Wood Porn ... got me hooked!!

I am one of those sad blokes that comment and appreciate a well stacked wood pile drying beautifully in the sun. I pick up random bits of wood when out walking the dog to bring home, sand down and restore with Danish oil . Driftwood that I can use in the house is a major plus and when out with my chainsaw I have been known to bring back interesting trunks of wood with wacky grain .

So when faced by 160 to 200 year old pine wooden floorboards covered with carpet, lead paint, lino, old varnish I can see the beauty within. Fabulous wood needs to be brought back to life and below is a list of how you do it

1. Strip off all old floor coverings noting any nail attachments

2. Carefully on your hands and knees check for wet or dry rot and any boards that need replacing or treating for woodworm

3. With a hammer and your hands clad in builders gloves check for any protruding nails and knock them just below the surface of the wood with power or a nail punch

4. I believe it is cheaper if you have 3 or more rooms to sand to buy your own floor belt sander which is a good make and about £100 such as a Makita or Bosch 4 inch belt sander with dust bag

5. I start with a 40 grit paper and work down to 80 grit which is finer and for really smooth finishes 120 grit can be used but be careful your floor is not so smooth it is slippy

6. My technique which I call the Tiger method is to sand with the grain and find interesting knots and colour variations and grade my sanding so you have dark to lighter areas which when wax oiled can produce a wonderful tiger striation

7. I have tried all the stains and varnishes in previous restorations and have landed on a brilliant product called Osmo Polyx which is a vegetable based wax oil .

8. I love to see the change in the wood colour with both natural and artifical light and I use a Osmo Polyx Amber tint which is like warm honey and reacts fabulously with sunlight

9. The best technique is to use a small amount on a quality brush and work into the grain until you have the desired colour and highlighted grain

10. Amazingly a 750ml tin of Amber 3072 covered 1.5 normal size bed rooms of 4 metres x 4 metres

11. The Osmo Polyx manufacturers then recommend 2 coats of clear satin or clear matt to seal the floor and continue to bring out the wonderful natural wood colour. A 2.5 litre tin at £75 covered 3 bedrooms for 2 coats and the final result is great

Floor sanding below - I start with the belt sander then use a hand sander for the edges and sections that are not level and have not been sanded properly by the belt sander