How to Fill a Wooden Floor (Effective)
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- Опубліковано 18 січ 2014
- How To Fill A Wooden Floor
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Find out what products I use here:
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Depending on your preference you may want to fill your floor. It can prevent drafts coming up from beneath the floor and it can help to make a floor look much more neat and tidy. Some people prefer to keep the gaps, they believe that filling the floor will make it look fake like laminate or lino. Each to their own, personally, I say fill it every time.
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Before you comment or email asking what filler to use, you can find out what I use and recommend (UK and US) by downloading my free eBook about the products I use. It has fillers, lacquers, oils, stains everything you need to know got to howtosandafloor.com/products/
Informative video thank you. I have a floor I don’t plan on refinishing and I want to fill gaps that I have. What would you recommend I use to fill the gaps that would hold in changing weather season due to expansion/contraction?
Put decorators tape either side of the gap, the. Gun in bona gap master, press it in with your finger then pull up the tape. Bona do about 16 different wood colours with gap master
Hi, the filler have to be after the sand? Thanks.
@@HowToSandAFloor can you tell me please what kind of floor is this?beech or something else?thanks
I'm a professional antique furniture restorer and have a lot of experience of working with wood. matching new repairs to old surfaces etc. i have just bought 55 square meters of reclaimed pine floorboards to lay in my workshop over battens, never done this before so your instructional videos are a fantastic find, thank you for taking the trouble to make them, I know, having watched them that I can lay the boards and finish them with confidence, and that it look really good.by following your instructions.
Absolutely brilliant. My house and it's floors are over 100 years old and have been covered with carpeting for most of that time. I can't afford an artisan as yourself, but am considering it as a DIY. Working in various trades for decades, I've seen my share of hatchet jobs done to what were beautiful floors, and now deserve to be laminated over.
Planning to work through your catalog here for what is a wealth of great information and clarity. Even if my wife bumps me off and completes the home renovations with the insurance, you have already imparted some priceless knowledge so that we don't get talked around.
Oh, I get it. The liquid is the filler, and the dust is just what you use for pigment. The reason you use the dust from the floor you just sanded is because it will be the best match colorwise for that room. That's awesome!
I followed floor guys for over 20 years doing the paint finals. I had no idea thats how you did this. Great job, super cool floor.
love that workmanship on the floor... its a beauty to look at
Just got done filling my floor... THEN I found your video. Jesus man. That was amazing.
this guy's videos are the ONLY thing you should watch about refinishing a floor. really wish I had watched them all before I went through the steps. I started with sanding and cut diagonal like he said (even though everyone told me not to!) the drum sander cut away over 100 years of paint, varnish, scratches, rot, and animal piss. It took 4 or 6 passes diagonally with 24 grit. I did reach a few nails on the tongue and groove on a floor that had never been refinished, so I figure I removed just over 1/8" to 3/32" or 5 40 gallon garbage cans full of sawdust. I have a bad back and the drum sander was hurting. I tried the edge sander and was afraid I was going to mess it up when my back went out. mind you, I was not re-doing one room. I stripped carpet from 800 square feet of red oak downstairs and 400 square feet of heart pine upstairs (5 rooms plus a library/office nook). I didn't want to, but animal urine forced me to... you cannot shampoo animal urine out of carpet, pad and floor underneath. don't even bother. So I went with a 3 head orbital using 24 grit around the edges (and it took a long time (hours with each of the larger grits per room). I didn't trowel and now after a coat of sealer and 1 poly I wish I had because the gaps on the old pine are quite wide. 24 grit diagonal and with the grain, 36 grit with the grain, 60 grit with the grain, then 80 and 100 grit with the orbital. it is far from perfect. I should have done 6 or 8 passes diagonal but I was afraid of going to far after I saw nails. the oak did not cut down nearly as easily as the pine, so even though the downstairs was in much better shape, it was hard to get through the old finish and even out the floor, so it took just as long; also harder to get out any mistakes. I should have vacuumed more between passes. The larger grit can get stuck under the orbital and scratch a curly-q longer than orphan Annie's in floor and you probably wont see it later.... it looks like some insect on meth attacked the wood and ate a trail in circles over and over for 3 to 8 inches. the paper gummed up.. a lot!... I easily spent $400 on sanding paper, and since I was working 80 hours a week at my normal job, the sander rental fees were also quite expensive for the month that we had them. I don't need to trowel the oak. I'm just looking for a his video on finishing, so I can get this hell month over with and not regret all the time and money I spent if the floor comes out bad with a crappy finish job. lots of bubbles even with the lambs wool. the pine looks pretty good i'll say, but he would probably say it sucks and he is probably right. it was half the price of a professional and I started right away, not 2-3 months to book a quality professional. so where is the video for finish mate?!!!
Don't be so hard on ya self. The floor probably looks great!
Quite a useful bit of information provided about finishing new or older hardwood flooring. Such a discovery running into your video, learning how to DIY restoration ! Super !
Top notch work mate! It is good to see a job well done.
Love this lad for what he's sharing.
This hard worker deserves a beer
Toma Bogdan he deserves a belt.
You mean an 18 pack so he can forget the pain in the knee for those days of no pads.
Cold one....yes thank u mam
9 years later and I came to say this!
Great Instruction and you made it look easy. Thanks for the video:)
When someone makes it look easy, you know they’ve done it a lot. Thanks for the pointers, I’m about to refinish my floors.
Bedalla ?ah comporle tet 😢
That's a nice bit of work. You use that trowel like a champ. Never occurred to me to "grout" a wood floor, but it makes perfect sense. God willing, I will never have to!
I was about to say the same
It fun to see videos by people that know what they are doing
excellent video!! and ben's instruction is very detailed. thanks Ben
Thank you for sharing your hard earned experience and know-how with us!! Excellent content and commentary on video, including your replies in text. Truly nice work. Many thanks.
That was very helpful and informative as to the order of doing things too, which I was not overly sure of. So lay floor and then initial sand, make up filler, lay filler and then finish the sanding process. Got it, thanks very much from South Autralia.
FanBloodyTastic.
I have Australian hardwood floors that I had Re sanded and polished downstairs in my home. The gaps were filled with a wood putty containing colour similar to the boards. Looks ok, however I believe with time this filler can “ pop” especially with heat expansion in our hot Australian summer. It’s done now. However upstairs needs Re sanding also. I’ll show this video to my sanding professional and I’ll do it myself prior to final sanding and polishing. Thank you ever so much for sharing your trade secrets with us. I wish you all the very best in every thing you do mate. Cheers, Andrew V.
using a dust-resin mix like this isnt as popular elsewhere in the world. In these places wood putty is more likely to be used. This dust-resin mix isnt any better for staying in the gaps and may infact be a little worse. I have some friends in australia and some of the woods out there are gorgeous! Spotted gum, black butt, tazmanian oak. Wish we had all this here!
The most satisfying video on the internet
Thank you!
I love to see a craftsman make it look like a work of art.👍
Great video!
What do you do with the leftover fill in the pile? Seems like it would harden rather quickly, so is there a concern if you don't get excess up?
Nice demo on how it's done, thank you again.
Awesome. Thank-you just wish I would have found your channel a couple of weeks ago. Better late than never.
Love this video. Sorry if you said but 'when' in the sanding process would you do the filling? You use the 80grit dust, but would you do the filling after the 80grit sanding stage, then leave it to set, then continue with the rest of the sanding process (100grit onwards etc). OR do you do it after all sanding is done, but before the oil/lacquer goes on? Cheers
EDIT: It's on his website:
Before you start filling you should have completed the edge sanding to a 50 or 60 grit and sanded the main body of the floor with at least 80 grit. I sand the floor to 60 grit, empty the dust bag, then sand the floor with 80 grit. That way you have only fine dust from the 80 grit. But the advice I would give to a novice is also empty the dustbag at 80 as well, then do the 100 grit and use the 100 grit dust to fill the floor (and the 80 grit dust if your run out of 100 grit dust).
perfect! ok..what do you do after it dries? you lightly sand it and poly? what are the final steps?
A true artiste! I'm about to do a motorhome floor in blonde tongue and groove. Thanks for the mixing and spreading style tips.
As mentioned below, that funky groove is making me reach for my flares and cigarillos!
I'm just starting the sanding process of a reclaimed parquet herring bone patter - so will use this process to fill any gaps - what's the best process and product o then give it it's final was / finish? I don't want to look too polished or shiny when it's finished
Your vids are so much more useful!! Thanks so much
Hi there, great details on the channel, I was wondering I have a parquet floor that I have sanded and it has some areas where say a 2-3mm deep strip of the parquet has stripped off over the years. It has been over varnished many years ago so in the indentation the varnish is still showing after sanding, would this be covered by using the dust filling method in this video or better to use wood filler? I am planning to change colour to a lighter stain.
Really great to see this from a pro. Thx. Cheers!
Thank you for the excellent videos Ben. For 1st floor pine plank floorboards would you recommend a different method? I've read in some of the comments below that this kind of open fill isn't suitable for floorboards because of the seasonal contraction/expansion. FYI, we are in the UK so seasonal temperature variations aren't perhaps as great as elsewhere.
If open fill isn't suitable, you've mentioned spot filling. What product would you use for that? Would you ever insert wood strips (I've seen that on other videos)? Tx!
Very good job! thank you! I am going to do my house floor, but I have no experience on it. Do I start with a 60 sand papier followed by a 100 one?
Great video, watched it and thought i can do that. What a total mess, filler every where, had to resand the whole floor to get the filler off. Hats off to ben, that is a skill you have there.
Sanding after is standard.. yeah it is a messy job and more work than people realize. I usually fill after my rough cut then sand with 50G and then 80G. Sometimes you have to fill twice.. it can be a hassle.
@@ackmino hey, i realised I'd made a stupid statement as i wrote it....! I ended up hand (orbital) sanding the floor to get the finish I wanted as the hire tools I had were so either poor or I lack the skillzzzz.... Thanks for the tip, I have loads more floors to do.
Your vids are good and edited just right thanks
well done it looks amazing
Cheers !
way to go mate! thanks from CA, USA
Cheers that was very helpful...............I feel I could give it ago lol.........Cheers Claire in South Yorkshire
I'm impressed at how little you needed for that, small gaps! I'll probably need double 😂
Thanks for this info. There are lots of parquet and wood floorings from rich houses that need restoring and since coronavirus hit hard on the construction work I'll see if I can get a job with parquet flooring
Good clear instructions. Thank you
Great video, Ben... Thank you for sharing!!
Nicely made video! Very helpful! Thank you for sharing :)
I have a herringbone type floor with some of the wooden planks coming loose. I could probably lift a couple of planks with a butter knife if I wanted to. What would you recommend to re-adhere the planks down to the floor?
Great music ;) It made the video-watching-experience that much more fun.
i try lol
I'd like to know the name of the musician as I loved it too !
@@heathercollins50 Heather, it has a distinct James Brown sound.
If memory serves me correctly, I believe James Brown had to serve time due to some tax problems (long time ago, so I might have it wrong) and his band continued to produce and record music. This is no doubt one of theirs. JB was one of the BEST performers ever. I was in a "garage band" in the 1960s and we tried to imitate him and we thought we were pretty cool, but we couldn't hold a candle! Hope this helps. Stay safe. Mark
@@markmossinghoff8185 Thanks Mark !
Hi thanks for your tips really helpful. I’m due to fill my floor tomorrow but how long do you have to wait before you can sand the floor again I assume final grit size?
Great music,dude....easy to work with!
What kind of wood solvent sealer you use? Good job. Just got a big project today living room and dinning room. Thanks for the idea God bless
This is so great thank you so much!
Planning on doing a pallet wood flooring a small room, thanks for this info!
Good looking results . Apparently that Herring bone design had needed filling. I just mix the fine edger dust as well with regular floor finish and it works well. Thanks
yes sometimes i have to do this, when in a squeeze, the only bad thing about it is that its tough to sand off the surface
Ok IAM going too say it. People do not try this at home!!lol. This guy makes it look flawless and easy. So beautifully done.
mmmmm chocolate, i have to start my floor getting ideas from you has been great thanks!!!
Great video! I've got a couple of big gaps in my parquet. Maybe like 8mm wide and the length of a whole block... Could I use this to fill that gap?
Marvelous videos! Thanks so much!
I great vid thx very helpful so will that also give a good finish? Can you tell me what you used many thx
Nice work, well done.
Thank you for these videos!!! I have a whole house's worth of flooring to redo, and I am not nearly as intimidated as I was before.
I really like this filling method. I've used similar methods making filler for woodworking projects, but I've never used a solvent.
When you sand off this filler-layer, can you then re-use the dust to make more filler?
Thanks Ben for the quick reply
Love your videos Ben. Here in New Zealand I can't get Lecol 7500, Glitsa or Bona Mix and Fill. Do you know if Osmo Wood Putty would do the trick? It's clear and can be mixed with sawdust, however I imagine it is much thicker than the Lecol you are using.
I liked it.. you are a hard working man.. and it seems you love your work too..this is good :)
Dude...you're stud man! That floor looked "meh" prior to you doing that and now it looks frickin gorgeous. I even subscribed. lol. I don't even work on floors or with wood. I work on carrs! lmao!
nezerac thank you!
How To Sand A Floor
Great Video mate brilliant work . What make of spreader is that bud I’d been interested in getting one ?
This is really my favourite Channel!
Thanks for your nice Videos,
it is very enlightening,
Waiting for your latest update.
Drumsnab Parkette
Your videos are amazing!
I like the funky music especially when I'm huffing solvent.
Well done, thank you or sharing.
Thanks for the video guide, I’ll be giving this a go next week. One thing, I’ve really struggled to find the knife you use to spread the filler. Are you able to share a link please?
This is a great video. How would you fill knot holes or holes more substantial from grade B wood, say holes 1 inch deep and 1 inch in diameter, or larger? Also, would this technique work well for more porous woods like Red Oak? Finally, how would you handle floors that have more than one kind of wood that are slightly different colors?
Also, can the Bona products be applied over the Lecol 7500 filler?
if you are staining the wood floor, do you mix the stain with the dust, or stain afterwards?
Great job, mate. I doubt that I'd use a water-based filler, although it's safer and user-friendly, because the moisture in it would cause the wood floor pieces to swell and then shrink back after they dry, the filled voids could be left with cracks. I also suppose that floor boards up to 3/4" (19 mm) thick would cause filler to slump and/or shrink into the voids between boards and require a second application. I suppose that only a very thin mixture would allow the filler to flow to the bottom of such voids to form a stronger, more structural fill rather than a cosmetic surface filling. Thanks for the vid and the expert info. I can't wait to begin refinishing wood floors!
solvent fillers like the one i use in the video dry very quickly and shrink. Waterbased fillers tend not to shrink so much. Waterbased filler doesn't cause the wood to swell, its just not enough moisture. Btw sometimes i do apply twice with the solvent based
I got a Rhodesian teak floor just sanded yesterday. Now am onto filling. When you refer to "fillers" - what product /brand is that that you mean with that? (Going to the hardware and wondering what to ask for 🙈)
@@katjamartini1885 howtosandafloor.com/how-to-fill-a-wooden-floor/ The type of floor filler that we're talking about is sold in gallon quantities, is pourable and spread with a rubber squeegee, allowed to dry sufficiently and then sanded smooth before topcoats are applied. The filler will fill all cracks, gaps and the "tick" of the open-pore teak wood and allow for a smooth, even final finish. You won't find this at your local home center and would need to find a paint or flooring store that carries this, or an online vendor. Here's one example woodwudy.com/products/bona-pacific-filler?variant=2739578830858&Google%20Shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjwx9_4BRAHEiwApAt0zt71-xuSly1xHd2lOTwoF4cWVOM6ILDKmW0vLRjW5X0-6pROfEci_hoCg6gQAvD_BwE. Filler color is another consideration and an appropriate colorant may also be advisable. The filler that we're talking about here is similar but different from "grain filler" which can be found at a local paint store typically in 1-quart quantities and uniquely used to fill open-pore woods e.g. oak and ash prior to final finishing in order to achieve smooth, even final finish without the finish sunken into the wood pores where it occurs. Best of luck.
Hi, I have a cork piping around the edges of my floor will this cause problems with sanding and filling? Thanks Andy
once you've filled the gaps would you then re-sand it with a fine grit pad before adding your finish to it?
I’m wondering the exact same thing
Yes
You are awesome. My floor is a mess. I need to replace some boards, and then sand, fill and refinish. Do you like water based or oil finishes? My floors are 90 years old and never redone
thats great because, the floor has been reserved all that time for you! I prefer water based finishes myself. There is a free ebook on my website where I discuss all the products, lacquers, filllers, stains and more, that I use and recommend. Check it out here howtosandafloor.com/products
What is the good filler to use for a finished wood floor in the US? The way that you did for unfinished floor is a bit different from products offered in the retail stores here.
Hi, I have cork edging around my parquet flooring will the filler effect this? Thanks
Okay, so you would do this after sanding. Would you need to go over it again with like a 100 or 150 grit again to get any excess filler off before staining and poly coating?
I can’t get the ebook to work and am really interested in what solvent you’ve mixed with the wood dust.
Was that a refinish job or new installation , I have some very good tips for new installations of Herron bone floors good job
Hello Ben! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I tried downloading your E. book on "products to use" with no it is no longer available. I live in the USA in California and I can't find a water solvent to mix with the fine dust. Do you know what else I could use here with all the different laws in California? Thanks so much for your time.
Good job on filling those cracks! I like your fails video too. Thanks for sharing! I like your low key presentation and not a lot of jabbering. What wood was that?
Very good thanks for your knowledge and time,will that be the same for a parquet floor?
this is a parquet floor so yes, same for all floors :)
Hi Ben
Once you have completed this step. Does it need fine sanding then and then stain it? Or can you stain straight after this process?
Wonderful videos! You are so helpful! The only question I have is should I use filler at all on 20 year old yellow pine wood floors? They have gaps. But they tend to expand and shrink. I’m in desperate need of your advice. I can’t find much info of filling softwood floors. Thanks
Look up how they fill period wooden floors, it is similar, but with sand. The waterbased solvent this man suggests for newbie people should do the trick. Period wooden floors have some sand as well as the sawdust and the filler.
What exactly is the solvent you used to mix with the dust I do hardwood flooring and I've been having issues with my normal filler giving away and I'm wanting something stronger and longer lasting
Does the floors need to be resanded after all of that dries before you can stain it or do you just give it a good sweep and then you're good to go I just need a little bit more info cuz I'd like to try this in my own house
Question: So instead of sanding dust and wood flour cement for a filler. Could you use a tung oil and sanding dust mixture? Or a wax and sanding dust mixture (probably not that one)? Thanks!
How, great video, hey can you post a link for that solvent you use? ty
QUESTION: I have a 6" long plank board oak (from Poland) floor that was originally laid pretty green. No need to argue why that happened, it is what it is. 5 years later the floor has gaps between a 16th and a 1/4" between planks. Plus, it was weakly glued to a plaster-leveled floor compound and there are several places where I can hear a hollow sound when I rap on the top of the wood. I think the only way to 100% solve my problem is to bring in the most professional floor layers in my area and completely replace the floor with new material. However I am wondering if there is a 'diving save' option where I use the technique you described above but with two phases: 1) use a fairly liquid version so the glue gets deep into the cracks, and 2) a second normal viscosity layer for leveling the cracks. Would love to hear your thoughts and recommendations
Does this filler stand out too much after everything is stained and finished? The boss has me use this premade wood filler but only on edges or very apparent nail holes or gashes but it makes me wonder why there wasn't a way to fill in the whole floor. Sometimes the little round holes from nails get really dark on their circumferences when we do dark stains which is why I was wondering. Not sure if I just didn't fill the holes properly or if it's the wood filler or what.
PERFEKT Job ... thanks for d VIDEO.
Very very nice 👍🤝
What is that you pour into the wood dust to mix it for spreading?
Can you buy this product or equivalent in the United States?
cheers for the video , once filled with Lecol, do you use the 120 grit sander to finish it off before using the hardwax oil?
Scott P yes, sand off the filler, I’d probably say max 100 grit as 120 may not get it all of, be sure it is all off before finishing, must edge too and use a finishing sander ideally. Watch my video refinishing hardwood floors yourseld
hi i 100 yr old fir wood floors i asking should i use a filler as all the research i have done says do not varnish or seal the floor as it is too dry just stain and or oil what is ur take
Awesome video right to the point
Question for you given your experience. I have an old T&G floor - probably 150-200 yo. The floor is so old it was attached directly to the joists and half the joists are logs and no it isn't the subfloor... this is how they used to do it in log homes. Anyway, some of the gaps have grown so large over the years, the tongues are really showing. What to do? I've been considering everything from slivers to a method similar to that in the video. The space is air conditioned which probably helps. But I am concerned with seasonal changes (I'm in the north east US). I've heard any filler will likely crumble out over time. And it sounds like slivers aren't great to T&G (which makes sense). There is some movement in some boards which I'll likely address as well as possible from underneath (coupled with some additional fasteners in tongues). But after that, it is what it is. The other option is that I just leave the gaps as they are (e.g. character) and just fix the really bad holes with dowels, sand, stain/varnish. What do you think? Thanks for your help man - I'm open!
This was great, thanks for sharing!
Stefan Ravn you’re welcome!
Does the type of filler you use dictate which kind of finish you can put over it? I'm probably going for an oil finish on my floors.
Heck yeah man! This is awesome!
Thanks very much, very good video