Ladies, your help please - what to use on old floorboards?

[Flllight]

Have removed carpet today and under it are some lovely condition floorboards - they are uneven colours though, some darkish, some lighter looking - nothing different except that some have been stained years ago I think.
They need a good clean but I don't plan to strip them or sand, because it is just too big a project and we only have a week till we move in.

So is there a good treatment to use - I'm wondering about a stain, or wax, or varnish - something that dries quick would be brilliant, as time is so limited so I was thinking water based stain?

I am clueless, so I need your collective experience - thankyou.

Worth doing it properly before you move in, even just a quick sand over, then use a wax or oil based stain, it will save you hassle in the future.

Thanks DWP but I simply haven't time or energy - not with an industrial sander anyway, they are really noisy and heavy aren't they? It's a 20ft x 14ft room, so I don't think I could do it by hand either..

Also quite happy to live with variation in colour etc and I don't want them to look all new or anything. Just want something to protect from spills and make them easy to clean really.

Hence oil based, or just buy some standard varnish and do two coats, it will look fine and be wipeable.

Just brace yourself for the crap that gets between the floorboards, I have bitter experience of being on my knees with a brush (weep emoticon)

Thanks again...yes I think unless I am prepared tp lift and reset them all I'm going to have gaps!!! Better than laminate any day tho ..and you should have seen the carpet!

Laminate is so bad it will go down in the history books, alongside woodchip and artex, surely?

Oh and anaglypta - the entire flat is paperedin this stuff - it is like living in an 80s motel, seriously,.

I wouldn't use varnish/stain on them - the only way they'll every really look good is if you sand them at some point in the future when you have time/money but if you put varnish on it now, it'll just make sanding so much harder. I would just use paint remover to remove any paint and then scrub them as clean as possible.

Hey Flllight (((((waves))))) we used some 'ebony' varnish/stain in-one, waterbased, quick drying (an hour I think) it covered everything, all the uneveness...we matched it to the darkest shade that was already on the floor, and they look fab, and are easy to wash with damp mop. I think they do lots of different shades. It was from B and Q I think. Can ask DH what was called. I can send you pics if you want to see!! x

Oohhh!!!! It's YOUUUU!!!!! How's things? we just got in and found W's present but haven;t found energy to unwrap it yet!!
Thankyou!

I would love to see a piccy of your floor. Sounds excellent.

I tink we are never going to be able to move in. Everything is just such a heap.

Talk soon anyway xxx