restoring old timber floors with hard oil and not wanting to use filler in gaps

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › restoring old timber floors with hard oil and not wanting to use filler in gaps - what to do?

maryquitecontrary

1 post

Wannabe Geek

#274514 26-Aug-2020 14:30

We are wanting to restore our native timber kitchen floor with hard oil (Synteko hard oil). We have 'gaps' (some larger than others) running along the length of the boards in between some boards. We don't mind the look of the gaps however, we are concerned the insulation underneath the floor will be vulnerable to spills if we don't seal them somehow. I know the hard oil will not provide a 'seal' (as polyurethane would) and also that filler is not recommended for large areas, as it will eventually crack, so I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas as to how to solve this problem? The only thing I can come with is we trust that if we leave the 'gaps' open, and the insulation becomes wet, by way of cracks in the tongue and groove, it will also be able to dry out eventually.

I know there is a product called Selly's No More Gaps Timber Flooring which is flexible, but we have a LOT of gaps so it would be very expensive.

Perhaps someone knows a specialist who would be prepared to give free advice or a more specific forum?

gbwelly

1243 posts

Uber Geek

#2550039 26-Aug-2020 14:48

Doing your own floor restoration is more challenging than you might think. I did our kitchen many years ago. A couple of years ago we expanded the timber flooring from the kitchen into the lounge and dining too. We paid for https://falconflooring.co.nz/ to do the lot (kitchen/lounge/dining) in one hit. My goodness what a difference in quality of finish. I'd now leave it up to the pros, for what was charged it was totally worth it.

I know that doesn't answer your question regarding filler. I can say this though, you might want to use black filler, any timber coloured filler will look awful running lengthwise.

tieke

674 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

#2550106 26-Aug-2020 15:35

I back gbwelly on avoiding using a "timber-coloured" filler, as they almost never match, especially over a longer distance. If you're sanding the floor yourself, you can make an exact-match filler using the sawdust and PVA, but that's mostly for smaller repairs.

I've used a couple of hard-oils (I did our floors with Rubio Monocoat and benches with Osmo) and have had good success with them so that bit sounds fine, but as gbwelly says - refinishing timber flooring, like large-scale plastering, is a job where DIYers take vastly more time than professionals and usually end up with inferior results.