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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

The Bare Truth Please...How hard is it to strip floorboards?

9 replies

LegoLeia · 13/07/2007 11:15

It looks so easy on changing rooms... but is it really? Would carpet be better for everyone concerned? I would really appreciate some wise words!

OP posts:
MrsMuddle · 13/07/2007 11:51

It's a complete bugger. You'll spend a fortune hiring the machine, it will take three times as long as you estimate, you will need ten times as much sandpaper as you think, and you'll get dust in places you didn't even know existed. You'll fall out massively with your partner and shout at your children. GET A MAN IN TO DO IT! No matter how much he charges, it's so worth it not to do it yourself.

hippipotami · 13/07/2007 12:02

We did our whole house (not in one go but one room at a time)
Depending on room size, the average room will take most of a day. Go over it twice (once lengthways and once crossways) with heavy duty sand paper, then repeat with finer sandpaper.
Don't forget to get an edge sander for the edges.

Be prepared for lots of noise and lots of sawdust. But it is easy and therapeutic. NO need to get a man in really. Honestly. The worst bit is the dust everywhere and you will still get that if you get a man in!

Make sure you pull all protruding nails/screws out of your floorboards.

If a wood stripped floor is waht you want than do not cut corners and put down carpet. We did that 3 times, and each time regretted it. Carpet just did not give us the look we wanted and it was so hard to keep clean. Also, you will need to have carpet cleaned / replaced every few years (well we did )
Once you have gone through the pain barrier of doing your floors it will be done forever!

I am a crap DIY-er but am okay with floor sanders. (even the first time I used it, after it ran away with me and crashed into the skirting board)
And dh enjoys it as it is another toy to play with!

Go for it and when it is all done (and dusted!) you can stand back and say 'we did that!'

NKF · 13/07/2007 12:03

It's very very hard but that's what husbands are for.

LegoLeia · 13/07/2007 12:08

LOL! Inspiring

OP posts:
newgirl · 13/07/2007 13:09

definitely get a company in to do it

we did it ourselves first time and it was a nightmare - paper kept splitting, noise, dust and it cost quite a bit too

professionals did another floor much much better and quicker and not much more cost in the end, and cheaper if you factor in your time!

end result - practical and relaxing - you dont mind if something spilt on it

policywonk · 13/07/2007 13:19

Depends how much money you're prepared to spend - if budget is tight, do it yourself, but it is very noisy and dirty, and quite hard work. If you have a bit more money to burn, get a man in. Agree with hippoptami that it is very satisfying when you've done it though - we did ours a few months ago and I still get a kick out of seeing it. Everything we own (almost exclusively cheap tat from Ikea and skips) looks so much nicer.

Carpets are a complete pain to keep clean.

slinkyjo · 13/07/2007 13:21

its a f**kin nightmare lol

HolidayboundHorsewoman · 13/07/2007 13:22

We made a right bollocks of ours when we did it first time. It had wavy patterns where we had crossed the grain of the wood. Plus I could feel the vibrations of the sander in my hands for about a week afterwards.

However, learning from my mistakes I did a good job (albeit on smaller rooms) second time around. But do you really want to learn from your mistakes?

On the plus side, a good stripped wooden floor is lovely.

Amaris · 13/07/2007 13:42

I got a couple of friends round (female) to help me to do mine and it was fine. The drum sander was easy to use but two of us found the edger really difficult to manage. Filling the gaps afterwards was a bit of a PITA though.

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