I am currently moving into a new He abode, a small 5 bedroom affair on a hillside overlooking a building site, a golf course and some tea fields.
OK, fine and good, the house is in a reasonable shape, a bit of puttu, paint, and a good cleaning and we are ready to move in.
However, it’s partly wooden floored, and the condition of the floors is a bit spotty, IE the laquer or paint layer which is very thin is worn off in places.
i asked the landlord and he told me not to sandpaper them too much as he’s unsure how much wood there is to sandpaper away.
Then I went down to the local hardware store, and they told me that I should sandpaper loose laquer off, and then just give it another coat.
Now, I am a bit concerned, as I recall my dad’s wooden boat. We had to get the laquer off down to the wood and then give it several layers, so I don’t really know if the advice will work.
It’s a light colored floor, grey in areas where the laquer is worn off, and the laquer is in generally in a thin layer. It is wood, and not plastic, however the thickness of the wood itself might not be all that thick.
What do I do with it - we plan to live there for at least 2 years.
Use mats or rugs.
You can sand it. Forget what the landlord says, the wood should be at least 5mm thick. Sanding wouldn’t take off much, and of course you wouldn’t go crazy and sand a dip into your floor. (Or would you?)
Just sand it until it looks right. You’d see pretty easily if the wood wasn’t thick enough after starting to sand and stop. You can always cover up any mistakes or damage with some clever knowhow. (been there done that)
A couple of coats of wood flooring lacquer would do. It’s no boat after all. Just make sure it’s hard-wearing / heavy duty.
Criminal! Sand the lot back to an even level and then give it some decency. Perhaps some regular linseed oil. Laquer is a horrible thing to do to wood. Treat it like a living thing.
[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]Criminal! Sand the lot back to an even level and then give it some decency. Perhaps some regular linseed oil. Laquer is a horrible thing to do to wood. Treat it like a living thing.
HG[/quote]
Not a good idea as linseed oil darkens wood more and more over time with just one application. It’s great for furniture, but not for flooring. It’ll leave the floor possibly tacky and unable to resist daily traffic, making the wood softer and more susceptible to damage.
Mr He, if you just want to sand the discolored bits, go for it. Just try to even it out.
And, yes, you need to sand a polished floor for the lacquer to adhere properly.
I’d come over and help you, but I only have the use of one arm right now and in too much pain to operate a vehicle. Good luck!
[quote=“Mr He”]Would you sand all of it or the miscolored bits only?
Those heavy duty laquers, do they bind on an unsanded surface?
I prefer to sand the odd-looking bits only, but worry about the laquer not binding properly.[/quote]
Look, do what all weekend woodworkers do…Find an out-of-the-way spot and experiment first. If it works fine, if not, move to plan B.
Stripping floors is nasty, dirty, dusty work. You’ll then need to ventilate the room and let every last particulate settle before putting your lacquer on…And yes, it should take several coats. Like most things, it’s the prep work that makes/breaks the project. You’ll want this done before letting your kids either breathe the a) stripped floor dust or b) that lovely smell of lacquer.
It’s off to B and Q then I guess to pick up some laquer and some sand paper. A sander would come in handy, however let’s see how it works first. in an out of the way corner as you guys correctly said.
