How to sand & varnish floorboards part 1: preparation & sanding

Watch our step-by-step video showing how to sand and varnish floorboards, with expert advice and top tips to help you complete the job with confidence.
See the other part in this series:
Part 2: Varnishing
• How to sand & varnish ...
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[@chloedensham4809]

I love this channel, everything o search in UA-cam there is a B&Q video, everything from guttering, painting, tiling, great channel and such good how to with most questions throughly covered. 👍👍👍👍

[@bandq]

Always here to help! 🧡

[@falooo7]

Honestly best video I see about floors good quality filming and beautiful presentation

[@gregaa1]

Mix the filler with the dust. It’ll look the same as wood.

[@opontrading2289]

Good ideas, we learned more..

[@terry4144]

do not use filler if you have to fill holes use the dust and pva

[@rambamcalcam3658]

NEEDED THIS

[@bandq]

We've got your back 🙌 Keep us posted on any projects 😊

[@charlieambler1435]

Roughly how long would this all take? (asking regarding renting a sander)

[@ThunderNappy]

Roughly 2 hours and 13minutes matey

[@dylangb6021]

To think I used a manual hand held sander on my bedroom floor pmsl, took a while but there was no rush, looks good tho, thats all that matters

[@dylangb6021]

Took ages lol, thanks.. Whats the best paint for floorboards?

[@dylangb6021]

Cheers pal

[@SamS-jk6of]

The drum sander was fitted with a medium grit paper, would you go over it again with a fine grit paper as well?

[@bandq]

Hi Sam, that won't be necessary 😊 Be sure to watch part 2 to finish off your flooring! bit.ly/3ZwMBSP

[@johnc5869]

How many dust bags should I buy for an average room 20x20ft? Can't find any info on this. Also how many sheets of sandpaper?

[@bandq]

Hi, John😊! Two of our 3x4m dust sheets should do the job. For the sandpaper, it would depend on the condition of the floor but generally a 5pk of our P80 grit detail sander sheets should be fine. These can be viewed on our website under product code 3663602449003. Hope this helps!

[@natalies4751]

I just tried to use my edger but the previous owner had a runner with varnished floors on either side. The sandpaper on the edger is turning gunky and leaving scuffs (possibly burns!) on the floor! What's causing this - is it something in the varnish?

[@bandq]

Hi Natalie, it's hard to advise on this as it will more than likely be from what was on the floor beforehand. It won’t be anything in the Varnish that is causing this. The only thing that may cause this is a type of adhesive or glue. Sorry we couldn't be more helpful!

[@judybrunton2689]

I notice you only filled the biggest of the gaps between boards not all. Also there appears to be a rather large chunk missing from the surface of one of the boards near to where you are sanding in the last frames. Would I be correct in thinking that one should live with a certain amount of irregularity in the finished surface?

[@Craigo5000]

I would say so. It’s a natural wooden floor full of natural imperfections but much more character than a laminate. For the imperfections and gaps i was advised to take the sawdust and make up a mix using PVA which dries clear so the filler is the exact colour of the boards.

[@Mrlistenandlearn]

What about the gaps ?

[@jonneymendoza]

How long does it take to sand a room?

[@bandq]

This would depend on the size of the room, sorry we couldn't be more helpful!

[@jonneymendoza]

@@bandq one of the rooms that I need to sand down is approx 20sqm.

[@bandq]

Sorry for the delayed response. We've spoken with our specialist team and unfortunately this isn't something we can answer easily as there are many factors to consider to be able to determine how long this would take. Sorry we couldn't be more helpful!

[@TheMark1840]

I see none of your floorboards are fixed down to the joists in your fake room. Would this be a good idea to do so?

[@bandq]

Hi Mark, the floorboards are fixed down to the joists in this video, which is recommended to do. Please see 0:49 for how we ensure there are no protruding nail or screw heads 😊