parquet floor

[Anonymous]

can anyone help? i have just bought a 1930's semi and have found parquet floor in good condition.
How do i restore it,it needs sanding as there is a darker stain around the edge,i would like to retain the aged look of the floor so i dont want to sand it too far! and finishing products too??

i would be grateful for any tips and advice.

p.s i have a quarry tile issue too!,but one step at a time i think!

 

[Anonymous]

Normally I would recommend that the first thing to try would be a good scrub with soap and water. However, with a parquest floor I'm concerned at how much water would disappear down the cracks, making it impossible for you to dry it off. This could cause swelling of the wood or even failure of the adhesive. So I think sanding is probably the answer.
A hire shop floor sander will rip the surface off your floor and destroy the patina. I've found that you can sand off surface grot if you use an ordinary handheld orbital sander with something like 80 or 100 grit paper on it. If you go gently you should be able to retain most of the patina. If you haven't got an orbital sander, you'll find they're dirt cheap in the big DIY superstores - a lot cheaper than hiring a floor sander.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks!!
any ideas how to finish/seal it once sanded??

 

[Anonymous]

I've always liked Johnson's Traffic wax. It's good and durable, and pretty easy to maintain.
If you Google it you'll find lots of online suppliers.

 

[Anonymous]

David

Please see my peice in the finding out section on stripping floors etc. I would not use lots of water on your floor, this will take days or weeks to dry out before you can recoat. You will need to sand the floor. Traffic wax is a modern based wax meant for sealed floors and is not really for bare wood, you could apply it but beware, you will NOT be able to strip it off and apply another finish over it later as it will contaminate the wood, so please be sure you will be happy with the finish before you apply!

Toby Newell