Be sure to use natural rope, such as jute or cotton, because synthetic rope won't accept a stain. Scrape out the gaps with a painter's 5-in-1 tool or flathead screwdriver, removing all dirt and old putty from the gaps. Be careful not to damage the edges of the adjoining floorboards. Vacuum the loose debris from the gaps with a shop vacuum. Repeat scraping and vacuuming until the gaps are clear. Select a rope with a diameter that is slightly larger than the gap.
Pour wood stain chosen to match the tone of your floorboards into a small bucket. Dunk the rope into the stain so it is saturated. Carefully pull out the rope, letting the excess stain drip back into the bucket. Stretch the stained rope out on clean cardboard and let it dry completely. Do not expose the rope to direct sunlight or intense heat, as there is the potential for the rope to spontaneously ignite if you are using an oil-based stain. String out the rope along the gap, then force it into the gap with the 5-in-1 tool or a putty knife, stopping when the rope is flush with or slightly below the wood surface.
Trim the rope as needed with a sharp utility knife. To help secure the rope, apply a bead of wood glue in the crack prior to placing the rope. After the glue has dried and rope has been trimmed, brush with a clear varnish or urethane to give the rope a hardened surface. Filling gaps with wood putty is a quick and easy method that works on small, relatively stable gaps. However, there's a good chance the gaps will open up again during the dry season, and they may crack inconsistently.
Clean the floorboards on both sides of the gap, using a slightly dampened cloth. Apply a fine bead of wood putty to the gap, then work it into the gap with your finger, using circular motions to force the putty down into the gap.
Remove excess putty from the wood surface using a putty knife. Be careful not to scratch the floor's finish. Choose a wood putty that is similar in color to the floor boards. If you can't find a single color that matches, there are kits with different colors that you can blend to create a custom color.
A couple of new products claim to let you draught-proof floorboards quickly and neatly, plus there are old-fashioned DIY methods. This is a squishy, stretchy dark grey sausage available in different thicknesses for different gap sizes. It was very quick to push down into the floorboard gaps, so in theory you could draught-proof a room in minutes.
In practice it's more likely to take an hour because gaps can be inconsistent. So you might start off using the thin Draughtex for gaps up to 3mm , then switch to standard mm when the gap gets wider, then revert to thin again.
But it's still fairly quick and the results look good — the dark grey blends in with the shadows between floorboards. This was a revelation. It comes on a tiny roll and, once pushed firmly down into the gap with a credit card, it's invisible.
It just looks like the gap's still there. One size fits all widths, so there's less messing about. Like Save. Stephen Edwards 4 years ago. Related Discussions Any info on insulating under floorboards?
I got a quote for the under board hammock solution, which although I now can't remember the costs, I do remember I dismissed it as too much! There are still some draughts in the winter where the boards meet the outside wall, but in the cold months we put a kovely, large rug down We did the same in the bedroom above, just with smaller area rugs, which give the 'country' look I like.
Good luck with your renovations Georgina, you are most welcome. Yes, I saw that you said in your initial query that you had lacquered them and did not want to sand it all back, hence my suggestion for the least messy option otherwise yes would be better to sand it all back etc etc like others have said but let's be practical not perfectionists. Yes a tinted lacquer, yes I'm sure you can buy it, I've mixed it myself but best to just buy one but beware not to go too far the other way and take tiny steps.
Paint a bit that's going to be under a desk etc and leave it for days to dry and look at it in different light etc. It's not ideal, but I suggest you use the same clear lacqer and add a tiny bit of tinted one because you are painting on a darker colour already so experiment with small amounts of each, keeping track of how much you have put in.
I mix my own wall colours so have just learnt to give it a go in small portions. You also mention wanting a black and white rug, these colours will clash with the wood colour theory and make it look even more orange so best to use a colour that tones more.
It's hard to tell the exact colour from the photos but go with warmer deeper colours which will then tone down the orange rather than clash with it and make it look cheap and more orange. So if you want to go dark then a rich chocolate brown with some creams, khaki and even a bit of burnt orange for example will make the orange in the floorboards recede. I agree, there would originally have been just one cast iron spindle per stair.
It's a shame that the 'bullnoses' have been cut back but if it was all sanded down and painted or varnished to blend in I don't think it would look wrong at all. The alternative is to get a joiner to make up bullnose profile pieces to attach to the end of each tread, but you'd have to paint them as the wood wouldn't match the original.
Use the handle of a screwdriver or scraper for this. Leave until PVA is dry and then go over the joint with a small electric sander. The joint will sand down and look very similar to the board surface but because of the PVA content, will not stain in the same way. This method, although a little tricky and time consuming is probably the best and if done with care can give an amazing finish.
What you have to do is cut strips of wood ever so slightly larger than the width of the gap between each of the floorboards and the same depth and then apply some glue wood glue or similar to each of the insides of the boards. Now using a soft mallet, hit the strip of wood down into the gap to create a air and dust tight seal.
Continue this process for the whole of your floor until all of the gaps have been filled and then leave for an hour or so for all of the glue to dry. Once the glue has dried you can now sand over your floor and take off any high spots that may be left due to any wooden strips sticking above floorboard level leaving you with a smooth and gap free floor. As you may have guessed, how well the joints blend in with the rest of your floor will depend on the colour and shade of the wood that you use.
If you have dark floorboards and use a light wood for the strips then they will stand out even if you stain the boards and the joints afterwards so this is something to be aware of, but if done carefully can give a fantastic effect. Another method is to fill the gap with either flooring filler, which comes in a light tan finish and will blend in quite well with the lighter stains and varnishes, or you can use decorators caulk to fill the gap.
The above two types of filler also have the additional advantage of remaining fairly flexible so they move a little with the floor and do not over emphasize any further movement.
They can also be applied to boards with no tongues or grooves as you apply the sealant to the edge of the board and build it up until it fills the gap. Although these options do have the advantage of being quite flexible, over time they will in most cases separate from the edge of the boards and eventually fall through the gap.
A sealant tool can then be used to smooth the filler out to finish flush with the boards. Draughtex is soft and squidgy and comes in the form of a roll available in differing thicknesses for different sized gaps. Timber floors contract and expand throughout the course of their life.
DraughtEx will mimic the movement pattern of the timber and therefore remain in place retaining insulation.
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