Floor Varnish flaking problem (?) advice please

[Togalosh]

Hello Gents,

I've finally got round to sorting out the flaking varnish on the flooring at home & because it was not me who applied the varnish I cannot say what state the floor boards were in 13 years ago but as you can see there seems to be an issue with the wood itself not holding onto the varnish.. or is this normal? I suspect something as the main area of flaking is in front of the sofa but not by the front door or other high traffic areas & from 1 board to another it is markedly different.

I did increase the air flow under the house as we were getting a bit of damp under the stairs & in the back room _ this was advised by a professional.

These are the original 100 year old floor boards..have they just dried out too much? If so should I dampen them to get a good bond with the new varnish or is that a daft idea? What type/brand of varnish/treatment would you recommend?

Btw swmbo says no to closing up the gaps or having a new floor fitted (cah !!)

Any help or advice would be appreciated.
Togs

 

[rafezetter]

I'm not sure why SWMBO does not want you to close the gaps up in some fashion unless she likes cold draughts and higher heating bills.

If it's the aesthetics of the gappy appearance then you could make up a well shredded (think blender) batch of papier mache with PVA and add some black waterbased paint to it and push that well in before you sand the floor (if that's what you were considering) so you level that out / cleanup at the same time with reduced stain risk to the floorboards. One good source for this if you don't have access to a blender is good old toilet paper (cheapest possible) that pretty much disintegrates in a bowl or bucket, a bunch of that mashed up, drain it out so it's still a bit mushy, add the paint and a good amount of cheap PVA.

This is not a new technique by any means, and should help to retain that appearance of original floorboards rather than the uniform, and bland, look of uniformity that modern laminate flooring has, even the real wood stuff.

 

[Togalosh]

Thanks rafezetter..I've insulated under the floor boards so the draughts are ok (but for me the gaps are unacceptable but to her it's how it was designed & "it was designed to allow the house to breathe") .

My query is just about the preparing the wood for staining & varnish if there's an issue with the wood. If no issue then it's straight forward scrape, sand & apply. I am suspicious of what's making the old stuff flake in this area only when there are other high traffic areas that are perfectly fine. I guess it's just fair wear n tear but I am suspicious. The whole downstairs was done in 1 go by the same person ( not me).

Can wood dry out too much to take a stain & varnish?

Any ideas?

 

[Richard T]

Pine can be mysterious stuff and its resin can be impervious. In that lower picture the difference between the board that is flaked to the one to its left shows up winter rings having been cut in long section - thus more resinous timber and more resistance to varnish sticking .... maybe.

I don't suppose you know what varnish it is (was) and whether it was good or cheapo? 13 years seems like a good innings in heavy traffic - the varnish is coming off my Veritas plane handles and that's just bare hand use.

 

[AndyT]

I think Richard is right. There are resinous knots on some of the joinery in our Victorian house that will still force their way through paint, over a century since the timber was felled. (Yes I did use knotting,)

 

[Togalosh]

Hiya Richard,

Yes..Ronseal diamond hard varnish ontop of some stain..also prob Ronseal or homebase brand. I agree 13years is good but it's just as if the wood has let go in 1 area all of a sudden ..not even by the door ways..but that's a different kind of wear.

Hiya Andy,

Hmmm...ok.. there are other knots around that haven't affected the finish ..but those few planks are far more knotted.


Thanks gents - knotting goes in the basket.