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That didn't go according to plan, then

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That didn't go according to plan, then

Postby RogerS » 01 Aug 2019, 11:59

We bought some engineered oak floorboards from French Forest Floors and, well to be honest, the finish quality of many of them..well, most of them...leaves a lot to be desired and, yes, I should have rejected them at the time but when you've just hand offloaded 3 tons of the stuff and trying to beat the rain then ones' sense of perspective tends to go out of the window. And then all the million other "must-do's" push the issue down the priority list.

So, as my builder would say, we are where we are.

Enter Fiddes Filler Gel which I thought was the answer to my prayers. Just mix up with sawdust from the same boards, mix to a fine paste and fill the holes. Oh, yes ! Rejoice.

Perhaps not.

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Re: That didn't go according to plan, then

Postby droogs » 01 Aug 2019, 12:05

should blend in better once a finish is applied to it
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Re: That didn't go according to plan, then

Postby Robert » 01 Aug 2019, 12:10

Those second hand oak flooring planks I bought on ebay have car type grey filler in the knots. Very obvious when no finish on the board but much less so when finished.

I still filled any problem areas with clear glass fibre resin which was much less obvious. I have tried mixing it with fine sawdust from sanding but the result still looks much the same as clear resin.
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Re: That didn't go according to plan, then

Postby 9fingers » 01 Aug 2019, 13:45

Wipe it over with some white spirit to give an idea of what it will look like with a finish on.

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Re: That didn't go according to plan, then

Postby RogerS » 27 Nov 2019, 14:46

To round this one out, I developed what I think is a good solution. My objection to using the same filler for everything is that in many areas it sticks out like a sore thumb. Also a lot of the filler that French Forest used isn't stable and so I hoiked out anything that looked shenzy.

I then used the Fiddes Gel stuff and mixed it with the original sawdust used in the OP. After experimenting with stains (and cocking up..... never a good idea to mix a water based stain with an alcohol based substance...DAMHIKT :oops: ) I came to the conclusion that getting the right amount of stain was quite tricky.

So I used some earth pigments and found these much more 'controllable'. Three pots of basic mix and then add Burnt Umber earth pigment in teensy quantities and gradually adding teensy bits until I had three pots of different gradually darkening brown.

It was then a question of liberally applying bits from each pot in a random way (even in the same shake). After letting it dry I found that a fair bit had sunk below the surface to varying degrees. High spots here and there which was just what I wanted. Sanded each area down until you saw the original grain coming through here and there.

Then mixed up more gel as before and reapplied it but using different colours to the original fill at each place.

Keep repeating, the idea being basically building up a random stratum of differing coloured gel fills of varying heights so that when you finally sand it down, you end up with mottled (natural looking ?) finish.

Afraid I didn't do any 'Before' shots. :(
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Re: That didn't go according to plan, then

Postby Mike G » 27 Nov 2019, 15:37

It looks like you've bought "character oak", or QB3, which makes far and away the best floors. Without those flaws, the higher grade oak can look exceedingly dull as flooring.
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Re: That didn't go according to plan, then

Postby RogerS » 27 Nov 2019, 17:00

Mike G wrote:It looks like you've bought "character oak", or QB3, which makes far and away the best floors. Without those flaws, the higher grade oak can look exceedingly dull as flooring.


It's more like rustic TBH in places and not what one would expect in a smart sitting room TBH. I don't mind knots, pippy etc but I draw the line at massive splits.

If truth be told, I should have rejected the lot.
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Re: That didn't go according to plan, then

Postby Mike G » 27 Nov 2019, 19:28

Hmmmmm.....I'm pretty sure splits aren't in ANY grading system! It's a damn pain trying to sort this sort of thing out months later.
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Re: That didn't go according to plan, then

Postby RogerS » 27 Nov 2019, 19:46

Yup...they used very single scrap of oak available. To the extent that some have a 'hidden present'. Namely that the wood has a split going down at an angle which leaves a feather edge on the surface. You're not aware of this little gem, of course, when you lay the board but as the board 'adjusts to the fine differences in substrate, those little splits make themselves known after a few days.
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