic during sanding process.

[@graemeneale9311]

✔️

[@anoldgeezer1]

👍

[@noreenhollywood3120]

What filler did you use for the gaps? It looks stunning!

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you. 🙏 Gaps between boards were not filled on this floor. However, I filled all the screw holes and general imperfections on the boards themselves. Can use solvent filler mixed with fine sawdust from the same floor. Normally we use solvent filler from Berger Seidle, called PafukiSuper

[@rbrt7615]

Great vid thanks. What were you doing at the beginning by pulling up the boards? Were you checking the joists, or perhaps insulating?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you. Beginning of the video is about removing bad boards and replacing them with others from other rooms in the property plus some more reclaimed as was short. There were no issues with joists and no insulation as it’s a room on second storey. Even if only one board was slightly loose you still have to remove the whole board then refit as you never know where the pipes and cables are. Can be a very costly mistake. This room had about 50% of boards split, damaged, loose and so on so forth. Had to be fixed and be solid before any kind of sanding can begin. Hope this explains.

[@captainover-tighten6729]

Nice video thanks. Shame about the nail rust stains on the two planks. Would oxalic acid have helped?? Happy holidays.

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 🙏 yes these two planks were sourced reclaimed from another place and have some staining to them, however, the client wasn’t bothered about it and these planks were placed strategically where the bed and chest of drawers would mostly cover them so would not be visible. In regards to oxalic acid - I tend not to mess with it on wood floors especially when applying water based finishes as they do react to oxalic acid remains in the wood after application and lacquer may not bond and go crusty immediately after application. Plus no guarantee that oxalic acid would do anything to the stains, which only gives a small percentage of success with high risk of lacquer failing in the area. So after weighing all options - it was left as is that gives some character to the floor too, which client didn’t mind. Also to mention, old rust marks from nails in such planks can cause modern water based finishes not to bond too, but that risk is slightly altered by applying solvent stain that mitigates the risk a little and all worked out well in the end. When working with old floors like that you are not always able to find suitable stock from reclaimed places to replace boards that are in great shape, but are suitable thickness. So some compromises have to be made to get the project done in time as opposed to waiting months for possible stock to appear somewhere (or not) plus costs involved in fining and sourcing and client has to get on with other things and move into the property. Not always the ideal/perfect result but have to do things we can there and then. Property has been stripped of all suitable boards from other areas to repair that floor and 3 other floor we did there and when nothing else is available to reuse due to multiple bad cuts and damage, splits from plumbers and electricians in all other areas - this bedroom had to be made as good as possible with what we had. If you see the video towards the end of the repairs you’ll notice a bunch of boards being brought in and disappear from that room - these where all reclaimed boards that went in other rooms after we pulled best boards possible and had to patch the gaps as these rooms were getting carpets, but had to use couple of them regardless to patch this bedroom to finish the repairs as nothing else was available. Have amazing holidays too 👏

[@captainover-tighten6729]

Wow! Thanks for taking the time and the detailed reply. Much appreciated. The video was quite quick so I wasn't sure if you flipped the existing boards or something else (something else it was). I know all about reclaimed wood. I also just refinished my maple stair treads (chore and a half). In had great success with O.A. that's why I asked. I did use a waterbased poly - and it is fussy to brush on - but I finally won that battle. I had better success spraying other new treads (outside) before installing on another section. I know refinished pine has been popular over your way for a long time. The new UV protection is slowing the yellowing on natural woods so that's a positive. Anyway, great to chat. Take care. My folks are not far out of Norwich.

[@vanessayuen-roberts4160]

A lot of work required to achieve exemplary result. Did the floor need insulation unser the boards?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 👍 no insulation needed as it’s on a first floor

[@cjtathome]

Come to Essex please !

[@smsmsm00]

Such a satisfying video! Which sanding grits did you use?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 🙏 This floor was sanded using grits from 36 all the way to about 100. Hope this answers your question

[@stoneyswolf]

Man he's fast

[@hhfloorcare788]

🙂

[@mikejohnson9118]

Might seem like an odd question...but once you got down to "clean" wood. How did it smell? People always look at wood and the grain. But forget there is a smell-fragrance to wood as well. Cheers

[@hhfloorcare788]

Yes the smell of pine floors is very distinctive - this resinous smell that you don’t get sanding oak floors for example. It provides this fresh forest smell that is very nice while sanding the floor. Obviously it goes away pretty soon when finished.

[@user-zx7eo7nu4b]

Beautiful,what would someone seal the cracks with?

[@hhfloorcare788]

There are two options for that - brown flexible mastic for wood or pine slivers. Depends on how wide they are and budget. Slivers take longer to install if feasible.

[@biblegirl2980]

I need my floors done how much does this cost? The pine floors do not have a subfloor underneath.

[@bjorgmaria]

Amazing work! What are you doing in the beginning, when you are removing the floorboards?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you. At the beginning all the bad, split and damaged boards are removed, cut to remove damaged bits and re-juggled plus few reclaimed and from other rooms in the house added to fill and all screwed down afterwards. This is essential part on bad condition floors to repair before sanding begins as the floor has to be sound and solid before sanding. Hope this explains. 😊

[@stacy6437]

Nice

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thanks 🙏

[@markfreese3396]

How much dies it cost do do something like that? And how long did it take to complete?

[@hhfloorcare788]

To get it finished to a professional standard adhering to all guidelines and also to do all repairs it took us several days to get this completed. It would be well over £2K for the room of this size and depends a lot on amount of repairs needed, reclaimed boards sourced etc.

[@lpl1781]

Great great job Could I do that with my orbital hand sander I k ow a lot of work but is it possible and what shade stain is that

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you. Depending on size and condition of the floor - yes you probably could do this with hand sander, but it will take you forever. And I mean forever! And also cost of abrasives will be high as they will wear out quick and you’ll need so many discs the cost would be high just on that alone unless you only tickle the surface without talking much off. I personally would never do it - time, cost and knees - that’s what it will cost you. Hard to advise more than that. Stain is from Fiddes and is called Kenilworth. Hope it helps.

[@Davy4381]

I am dealing with an house 1863, floors are original (red pine) so I have all the questions- why pull up all the floors? Is that to make sure they are all properly secured down? Would you have any advice on using hemp rope to fill gaps? Is there anyway I can contact you for more advice?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thanks for your comment. I have pulled up a lot of boards because many of them were loose to start with, then many had bad plumbers and electricians cuts, many unusable boards due to splits etc etc. All has to be solid before any sanding can be done. And no - would not use any kind of rope to fill gaps. Either brown window frame mastic or pine slivers, or nothing at all - all depends what kind of finish you are putting on, and if the floor needs insulation due to drafts and if the gaps are wide or thin and if you like gaps or not. Fine either way. If you search for hh floor care on Facebook or Instagram - you can use messaging options there to get in touch for more advice. That’s no problem at all. Will help where I can.

[@jordsupp]

@E.J. Davy Am interested in exploring the hemp rope option also. I found (and subsequently mislaid) a reference to the traditional use of rope to insulate old floors. If you have located anything of use, I would appreciate hearing what you discovered.

[@susiemcshane2000]

What a transformation. Thanks for sharing. Once you had the floorbaord jigsaw sorted how long did the sanding and then the varnishing take? Thanks

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thanks for your comment! It took approx 2 days to sand and holes filled, then another two days to stain and 3 coats of lacquer with screen sanding before last coat. It took a fair bit of work as very uneven floor etc.

[@benmccammick-copley2907]

This is stunning. I'm sure it's in the comments somewhere, but in terms of hours/days approximately how long was the process start to finish for this room?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thanks. Took six days all in all. That’s without cutting corners on product drying times in between the hole filling, stain, coats of lacquer etc etc. plus it was a non heated property and everything took longer to dry even with portable heaters in. However, there were few other things I was doing in the property like carefully pulling good boards from few other rooms that was going to be carpeted and fitting other boards in its place and reusing as many boards from same property as I could (which wasn’t easy due to non standard sizes, pipework underneath and so on). Basically a lot of mix and matching was going behind the scenes. This room out of 4 that were restored was in pretty bad condition talking about boards. You can count how many times it got dark outside the windows - there will be your number of days 😆.

[@user-vy2rv2sd6z]

we have 50-ish year old pine floors with huge gaps between them and I've been searching for ways to fill the gaps in a realistic way. We also have dogs that have worn down the poly coating very quickly. I have been thinking of using clear acrylic to seal the gaps while letting them stay flexible (clear would seem to make the gap look black/dark since that is what is looks like now). But I'm thinking of also sanding it down and doing a hard wax oil that we can touch up as needed due to the dogs and wear on the floors. Do you have any advice for hard wax oil/oil based applications (instead of laquer/poly) for pine floors?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thanks for your comment 👍 One way to sort really big gaps is to take the floor up and relay it so boards are butted together. Saves a lot of effort to fill and saves a ton on cost for LOADS of filler, but then adds time on refitting the floor plus some materials of course like screws etc. Also when refitting you have to be careful removing the boards as they might crack and you might need to get some reclaimed ones to add. You will need some reclaimed boards anyway as boards will be butted together and will created some space to fill by the walls. If you decide to fill the gaps with filler then would go for brown rather than clear. Depending how wide that gaps really are it will take lots of filler and you will waste a lot trying to fill such huge gaps. Hard to tell without seeing. Sometimes if the gaps are really wide it’s just not worth the cost for filler and trying to fill it while doing 2-3 applications as it settles while drying and need topping up and curing time of 24 hours between applications. If you fill - hardwax oil is good choice as it’s a non pealing coating like poly. However, it will still dent the wood and will still see the marks from dogs nails. Pine is a soft wood so that’s expected. Even if recoated with hardwax oil it will still be visible to an extent as dents are still there but such finish will not wear out like poly. Poly and dogs 🐶 - not a great combination. Another great option is hardwax oil 2K if refitting the floor as you can re-oil anytime the floor needs it. Hardwax oil 2K is impregnating finish and has no coating on the surface to scratch. Wood will still dent etc but finish is maintainable. Hardwax oil 2K is from brands like Floor Service or Berger Seidle. I like and use Floor Service hardwax oil 2K due to its properties. I would not use hardwax oil 2K if you are filling the gaps with acrylic as oil will not bond/cover the filler. This is only if the floor is refitted with gaps closed up. If filling the gaps hardwax oil is fine. Just a clarification - harwax oil is single part topical coating similar like lacquer but non pealing as opposed to lacquer. Hardwax oil 2K is two part impregnating coating with no layer building properties like harwax oil or lacquer and is inside the wood rather than on top. Something to keep in mind- For 2K oil finish the floor has to be sanded really really well so everything is very even. This is the most important part so the wood looks really ‘polished’ to the same sheen across entire floor. Otherwise you’ll see the marks where it’s more rough and not evenly sanded. Harwax oil 2K also requires the floor to be water popped and fully dried before applying the finish so it takes a lot more oil and increases protections. (Twice as much oil is taken by the floor compered to non water popped one). Hardwax oil is more forgiving in that extent and behaves like lacquer and you can get away with some minor sanding faults as it will just fill the floor the a lot more evenly over two coats. It also covers/coats the acrylic filler. Hope this helps If you have gone through the above and still have any questions (welcome to wood refinishing world 🙈) - just ask 👍

[@marshalldavidson2639]

simply use pine slivers so much easier and effective. google it:)

[@davidbeech2043]

Hello my friend you have done an amazing job well done. I'm going to varnish my floorboard can you tell me if you stained the boards first and if so what colour did you use or did you just varnish the boards and also did you use Matt or gloss finish. Many thanks for a great video

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thanks David, the floor was stained first with Fiddes Kenilworth nitro stain, then few coats of matt lacquer/varnish. Hope this helps 👍

[@enzaschembre289]

Great video, but does anyone know what the layers that are being applied?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you - applied commercial 2K lacquer in matt sheen from Berger Seidle (German brand)

[@urafuckpooface]

Amazing! What was the finishing product?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 👏 Used Fiddes stain as per clients request and 2K commercial lacquer x 3 coats

[@erich1394]

We have a home that is 110 years old with original pine subfloor. We want to install VCT - can we just put some 1/4" birch ply on top of it? Would we use subfloor staples for that? Just curious, kind of hard to find info online. Beautiful restoration!

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you! Not familiar with VCT flooring, but for LVT although we don’t fit such you can surely put the ply down, glue it and staple/screw it down every few inches. Make sure the floorboards are stable and well fitted before fitting ply. But highly recommend to speak to floor fitters that specialise in this field for best advise. Hope this helps.

[@erich1394]

@@hhfloorcare788 Thanks - that does help! There are a lot of homes like ours in town so I'm going to see what local flooring shops say.

[@85Z28]

Would have came out nicer if they use oil base instead of water base

[@hhfloorcare788]

We don’t use oil based lacquers due to them not looking as nice as water based finish. Oil based lacquers also go very orange overtime and most clients don’t like that. We do however use 2K oils on pine or other floors like oak etc for most natural feel and depth of colour. We try to pick the best finishes available for the requirements and expectations. 👍

[@levilake4851]

What finishes did you use here lads? Also how did you go about addressing the cupping and damage portions of the wood?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Finishes used - Fiddes ‘Kenilworth’ nitro stain and Berger Seidle greenstar matt lacquer. Cupping and crowning were dealt with by sanding diagonally - can see in the video when the sanding just starts time- 0:47. Hope this helps. 👍

[@tomar3]

Just out if interest - do you know what the darker staining is on the original floor on the outskirts of the room? My house has similar.

[@hhfloorcare788]

As per comment below/above - black painted surround on the pine floors is from application of bitumen paint and rug placed in the middle. That’s before the days of fitted carpets. Nasty work to remove and still shows a different shade square in the middle of the room due to different exposures to the environmental factors.

[@davidokeeffe1150]

@@hhfloorcare788 How did you manage to remove the bitumen from the effected foorboards? I have ruined many a sand sheet and tried various paint thinners to no avail. When sanding it just seems to melt and render the sander useless in minutes. Any advice would be appreciated!!

[@prettyflowers9995]

@@davidokeeffe1150 did you ever get to bottom of this?

[@hhfloorcare788]

@@davidokeeffe1150 sorry for delayed reply - never saw your comment until now 🤷‍♂️. There is no magic bullet for this unfortunately. Simply have to go down in grit and start sanding from 24 grit or similar and keep chipping away until it clogs the abrasive and change to new one. You will get through tons of abrasives if its really bad. Don’t know what sander you have used but you have to use dedicated edge sander and not palm sander for this. Once removed you will have to go through more grits on the edge of the room to remove the scratch marks you have left from low grit abrasive. Some jobs are just that much harder than others. Although late, but hope this helps 👍

[@denniswarrink4761]

What would something like this cost for one 8m² and two 16m² rooms? 🤔

[@hhfloorcare788]

@@denniswarrink4761 there is no simple pice just based on m2 as every job is priced individually based on many factors. If I had to guess from size only it would be well over £3K (almost 4) and that is without any repairs whatsoever. There are too many variables and especially with pine floors. Hope this helps 👍

[@bellrobert1978]

removing nails from lifted floorboards has taken big chunks out of the floorboards 🤦‍♂️how do you fill that will take stain?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Sawdust and solvent filler/resin mix. That also depends on size of the chunks missing really. If too big then filler is no good and have to glue in peaces of pine in there with pva glue, let it set fully, sand it down, then fill with sawdust/resin mix in the smaller gaps that remain. It will be rustic look but that’s the workaround. Hope it helps

[@bellrobert1978]

@@hhfloorcare788 thank you for the tips and taking the time to reply.

[@hhfloorcare788]

@@bellrobert1978 no trouble at all. I have assumed this is pine floorboards. So if not - it just has to be the same wood species you are gluing in first. 👍 best of luck.

[@conscientiousobjector9555]

Could you flip the boards over? I mean would that be easier and quicker? My floors are like this but they have a gap between them that the previous owner covered with duct tape before carpeting. How do I fill the gaps? They are not tongue and groove.

[@hhfloorcare788]

No, you don’t flip the boards as you will have impressions/marks from joists that you will never get out. And no it would not be quicker as you would have to re-lay the entire floor plus back side of the boards would be very rough anyway. Gaps can be filled in two ways - pine slivers (glued one side only!!!) and installed somewhere half way through sanding before 60 grit - or brown window frame mastic (because it’s elastic) towards the end of sanding (need to make sure you sand off all surplus mastic from the boards before finishing. Either way I would only consider filling the gaps if the cold is coming from under the floor. Hope this helps. 👍

[@cejanuary9378]

All videos seem to be with modern tongue and groove flooring so this is super helpful. I'm doing some old floors with a lot of nails because it wasn't side nailed. Did you countersink all the nails on this floor? Or is that unnecessary if they're all fairly flat already and not obviously popping up?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Always countersink the nails before you start sanding even if they are flush with surface. And keep a look out when you do sand and may need to go further on some nails depending how bad the floor is and how much you are taking off. Reason being that belt sanders will sand wood quicker than metal nail, therefore leaving a little hump in that area. As you continue sanding with further grits, belt sander will start going over those bumps and create new humps and it will just keep happening more and more. You will end up with a wavy floor that has a lot of so called chatter marks. This also happens on say pine floors with knots. As knots are much harder than the rest of the plank and will act just the same as nails. Although you cannot countersink all knots - you can, however, sand entire floor while going on 15 degree angle instead of going along the boards. This will help you keep this in check. It’s harder to keep 15 degree angle across the whole floor throughout all grits and not miss any small sections, but you get better result overall/ flatter floor. Comes with practice and experience.

[@cejanuary9378]

@@hhfloorcare788 Thank you!

[@duduxrma7589]

The gap in between always hold dust nomatter how much i sweep ! 💔

[@hhfloorcare788]

Yes it can do especially if the boards are tongue and groove. To avoid that it can be filled with acrylic mastic during sanding process to close up the gap and give level surface to maintain.

[@duduxrma7589]

@@hhfloorcare788 oh thanks for the suggestions, im from india, ill sub you

[@SKMusic1985]

Hi there - I thought I’d ask an expert as I think my money pit Victorian is uncovering more faults to fix! I’ve just pulled up laminate in my bedroom. Floorboards are underneath. Some tongue and groove has been crow barred up before I moved in for electrics etc. What are the chances that my bed will break through some of these boards? I know it’s happened to a friend who sanded their floorboards before. You can walk fine on my boards, they’re not even, slightly sloped down one side of the room. Some boards have been replaced with modern pine, no tongue and groove. I know the lack of tongue and groove impacts the integrity. Thought it was worth asking, as I don’t know whether to pull up entirely and put boards down to add engineered wood over instead, as I’m not sure it’d be a good subfloor either?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Depends on how thick the boards are if they flexing hugely then just board over or remove and get new floor in. Tongue and groove pine boards usually are not great anyway. It all depends. Had to tell without seeing.

[@SKMusic1985]

@@hhfloorcare788 Thanks for that. They’re not flexing massively, it’s a slight dip on the level. I think it’s a case of pulling up, boarding, and new floor though!

[@TheAmusementsArcade]

What was the back as stuff you painted on at different parts before sanding off?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Did not paint any black stuff on the floor. Not quite sure what you mean? 🤔

[@TheAmusementsArcade]

​@@hhfloorcare788between 1.55 and 2.00....I thought it was some black blotchy effect you were doing and it looked great, but I see now it's just the natural wood colours?

[@matthewgabel1896]

I'm a little confused about what you did in the very first stage. Were you removing the planks, then nailing them down again?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thanks for your comment. I have just copied and pasted the same explanation from another comment for you below: Approx 50% of the boards were badly damaged, split, broken, loose and many bad plumbers and electricians cuts over the years. All these boards had to be taken up, damaged sections cut off and because of that - completely re-arranged to create random joints across the whole floor. Many other boards were borrowed from other rooms of the property and few other reclaimed boards also added to fill any sections. Can’t tell from the video as it was heavily edited to make it flow smoothly showing continuous progress of the work. Hope this explains 👍

[@matthewgabel1896]

@@hhfloorcare788 Got it. That part must have been incredible time consuming.

[@matthewgabel1896]

Sorry, but all of the replies below are hidden for some reason. Can you be so kind as to tell me just two more things? 1) Did you fill in the cracks between the boards? If so, with what? I cannot tell. 2) Did you use polyurethane? I ask because my flooring guy is suggesting it and when I think polyurethane, I think shiny, which is what I don't want. Your result is a matte look, which is what I want.

[@dyuri6433]

Why didn't you fill in the gaps between the floorboards?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Client requested not to as he liked it with gaps. Essentially everyone has their own taste for things like that. In many cases it’s requested as to stop the draft in others budget dictates the process and requirements. Others just like it as it keeps the character. 👍

[@AZKoetsier]

Excellent work. Do you or will you do work in the Channels Islands ?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you 👍 don’t currently work in Channel Islands, but all depends on the job really so I never say never.

[@Sheepdog1314]

I bought a house build in 1895 and the kitchen floor is a mess. The fridge and the dishwater leaked for years and softened/blackened the narrow boards underneath, about 10 or so boards wide wide. No one here knows how to floor, I live in the country and the townspeople don't want to help. Any idea would be appreciated. I was hoping not to have to rip up the boards.

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thank you for your comment. Please message through our website and I will get in touch. hhfloorcare.co.uk

[@mikelcakoni4201]

How many days mate do you need to finish one room?

[@hhfloorcare788]

There are few variables to answer your question . Do you need to do repairs and how much of it, what’s the general condition of the floor, do you need to fill gaps (mastic or pine slivers), what type of finish will be used, size of the room, are boards tongue and groove or straight edge (repairs related). Access to the room, ground floor or another level. Best case scenario for small ish room on ground floor - 2 days or so, worst case scenario - anything above that.

[@jmac5511]

This is awesome! What colour shade of Fiddes stain was this? Would love to use it in my projects!

[@hhfloorcare788]

Thanks 👌. It was Fiddes Kenilworth stain.

[@harishmonorath4238]

Are there more kinds of shades?

[@sebastien8561]

did you flip every plank ?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Not a single plank was flipped. Half the boards were loose, split, damaged etc and had to be lifted, saved what possible additional boards added and refitted properly so the floor is solid and fit for sanding. Removing boards also allows to see where screws can be safely placed not to go through pipework or power cables. Also if you flip the boards you would end up with joist staining showing on the surface as lines even after refinishing. That is not normally done nor it should be done at all. Hope this helps.

[@maysunalnajjar225]

İ need help. How to rectify Blue marks appeared on my new lzyed pine wood flooring? The carpentet says there is water leak underneath the flooring but i do not have water pipes under the floor. How can i get rid of these Blue marks on the floo? Thank you. May.

[@hhfloorcare788]

Would need some good pictures to see what’s going on there

[@AnytimeAssemblypros]

Appreciate it.How long did it take?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Took few days from start to finish.

[@wordsbymaribeja1470]

Were you replacing some of the floorboards at the start?

[@hhfloorcare788]

Yes indeed, many of them were split or had very bad cuts and needed replacing, and therefore re-arranging.