Stripping floorboards, what do i need to know?

[SparklyAlice]

Next weekend, i will be pulling up the carpet in the living room and dining room, sanding and varnishing the floor boards that are underneath.

Are there any tips, things i need to know before hand?

Yes...be prepared for dust over the whole of your house

Have you looked at the boards?

A friend had hers done and they comapny used brown mastic to seal the gaps in the boards. Sounds horrendous but it looked fab - it looked like gaps but without the draughts. Apparently it doesn't shrink/fall out eiher.

The boards are 'sound' a mixture of old and new. Going to use a stain/varnish. Have been reccomended Ronseal diamond varnish.

Going to hire a floor sander

when i've sanded floorboards in the past i've always used danish oil before varnish and it adds a lovely richness to the wood
as OP's have said be prepared for the horrendous dust and fumes and probably the worst blisters ever on your hands
it's a helluva job but looks fab when completed
all the best!!

blonde - would danish oil work on different coloured boards? Some old some new. Is that instead of a stain?

Make absolutely sure there are no nail heads at surface level or higher - you need to use a nail punch to sink the heads a few mm into the wood.

Be very careful with both sanders (i take it you have the main floor sander plus a smaller one for edges?) They are both very aggressive, and can easily dig into the wood making deep marks. I'd find a less visible area and try the sander(s) with the least abrasive paper to practice.

Finally... you may think you know how much dust will cover you house. Multiply your estimate by about four! Use wide masking tape to seal doors etc. Open the windows (yes, the garden will get covered in dust). Buy or rent the BEST face mask you can afford, with decent filters for nose & mouth. Use well fitting goggles too. Wear old clothes.

Can i hire a nail punch or do you buy one?

alice what wood is it?
the boards in my house are typical victorian pine tho we did replace some with reclaimed wood
we tried danish oil as tbh we found that the stains we tried out gave a horrible orangey colour
meant to say to hold onto your dust as you can mix it with wood glue to fill in any small holes etc

We live in a victorian/edwardian (not quite sure) terrace (high ceilings, bay window) and the boards are a mix of original and new (about 10/15yrs old ish) we want a honey colour but accept that it will vary according to which boards its on