Replies

1. 
   rez | Sep 04, 2007 10:38am | #1

   That much time and it's worth cutting some  paneling or cheap luan sheeting to fit tight on top of the flooring and tape the seams.

   We can imagine something that only exists in our heads, in a form that has no measureable, tangible reality, and make it actually occur in the real world.  Where there was nothing, now there is something.
   Forrest - makin' magic every day

2. 
   hammer1 | Sep 04, 2007 06:00pm | #2

   The first thing I would recommend is finishing the floor before you start living on it, whatever it takes. Nothing will fully protect the floor from life's mishaps if the wood is raw. There are some useful products that will help but you have to maintain their integrety and patch when necessary. !0 - 12 weeks can easily turn into 6 months, particulary when you are living in the space. Here's a link to some different floor protectors. These are used on construction sites when we need to protect various surfaces.

   http://www.pro-tect.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21&gclid=CLzbusWFqo4CFRiuQAodV3uZVA

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

3. 
   frenchy | Sep 04, 2007 09:31pm | #3

   Steve,

     Put down some shellac!

    it's insanely easy to do, takes a few moments and protects better than anything.. plus when you can get around to finishing the rest of it it will blend in perfectly. 

    I know,  shellac?   Trust me it's far greater than any other floor finish..

     It's cheap, it's fast and it has the potential to be the greatest finish you can apply.

     If you'd like to see my floor done in shellac look at 8666.13 in the archieves. That dent you see is the result of my 150 pound dog who refuses to trim his toenails, you'll notice the finish is fine even thougfh he dented the wood underneath..

    Ask me and I give you step by step instructions..

1. 
   Piffin | Sep 04, 2007 11:53pm | #5

   OK - Shellac 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

2. 
   Geoffrey | Sep 05, 2007 07:36am | #6

   Frenchy,

    just curious , but could you use the shellac now as a "protector" , but then down the road sand and finish with a poly, or does the initial use of shellac mean you're stuck with it for the duration?   TIA

                                                       Geoff

1. 
   frenchy | Sep 05, 2007 03:50pm | #7

   Geoffrey,

    absolutely! shellac is commonly used as a base coat or sanding sealer etc..

    Besides if you want to strip it off just wet it down with denatured alcohol and it will come off completely..

    I stripped a 70 year old piano that had been finished in shellac..  took me a couple of hours, several rags, and about a gallon of denatured alcohol.. If I'd been really cheap I could have squeezed out the rags and soaked them in denatured alcohol and recycled the shellac.  ;-) 

      But please understand poly will be softer and much more plastic looking.. that's why  so much satin is sold.  Trying to get it to have the richness and depth that shellac has naturally.  (It won't but that's mearely my opinion)..

    Remember fine antiques are usually refinished or touched up with shellac.. that's why shellac has the reputation it does.. because so much effort can go into finishing an antique people are overly cautious about them and treat it like it's fragle..

    It's not!  It's tough and durable and for thousands of years it's been around it was the premium finish.. only with a sizeable ad budget was poly and other finishes able to knock it off..

     

4. 
   Piffin | Sep 04, 2007 11:51pm | #4

   Sanding sealer

    

    

   Welcome to the
   Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
    where ...
   Excellence is its own reward!

5. 
   mesic | Sep 06, 2007 08:26am | #8

   I have to disagree with Frenchie here. I figure I've spent 4 to 5 years grinding off shellac. That stuff melts when a power sander hits it and it will plug up your # 4 paper. When it's an old house that has been reshellaced every couple years it not only is ugly and one shade less than black but it soon hides the grain and you don't know if you're sanding oak or maple 'till your half done. That #### even gums up your scraper.
   I don't know why shellac isn't more widely used but I do know that a professional sander would never use it for fear he may have to resand it again some day.
   It does smell good and I must admit it will protect the wood.
   I've sanded older floors than that and got everything off. If I was your sander and you asked me I'd say I'd rather you didn't put anything on it. In fact a finished floor cost about twice as much to sand.

1. 
   frenchy | Sep 09, 2007 06:55pm | #9

   mesic

     Well I solved your problem..

    Don't sand a shellaced floor.   Flood it with alcohol..    that's right!  even 100 year old shellac comes off easily with a little alcohol..

    Buy denatured alcohol if you don't want to pay the liquor tax and the cost per gallon is about 11 or 12 dollars.  Buy it in bulk and the costs drop dramatically from there..

     Mop it on, wait untill it evaporates, then go after it with a brillo type pad dipped in alcohol.. comes off so quickly you'll kick yourself.. leaves the floor completely bare and scratch free..

    If you worry about gallons of alcohol you can do smaller sections at a time.