Care of pine and limestone floors

[JoceAndChris]

Yet another plea for information - sorry.

We're lucky to have old floors throughout that have not been butchered in the main. The aim is to keep them as they are but I'm a bit dismayed at their very dirty condition, despite regular scrubbing (I think I'm the first to put water on them in 200 years). I would like them to be clean and gleaming, and then go to Kashmir and come back with a shipment of fabulous rugs. (all right this is the less realistic part of my plan)

A few questions.

1) Will you report me to SPAB for removing the Victorian newspaper between the cracks? It stinks of old dog! Do we like this product? http://www.gapseal.co.uk
2) Is it normal to find rubble beneath Georgian floorboards?
3) Should I avoid sanding to keep the patina- if so, how best to clean? I was thinking maybe Skier Hughes recommended VacWash system might be good for this too. At the moment I'm using Mum's 1961 Hoover wet scrubber and a mop, it's hard work.
4) Which wax do you recommend? The last lot I used was a nightmare, it slipped in between the grain and made the floor white. I had to press so hard to rub it off.
5)I'm thinking of buying an electic buffer /polisher, as the last floor I did by hand resulted in a trapped nerve and several expensive trips to the osteo. Any recommendations?
6) Should limestone be sealed? Should it be linseed oiled?
7) I fancy painting the little pine staircase up to the roof. Would they have painted them? I don't think this one has ever been painted, so I would feel a bit guilty about it. If I do paint it, is it worth using linseed oil paint?

That's a lot of questions, if anyone feels like responding to one or more I would be very grateful.

 

[Pford75]

5)I'm thinking of buying an electic buffer /polisher, as the last floor I did by hand resulted in a trapped nerve and several expensive trips to the osteo. Any recommendations?

Liberon sell a drill brush attachment. It's obviously not as quick for large floor areas as a proper floor polisher (which can be hired reasonably cheaply from most tool hire shops), but it's better than trying to buff by hand. It also can be used in some areas of the floor where a large polisher may not reach.

If you are planning to do lots of waxing in one go, it might make sense to hire a polisher for the weekend

 

[JoceAndChris]

If you are planning to do lots of waxing in one go, it might make sense to hire a polisher for the weekend[/quote

Thanks Pford. I was under the impression that wax floors need rewaxing every 6 months or so. Then cleaning can just be done with vacuuming and a well wrung out mop.

As there are potentially 13 floors to undergo this repeated process hiring does not seem sensible in my case.

 

[Andrew Bodenham]

Hi, Joce,

For shifting ingrained muck I find sugarsoap and hot water works well. Maybe rubbing with scotchpad or similar on really grotty bits. Beware a visit from the patina police though.

I've no experience with waxing softwood boards, but it sounds like a task that would need to be done frequently, especially in trafficed areas. If you can be religious about removing outdoor shoes that'll help. It might be better to get the boards as good as possible, then apply a more durable finish for long-term protection, then wax on top to get the look. Experts will be along shortly to advise. Sounds like your dog-hair gap filler needs to go. Papier mache is a trad fix which can work well. Wooden splines can be glued in for larger gaps, but this needs to be done artfully if it's to look ok, and you must consider how the seasonal expansion and contraction of the boards will be accomodated if you fill all the gaps. Maybe just clean out the old muck, then let your own fluff etc. accumulate over time, stuck together with occasional doses of wax. Are the boards square-edged or tongue & groove?

Paint the staircase. Unless the wood is very fine it really ought to be painted. Maybe leave the bannister rail as clear-finished wood if it looks nice. Assuming that you want to paint it, that is. Who am I to tell you what to do with your stairs? Linseed oil paint is lovely stuff - smells good enough to spread on toast. But it takes years to dry, so for inside woodwork I'd cheat and use an acrylic eggshell - it's the future you know. Some people hate it, though.

 

[Moo]

Cleaning: Definitely (if you don't want to do the hands & knees stuff) hire a carpet cleaning machine.

Waxing: Ten years ago we sanded (sorry, patina police!) our grotty old pine floors and then applied a witches brew concocted from dry ingredients (I think tung oil was one of them) and heated over a portable electric cooker. It was spread over the floor with one of those old-fashioned mops, left to dry, then buffed with an electric polisher. Instant patina!
Since then we've given it a feed with TrafficWax (which is non-slip) and a going-over with a borrowed polisher every couple of years. More often would be much better but I hate housework, so things only get done when I'm in the mood.

Non-wax: The beautiful pine boards in son's victorian house in London had been sealed with something by Ronseal (I can't remember what it's called but can find out the name of it if you like) that gave a most convincing gleam. A dose of TrafficWax made it shinier.

 

[MdB]

For our new oak floor we are going to use Osmo Polyx. The floor isn't down yet but it went on wonderfully on our window sills. Others rave about it here with the only down side being the price.

Regarding rubble under floorboards, this seems to be common. Others have stated that this doesn't matter much as long as it isn't touching the floorboards nor covering any ventilation holes.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Are the boards square-edged or tongue & groove?

Square edged. I'm coming to the conclusion I can't be bothered to fill the gaps. In places they are narrow and in places so wide little mice pop up to taunt the cat. But I can't see how I could get papier mache or "splines" (new word, I love it!) to look good.

Yes, I agree, paint the staircase. There's no bannister;it's treacherous.

OK, cheat with the paint, I love F&B's oil eggshell.

Thanks Andrew, really kind advice!

Moo, thanks for the recommendation ofTrafficWax, and I'm completely intrigued by that witches' brew! I've been disappointed with Ronseal products in the past, though, and the difference between how wood looks when you varnish it compared to feeding it with Wax. With pine antiques I've always used Briwax, with other woods Colron, and I'm pleased with the patina they're developing. It's just the labour, and I really understand you don't have the time to be forever feeding your floors. Husband, however, has freed me from the world of work forever so that I can scrub floors. I have no excuses.

MdB, thanks for the reassurance about the rubble. There is no problem with ventilation, the wind blows through the floor. Osmo Polyx? Wow, going to go and read about this now.

 

[JoceAndChris]

I've just read Toby Newell's advice in the middle of last December "Staining floor boards", a lot of very useful stuff there, epecially about sealing.

 

[Moo]

Would you like me to find out what that witches' brew was made from?
(Bear in mind that it goes on hot and runny, so it might be an idea to stuff the widest gaps with newspapers or suchlike while it's being put on.)

And, while on the subject of gaps, TrafficWax also comes in huge cans of the solid type.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Yes please Moo! Thank you!

 

[ian]

The manufacturers have stopped supplying the solid traffic wax in tins as of last year. Only the liquid is available now.

 

[AMc]

FWIW I was in buying paint (again) the other day at Paint & Paper in Norwich. The Beckers oil paint I've been using has gone up 10% since December - now £50 for 3l, they warned me that there were larger price hikes due on Osmo too.
All to do with the puny pound against the Swedish Krona (sp?)
The Velux window I needed also took a big hike in price last month.

If you need European or Scandinavian producted and you know what you need it might be worth buying in what stock you can find now.

 

[MdB]

If you need European or Scandinavian producted and you know what you need it might be worth buying in what stock you can find now.

Or not as the case may be. The pound has recovered a bit over the last two months. If anybody knows what it will be doing in the future, please let me know as the movement is causing a lot of grief.

 

[DaveBrigg]

I would like them to be clean and gleaming, and then go to Kashmir and come back with a shipment of fabulous rugs.

Try doing this the other way round. (If Kashmir is too far, Fleabay have a range of rugs on offer. We bought one for less than half the price charged in a shop, although it did smell of dog for a while - possibly an Afghan) If you get the rugs down first, the square footage of floor to clean suddenly reduces :wink:

 

[Penners]

Jocelyn - that Gapseal stuff is probably effective against draughts (although I've no personal experience of it) but personally I would be disappointed that it doesn't seem to improve the look of the floor. The treated floor still looks as though it has gaps in it.

If I had your problem, I would use tapered wood fillets - tap them into the gaps with a little glue (on one side only, otherwise movement could split them) then plane off level with the boards.

Like Moo, I like Johnson's Trafic wax for finishing wood floors. Although many on this forum have spoken well of Osmo products.

My wife used to work for a company that quarried and laid limestone floors (she had her own pick-axe and everything :wink: ). Their preferred treatment for limestone flags was (1) apply a 50/50 mix of boiled linseed oil and white spirit, (2) once that's dry, apply a final thin coat of undilute boiled linseed oil. Be aware that treatment 2 can darken the colour of the stone a bit - to moderate this darkening use the 50/50 treatment for 2 as well as 1 (but expect it to need recoating a little more frequently).

You must of course wait for everything to be completely dry before you walk on the floor.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Thanks Penners that is splendid. I have to thank you for linseed oil in general, because it was your various ravings about it on different threads that made me use it in the kitchen, where it has transformed the beams.

I was all set to pour it on the flags but I'm glad I haven't now I've read your more specific advice. I don't mind a darkening of the stone. On Friday I spent hours scrubbing with sugar soap and the floors have gone from black to soft yellow. It was so satisfying!

Dave- if I didn't know how incredibly busy you must be saving the youth of today from illiteracy and ignorance I would be shocked at your lacksadaisical advice! I have a mother who comes round and boils things to kill germs. I would never get away with what you suggest.

 

[Penners]

I have a mother who comes round and boils things to kill germs.

You presumably keep the children out of reach, if they're carrying any infections? I wish my daughter did.

 

[JoceAndChris]

You presumably keep the children out of reach, if they're carrying any infections? I wish my daughter did.

Sadly we have not been blessed with children. But I'm starting to think that's a very good thing indeed.

 

[Penners]

 

[DaveBrigg]

Who do you get to clean your chimneys then?