Removing Black Japan colour from flooring

[floraboard]

Would like to remove Black Japan from the flooring, which is old, but good condition. The colour is all over the floor boards.

Apart from getting a professional to do it. Can we do it ourselves, and does it need a machine?

Is there like a paint stripper we can apply and take it off that way.

I would then like to stain it another lighter colour to brighten up the areas, as it is a small room and hallway.

Thank you
Katherine

[Claw Hama]

Welcome Katherine.
You could strip it but you would still have to sand it to clean it all up after stripping so I think if it was me I would just sand it. You can hire floor sanders from kenards etc at a pretty reasonable rate per day and if it is only a small room and a hall it should only take a day. Once its sanded back you can stain and finish it in what ever you like. Good luck

[AngelaPetruzzi]

Hi
the only sure way of removing it is with a belt sander. depending on where the black japan is and you then want to stain your floor, be careful as under the stain has not seen the light of day so the stain may choose would come out a lot lighter than anticipated. Many older homes have black jap around the permeter of a room, not wall to wall.

[smiths floors]

being a floor sander and knowing what it takes to remove black japan i,d advise you to get a floor sander to do this.

[AngelaPetruzzi]

That's true.
Floorsanders have all the machines to do a professional finish.
If though a few scratches dont worry you, nor hard work then it is doable.
The current Owner Builder magazine has an article of how to sand your foors.