Filling the gap

I worked out we have clocked up a total of 11 hours with 2 pairs of hands on the latest job. What on earth could take so long you ask? Filling in the gap between the floorboards thats what! Obsessed, yes maybe a little but whose going to have a perfectly smooth floor with no dust or dirt getting stuck down the cracks - we are!

We learnt from experience doing the last room that if you fill in the gap it keeps the dust out and makes sweeping easier as it’s a smooth surface. There’s nothing like experience. There’s also nothing like spending 11 hours in a small room filling holes. As you can imagine it’s a really fiddly job you need to push the filler in with your fingers and then let it set for about 10 minutes and then wipe it off. Thankfully the filler washes off easily with water otherwise we’d have poo colour stained hands. Well jarrah and walnut to be exact but either way not a good look!

With gap 

Filling bit by bit

Gap be gone



We had to throw a bit of entertainment into it and turned it into a race, we’d line up and see who could get the most done before we ran out of filler. I won each and every time. WOOHOO! Yes I've been gloating shamelessly about it all week that I can actually do something better than the master DIY-er  : )

Once the filling was done it was time to give the floorboards a light sand. Fitted out with knee pads, face mask and goggles Pete spent over 4 hours with a small handsander, going through a sanding pad about every 20 minutes until they were all smooth. The hallway had to get done as well as it joins on with the living room (including inside the hallway cupboards). Now its ready to be sealed with Tung Oil as the finishing touch, but that will be after the painting is done as we'll have to leave the floors to set for a few days without walking on them.

Its been dusty, fiddly, time consuming work for those precious floors I'm so glad we're done and now onto the next job ... drinking, shopping, PAINTING!