Advice please! Gaps between boards of new floor - already polished

[roddy]

Hi all

I'm after some advice. We have some gaps between some of the boards of our new Grey Box timber floor, I think as a result of some warping prior to being laid. They are just large enough to get dirt, dust and crumbs stuck down them, making the floor look not so good.

As the floor is already polished, I have been told that beeswax is a good thing to use to fill these gaps, followed by a good buffing.

My question is will this do the job? And for a complete novice, how do you apply and buff the beeswax. Is there a good brand or a particular type you can recommend?

Any advice appreciated!

Thanks!

Roddy

[dazzler]

Hi Rod,

Timber floors IMO are a living thing. They swell when its humid, open when its dry. I would give it a few years to settle into a normal pattern.

Having said that, I imagine one of the flooring experts will come on soon and tell me Im wrong

[glock40sw]

G'day.
Are the gaps uniform or are they randomly through the floor?

Is there ane cupping?
Grey Box is a real mongrel of a timber. It will move for no reason.

How big are the gaps? Are they full length along the boards, or just at the ends of the boards?

Don't put beeswax in the gaps? It will root your floor.

Dazzler...You did good

[roddy]

Thanks guys,

No there is no cupping and the gaps are random, not uniform. Some gaps are fairly small, others run almost the length of the board.

How will beeswax root (lol) ruin the floor?

Roddy

[glock40sw]

G'day.

Because beeswax is wax......Any finish placed on the floor after a resand if needed, may have rejection issues with the beeswax.
Also, if you do put beeswax in the gaps and the floor swells, the beeswax will be squashed out.

But hey... It's your floor, do what you want. Just remember, if you decide to approach the installer or manufacturer regarding the issues with the floor and you have beeswaxed the floor, you will probably have voided any warrantee they would supply.

I'd be more inclined to find out why there are gaps in the floor. You should talk to a flooring inspector. Have a look at the ATFA wedsite.

[Dusty]

Me thinks, you (Roddy) might be thinking about Timbermate's WaxSticks, which are coloured sticks of a hard wax filler formulated for fixing scratches and small gaps in flooring after it's been finished.

Quite simply, the Wax Stick is rubbed over the scratch, or in your case, the gap and once filled to your satisfaction, you then buff the area with hard cardboard, which helps remove any residue off the existing polish. Ironically enough, the best cardboard for this buffing action is the cardboard from a box of beer.

Wax Sticks can be purchased from your local Bunnings Hardware.