Much more progress today than I expected. After yesterday's painful and slow hammering, I had finished maybe 1/5 of the floor. But that 1/5, it turns out, was enough to get a sufficient amount of open space to start using the long crowbar (thanks, Dara!), and oh what a difference it made. Now I was able to pry large sheets of plywood up and move much faster. It still takes about 4 applications of water (with or without vinegar) to get all the felt glue up—it turns into an oily greenish-brown sludge, and really looks like clay mud. Almost no hammering. The upshot is that 1/2 the floor is now done, and I expect the rest can be done in about two days.
But when I say "done," I of course mean that it will then be ready for sanding and staining (I give that another day), and then polyurethane. or whatever they put on floors. And how long does that take? I expect my brother has some expert advice, and so, here are my questions:
- what kind of wood or we looking at here? pine? the photos are making it more brown, and it's actually a bit more grey...
- best stain to use with wood this color? remember, dark blue cabinets!
- how to apply the varnish, finish or whatever the urethane is called? can it go on after the stain has dried overnight?
- how much sanding is required? I know that for hardwoods, you'd want a drum sander to make everything level, but we're going for a rustic look—can I get away with just a palm sander? a belt sander? keep in mind that the total area to be sanded, stained and finished is only about 80 square feet—maybe a little less!
Not to worry, by the way—we have lots of books to answer these questions, too. But I wanted to get some opinions. Happy 4th of July to everyone!
Tomorrow the electrician is (supposedly) coming, so I won't be able to work on the floor. Goals? Cut wallboard. Buy cement board. Get kneepads?
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2 comments:
Ahh, my "expert" advice. Here we go.
1. "what kind of wood or we looking at here? pine? the photos are making it more brown, and it's actually a bit more grey..."
Looks like Douglas Fir. It will be a light wood when sanded, perhaps a bit lighter than pine.
2. "best stain to use with wood this color? remember, dark blue cabinets!"
Hell, I don't know. Water-based gel is my preference but I doubt Home Despot has it. I think your options will be "Minwax or nothing". I would personally use no stain at all, but I'm a big fan of light wood.
3. "how to apply the varnish, finish or whatever the urethane is called?"
I got a spectacular finish on our stepfather's stairs using water-based urethane. I used my trusty spray gun and compressor. I'm a big fan of spray guns but I doubt you have one, or a compressor, or a respirator. So you'll probably be brushing it on. Most are designed for this.
4. "can it go on after the stain has dried overnight?"
It can go on as soon as the stain dries, certainly within an hour.
5. "how much sanding is required?"
More than you could believe possible. Enough to make you want to burn the whole house down and buy an RV, touring the nation with a broken heart and shattered dreams, living in Wal-Mart parking lots...remembering the days when you were a human being with dignity and dreams, not some burned-out shell of a man with a sander seemingly forever bonded to your right hand.
6. "I know that for hardwoods, you'd want a drum sander to make everything level, but we're going for a rustic look—can I get away with just a palm sander? a belt sander? keep in mind that the total area to be sanded, stained and finished is only about 80 square feet—maybe a little less!"
Rustic = drunken hillbilly with no depth perception "remodeling" his broken-down shack so "the welfare" won't take the kids away again.
The right way to do this, as you already know, is a drum sander, rented. Since you're seemingly hell-bent on doing it the wrong way, at least use a belt sander. You use a palm sander on this, you might finish up by September. Plus a belt sander will at least give you some chance of a semi-level floor.
Sand with the grain, not across it.
Get a couple of different belts, one "grit" of probably 60 or so, the other rated about 150-180 "grit" to finish up with and get some of the monstrous 60-grit scratches out of the wood. Avoid sanding your hand or face.
So, I gather I'm sanding off the top two feet of floor?
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