Filling holes, gaps and replacing boards

[bionicbeatboy]

Hi again everyone,

A couple of questions you may be able to help with.

1)Apparently (from a previous post) I have Cypress pine flooring that was originally stained around the outside of what looks like a permenant rug in the middle of the room. Will that stain sand out? or will the sander fall through the floor before its all gone. The problem will be that the middle of the room was never stained so I'm not sure if i will get it back to uniform colour!

2)At what stage is a hole or crack too big to fill, i noticed from some pics on here that you shouldnt be affraid to use too much...however i thik the state of my floor will mean i have a polished filler floor with the occasional pit of cypress here and there.

3)What is the best filler for cypress? can you adjust how dark or light it gets when its dry? Should i put it between the boards where they have shrunk a little and should i put it in before i sand?

4)is cypress easy enough to find to replace boards and will a new board stand out like the proverbial dogs b***s?

sorry for all the questions...but i really am new to this!
ill put some pics up later this arvo if any of this is unclear

Cheers :;

[Larry McCully]

Hi again everyone,

A couple of questions you may be able to help with.

1)Apparently (from a previous post) I have Cypress pine flooring that was originally stained around the outside of what looks like a permenant rug in the middle of the room. Will that stain sand out? or will the sander fall through the floor before its all gone. The problem will be that the middle of the room was never stained so I'm not sure if i will get it back to uniform colour! Most of it will disapear, however you may be left with a light discolouration. With eggresive sanding , you should reduce it considerably. Dont worry about it if you dont get it all out. It will enhance the character.

2)At what stage is a hole or crack too big to fill, i noticed from some pics on here that you shouldnt be affraid to use too much...however i thik the state of my floor will mean i have a polished filler floor with the occasional pit of cypress here and there.If you are filling the dark knots , then walnut timbermate is the best option. If you are filling anything more than 10mm, then a resin mix such as builders bog tinted down is the best for perminancy and durability. If you want to fill between the boards then cedar colour flexable selant is fine. However consider not filling unless the gap is in excess of 2-3mm.

3)What is the best filler for cypress? can you adjust how dark or light it gets when its dry? Should i put it between the boards where they have shrunk a little and should i put it in before i sand?Timbermate is the best putty to use, Walnut for any knot holes and cypress for open areas. No need to adjust the colour.

4)is cypress easy enough to find to replace boards and will a new board stand out like the proverbial dogs b***s?For board replacements it is always best to source recycled boards from demolition yards. It has aged and will match well with existing boards when entyre sanding is completed.

sorry for all the questions...but i really am new to this!
ill put some pics up later this arvo if any of this is unclear. Glad to help,Ask as much as you need.

Cheers :;

[bionicbeatboy]

You are doing yourself out of a job Larry!!

Should have just said.."I don't know...but for 5K I know a good floor bloke who will do the lot"

Cheers..send the bill for a carton to the misses!