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Floor Varnish Nightmare

10 replies

StreakyWoes · 26/04/2023 09:08

We decided to sand and varnish our living room floor ourselves and obviously have done a horrible job and it is incredibly streaky. I thought it would be like wall paint and by a second coat unevenly applied varnish would even out, but this is with two coats and it hasn't. Is our only option to hire an indutrial sander all over again and waste a week of work and £150? Please be kind as my mental health is very low due to various other issues with this house. If it was even slightly less awful I would leave it as I'm completely spent.

Floor Varnish Nightmare
Floor Varnish Nightmare
OP posts:
Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 26/04/2023 09:09

Floor paint will cover it and give an even finish

Malaiseybum · 26/04/2023 10:09

I think re-sending is the only option. Looks like the initial sanding was insufficient - you really need to do a LOT of passes/use a belt sander to get all the boards back to wood that can be finished.

BlueMongoose · 26/04/2023 15:40

First, don't panic. You're tired and I'm pretty sure it looks worse to you than it is- most jobs do when you have just finished, you see anything that's not perfect as much worse than you will in a week or two.
It looks to me, and I'm guessing here just on the basis of the photos, that the sanding maybe was a bit uneven- like it was done with a belt sander and has dug in in some places, and has sanded further into the wood in some areas than others- possibly where planks weren't completely flat, as old ones often aren't. Sanding a floor is a horrible job, and very hard to get right. If I had to use a belt sander, I'd be very careful not to dig in, and I'd finish off with an orbital or similar to be sure it was really smooth and flat, and sand into the wood until it was all smooth, one colour and one texture and all the previous surface finishes had completely gone. If some areas are given their final sanding with coarse grit papers, they will tand to stain differently to ones that have been given their final sanding with finer grit ones, so work from coarse to fine as you go.

But as we are where we are, okay, let's just break the problem down a bit. You'll find the floor gets more even with time if light gets on it, as it will darken all over and get a bit 'warmer' in colour, and that will reduce the difference between the darkr and lighter areas. You may well find it ends up looking fine, and you need to do nothing. If that doesn't work,

  1. were the floorboards originally stained or varnished at all? If so, it may be that you didn't get all of the stain or previous finish off, in which case resanding is the only option that will get it totally even in colour. If you can't face that now, which is understandable, I'd live with it for a bit- the surface will wear down and get somewhat more even in appearance over time, and if you still think it's patchy, it will be easier to sand later when you feel up to it.
  2. If it was all sanded and completely even, flat, and light in colour before you painted, did you stain it first before varnishing? If so, it may be that you didn't get it on evenly. Staining is very difficult, you can't touch any area twice or it will get darker than the rest. The remedy, sadly, is the same as the above.
3.If it was well sanded and the colour is in the varnish, then like with a stain, it may be that you didn't get the first coat on thinly and evenly, which could have made it patchy. In that case, I'd again leave it and 'walk it down' but when you feel ready, you could give it a light sand and try doing another coat, that may even it up, provided you don't mind it getting generally darker. (Personally, I oil real wood floors, but that doesn't suit everyone.) Try not to make decisions about it when you're tired, and good luck.
3luckystars · 26/04/2023 15:42

Would you try a roller?

don’t be upset it’s just a floor and you can always put a rug over it until you feel able to tackle it again, and if you don’t, so what!!!

Zapzep · 26/04/2023 20:42

Use a hardwax oil like osmo or treatex, polyurethane varnishes are very hard to,apply especially on pine and large areas. Also vaccum throughly after sanding.

Zapzep · 26/04/2023 20:42

Additionally do not let anyone tell you to use yacht varnish!!

Modda · 26/04/2023 20:44

Is it fully dry? I find it goes paler and more even when fully dried out.

MandyMotherOfBrian · 26/04/2023 20:47

Zapzep · 26/04/2023 20:42

Use a hardwax oil like osmo or treatex, polyurethane varnishes are very hard to,apply especially on pine and large areas. Also vaccum throughly after sanding.

THIS!!!! And Zapzep’s subsequent post re not using Yacht varnish.
But you’ve got a lovely floor there, sit back for a while, don’t panic, chuck a rug down and wait til you can bear to crack on with. Then do what Zapzep said 😁

StreakyWoes · 26/04/2023 20:58

Appreciate the kind advice everyone, made me feel better! Going to leave it a little while then possibly sand and try again

OP posts:
BlueMongoose · 27/04/2023 15:56

Zapzep · 26/04/2023 20:42

Additionally do not let anyone tell you to use yacht varnish!!

Agreed! I don't like any of the varnishes. I once did an oak floor, sanded it to death, so no residue of anything anywhere, and used Dulux's Diamond glaze Now I generally like Dulux, I use it a lot, but that stuff was lousy. Scratched and flaked just as badly as any bog standard polyurethane.
I spoke to a friend who is Danish (in Denmark they have a lot of wood floors) and asked what they used. Ans: oil. So I sanded the glaze off (grrrrr, OP, I really do feel your pain) and oiled with Tung oil, never regretted it for a moment. Easy to do, easy to patch, doesn't scratch. Eventually did the same everywhere, even the kitchen. Did fine for us (no kids, no pets, I mop only when I have to) but I realise it wouldn't suit everyone. In the current house, we're about to put down parquet on most of the ground floor- I'm hesitating between tung oil again (which does darken oak a fair bit) or a osmo polyx oil which seems to leave it a bit lighter but be similar in the way it works to oil....any thoughts?

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