Making that floor shine

Principle 5: Use and value renewable resources and services

All of the timber flooring used in the house is recycled. The Baltic pine flooring from the original house has been reused in the bedrooms and second hand hardwood flooring has been used elsewhere.
Nail hole gaps and imperfections were filled, but gaps between floorboards generally not. This is because the filler can pop out as the boards expand and contract with the seasons.
The boards were sanded using an ancient floor sander borrowed from a friend in several stages. A 30 grit paper was criss-crossed over the room, followed by a 40 grit and an 80 grit which ran with the grain of the boards. A hand belt sander and small orbital sander were used to sand the edges using 80 and 100 grit paper. The process took a very long time, was exhausting and very dusty.
Skirting was installed and primed along with the floor using a linseed based Bio Priming Oil. The floor was then mopped using a lambswool pad with Bio Floor Varnish. Painting with non-toxic paints was not unpleasent. Having good lighting was a must when using varnish so that you can see where you have been.


Study floor before sanding

After a criss-cross run over with a floor sander using 30 grit paper

Floor sander in study after 40 and 80 grit sand with skirting installed

Author (Richard) paints study floor with Bio Varnish, while Kai looks cool under spotlight

Bedroom one baltic pine floor before sanding

Floor after 30 grit sand

Bedroom one floor after 40 grit sand with nail holes filled

Batic pine floor, recycled from original house, painted by mop using Bio Varnish

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