# Forum Home Renovation Flooring  Jarrah Floorboards Prep-work

## Cptnlnsan0

Im currently ripping up the evil vinyl thats covering my beautiful jarrah floorboards and need some advice. 
After punching the nails in can I use a "Wax Stick" to fill the holes - keeping in mind I want to use Tung Oil on it after sanding. 
And what can i do to clean up the excess glue and muck before sanding ? or do I just give it a once over with a coarse grain sandpaper? (Im going to use a PolyVac when I get to that.)  
I've never done this before so any advice would be helpful

----------


## Claw Hama

I would fill nail holes with a good quality filler rather than a wax stick I think. Then sand everything.

----------


## Christopher_940

use timbermate to fill the holes with with getting glue off sometimes it easer to run machine straight across the boards the go on 45 deg angle with corse paper 24 or 36 grit make shure u clean the wheels off and drum off to with a corner scraper /stanley knife blade otherwise if the is bits of glue on either u may get ripple marks or the drum may chatter and floor with look like sh*t oh and make shure u checks for tiny little tacks and nails especial around the edges use ur hand dont go to fast thou (hurts like hell) u may not have any thou seing as its got glue on it but better to be safe then sorry as new drums arnt cheap

----------


## Stomies

Use Jarrah putty. Not sure about Tung Oil but TREATEX is good
Good luck :Biggrin thumb:

----------


## Cptnlnsan0

Whats "TREATEX"??

----------


## namtrak

Treatex is a Hardwax Oil supplied in Oz by whittlewaxes.com.au 
It is a super product, and i am about to run some over a Jarrah floor over here.

----------


## TimDavis

Don't bother filling nail holes untill just before fine sanding. Do all the heavy stuff first or the machine and course paper will rip nine tenths of the filler out. Use Timbermate, Jarrah colour, maybe even walnut colour if its very old timber. Timbermate's jarrah tint is a bit pink, good for new timber but old jarrah wood is very dark.
Scrape as much old adhesive off the floor, it's a pain in the neck, then soak the floor with kerosene and start sanding. Be carefull, kero makes the contact adhesive slippery.
As Christopher says, clean the machine wheels regularly, the bits of glue stick to everything and cause the machine to bump along and leave chatter marks, or worse. Another trick is to wind a couple of layers of masking tape around the wheels first, sand until the wheels clog up, take the tape off, put some more on and sand some more etc. etc.
Any thoughts on what brand of tung oil?
Treatex is what they call a hard wax coating. Never used it myself but know that a few blokes had trouble getting even finishes with it in its early days. Thats not to say it's a bad product. New products often have teething problems, or should I say the people using them do.

----------


## Cptnlnsan0

I haven't heard any mention of the kerosene before sanding -  can you tell me any more about this ? I would have thought it would damage the wood. As Im using Tung oil wouldn't it be best to minimize the use of products on the floor ?  
Also, I was looking at "TimberCare Tung Oil" and they have a Primer product for use before applying the Tung Oil - has anyone used it ? is this advisable or is it best to just give an extra coat of Tung Oil ??  
I have too many questions !!!

----------


## Cptnlnsan0

I'm not convinced TREATEX is the best thing for me, As it is available in colours it doesn't sound like it will work directly with the natural effects of the jarrah - I want the most natural finish possible and the least glossy. 
But thanks for the info.

----------


## namtrak

Ring Giles at Whittlewaxes.com.au and pick his brains about the product.  The colour addition is only an option.  In Canberra around 80% of floors are Radiata pine which is a terribly bland looking floor, the best product I have found for giving life to the floor has been the Treatex - a very natural finish (I dont use the colours) 
Anyway - all the best

----------


## TimDavis

I sand every floor with kerosene. It's an old technique that not many bother with or know about these days. It won't affect the timber at all and will ease the removal of the old adhesive.
The best floor I ever sanded was over 100 year old jarrah that I finished with one coat of Lobasol Oil, nothing more. Contact Brett at Swadesir in Melbourne (mention me if you like). This is as close to natural as you can get. Lobasol requires maintenance but this is as simple as a quick wipe with the thin and fast drying maintenance oil. It can be waxed if you want but I don't bother.
See post titled "Here is my dilemma" on the opening page, then page five of the post. There is an unfortunately poor phone camera shot of the above floor there. The oil had barely dried and still looked a bit shiny. A day later it was completely matt.
Lobasol is a totally natural product. Lot's of the others claim to be but they've still got all sorts of nasties in them, just a bit less than the others, that don't even attempt to make the claim.

----------


## namtrak

Thats great info Tim, how do you do the kero sand?  Is it on every floor or just every floor with glue?  Sounds intriguing 
I am still getting lost with all the finishes.  I have been using the Treatex and have found it top notch, but then I was in a timber yard the other day and they sell a product called 
 						 						 							OSMO Polyx®-Oil - when I mentioned Treatex they got all huffy and said that Treatex is made by engineers who left the OSMO mob to start their own business - go figure. 
Cheers

----------


## TimDavis

I mop the whole floor down with kero first. I do this on every floor I sand other than very good and clean new floors where the first cut is with the grain at 60 or 80 grit. The kero eases the removal of old coatings and adhesives, especially black stuff, the paper seems to last longer as the surface timber is softened and the paper doesn't clog as fast. Kero helps remove tannins and impurities that can cause coating rejection problems later. It seems to soften the timber and the very coarse paper doesn't leave lines as badly as it does without kero. With kero I can see any unsanded spots after each pass as they're still wet and the sanded areas are dry. Likewise when sanding out cross grain marks the lines stand out much more clearly with kero and I know they're sanded out if the floor is dry after a pass, the kero only soaks in about as deep as the machine sands. I use it right up to the fine sand, with the grain run, which I do dry.
It doesn't seem to make edging any easier so I don't bother wetting the edges, or prior to the Canterbury run.
Large areas done across the grain for one reason or another, where it is vital to remove cross-grain marks I find kero essential. I start with say 24-36 grit, then kero again, then 80 grit slowy untill all the kero is off, then I can be sure the 24-36 lines are out. It's then fairly easy to polvac out the 80 lines (dry).
Been doing it this way for 20 years.
As to the number of products out there, it's mind boggling. They all reckon theirs is better than the others, and they all make some pretty incredible and sometimes false or misleading claims. Me, I just stick to the few I've been using for years. The only times I encounter problems is when I believe some slick sales rep and try something new or an owner insists his product is best.

----------


## TimDavis

Big drawback with kero is that it stinks. Its not super toxic but I wear a respirator regardless.

----------


## Christopher_940

id go for the tretex its good stuff have used it on a couple of jobs

----------

