Hello all. The homeowners had me take the old varnish off their second story doug fir flooring and want to seal the “new” floor with a water-based Zipguard urethane. Much of the floor is still tight but large portions of it have shrunk and/or separated badly, leaving many obvious gaps, which are now much darker than the planks. So the question is how to fill these gaps so that they look better and also so that the floor does not “drink up” all the urethane in the cracks. At $45/gallon, I don’t want to use more than I have to.
Is that a clear epoxy that would at least fill the gaps and then could be urethaned with the surround or a filler-or some gluey concoction I can cook up? I’m all ears.
*Old floor in foreground, though gaps are not clear in this pic.
Replies
Wood floors expand and contract naturally. If you could keep filler in between those boards-you'd be a magician.
People have tried glue mixed in the dust that came from sanding the floor...................a season or two and that pops out. Wood Dough, same deal.
Old timers used to use cotton boat type "seam filler" (what it's called escapes me) to keep out the drafts.
If you pour your coating on the floor-sure it will use up alot. But most don't pour or roll the finish. You'll be coating-not a whole lot will go down those cracks.
Thanks. I took a look at my father's floors which we did some 25 yrs ago and, you're right, the filler we applied has worked it's way out of the seams...This floor has got me thinking about my first boat in the merchants which actually had a doug fir deck (over steel), which was caulked with a tarry substance, which hardened up so it was like a tire rubber, maybe slightly more pliable. Obviously I'm not going to "caulk" the joints but it would be nice to find something, maybe a clear alternative, just to fill in the voids.
True, I overstated the waste factor; I won't be pouring the urethane.
Fillers
There is no perfect solution. Try going over to one of the suppliers that sell flooring and finishing materials. They have fillers in different colors made for the flooring industry. One may work for you,
SA
Can you tighten the flooring? In older homes(80+), after we have controlled the moisture problems, we have been able to clamp the floor back together before we reseal them. There are several ways. Wedges against one wall is the easiest. Clamp blocks screwed to the flooring only is another way. Floors will always expand and contract to a certain point, but if your floor has had one or two bad expansion reason over the years, i.e. Waterbed spill, plant in one spot, you should have no trouble after you have brought it back. The original fasteners won't hold of course. You will need to use trim screws SPARINGLY in strategic places to hold it. Those holes will hold putty for staining. Remember though, if you pull from one place you are leaving a gap there. You need to do whole areas. Good luck!
Can you tighten the flooring? In older homes(80+), after we have controlled the moisture problems, we have been able to clamp the floor back together before we reseal them. There are several ways. Wedges against one wall is the easiest. Clamp blocks screwed to the flooring only is another way. Floors will always expand and contract to a certain point, but if your floor has had one or two bad expansion reason over the years, i.e. Waterbed spill, plant in one spot, you should have no trouble after you have brought it back. The original fasteners won't hold of course. You will need to use trim screws SPARINGLY in strategic places to hold it. Those holes will hold putty for staining. Remember though, if you pull from one place you are leaving a gap there. You need to do whole areas. Good luck!