Is this baltic pine?

[zios]

G'day timber experts!

I just had a floor sander check out my boards I would like to polish. He wasn't really sure if they were baltic pine. He said the wood grain was a bit different to what he normally sees. I'm trying to match some of the boards to have them replaced. Any help would be great.

Any advise on if I should oil or sand/gloss these 100yo boards would be great!

Thanks!!
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[namtrak]

Bit hard to be sure but looks like Baltic to me

[barney118]

They look baltic to me too. I have these in my house. Check under neath the boards can you see any pinholes? As these boards are susceptible to borers, I have them, and you end up with eaten out lines through the boards when sanded, it just adds character. You cant buy 130mm boards anymore unless they are reclaimed, they come in std 150mm boards and 90mm.

[barney118]

heres what I mean.

[Bloss]

:wts: another clue needed - how old is the house? I've seen old radiata like that and hoop pine (although it will generally not have so many knots in an older house). It'll sand up well - matching a problem though.

[zios]

:wts: another clue needed - how old is the house? I've seen old radiata like that and hoop pine (although it will generally not have so many knots in an older house). It'll sand up well - matching a problem though.

The house is in Geelong and was built 101 years ago if that helps? Do you need any other sort of image of the boards?

Thanks.

[Dusty]

Yep, on the Baltic and damn good quality stuff too, I might add.

Best bet would be to go HERE (http://www.timberzoo.com.au/) for your second-hand boards.

[zios]

Yep, on the Baltic and damn good quality stuff too, I might add.

Best bet would be to go HERE (http://www.timberzoo.com.au/) for your second-hand boards.


Thanks for the info Dusty, you're always reliable! What makes it 'good quality stuff'? How do I tell. The boards are 150mmx22mm.

The saddest thing is the back 1/3 of the house was extended many decades ago and the 27mm baltic pine had to be recently ripped up to have the house restumped/new joists/bearers etc. I got to keep the boards though.

Dusty, what would you recommend I do to restore these floors?

Many thanks!
Zios

[namtrak]

Restore them? Install them and resand them - they will come up schmicko

[zios]

Restore them? Install them and resand them - they will come up schmicko

Oh sorry, I may have confused you. I'm wondering about the installed section of the house. How much sanding is enough without destroying the patina or do I not worry about that? I read that some people say a light sand, others use an oil on top instead of a polyurethane. The floorsander guy is suggesting to put a slight tint of black in the gloss so that the boards don't go too golden has the boards age more.

With the 27mm think baltic that has been ripped up, the restumpers used a reciprocating saw to cut them off around near the skirting boards. The house frame was installed on top of the floorboards. There is now about a 1-2inch area of board hanging from the wall. If I re-install them I'll have a cutout line around each wall of the 4 rooms. Thoughts on what to do?

zios

[barney118]

As soon as they start sanding the boards will be very light, I had a tint put in mine to give the golden look. Are you sure they are 27mm, as mine are 22mm both the 130 wide and 150 wide new ones.





With the 27mm think baltic that has been ripped up, the restumpers used a reciprocating saw to cut them off around near the skirting boards. The house frame was installed on top of the floorboards. There is now about a 1-2inch area of board hanging from the wall. If I re-install them I'll have a cutout line around each wall of the 4 rooms. Thoughts on what to do?

zios

Bit confused here, Not sure of the set up of this extension without pictures, Given you have wide boards they should be top nailed
So I would be looking closely at the wall frame that has been installed ontop of the boards, but generally the floors are fitted, that is directly to the joists with a gap of 10mm to the wall unless it has been fitted ontop of chipboard. But this can be done too.

If you are removing walls and have a gap between, then just nail a board down and trim the ends straight and install a board to fill the hole.

[goldie1]

With the 27mm think baltic that has been ripped up, the restumpers used a reciprocating saw to cut them off around near the skirting boards. The house frame was installed on top of the floorboards. There is now about a 1-2inch area of board hanging from the wall. If I re-install them I'll have a cutout line around each wall of the 4 rooms. Thoughts on what to do?

zios
If the boards were cut flush with the skirting they are now to short as the ends do not reach the joists. You could add a

joist on the two ends to give them support and cover the cut ends with a quad added to the base of the skirting.

Or source some more boards and reconfigure the whole floor using a mix of the old and the extra boards

[Bloss]

Yep, on the Baltic and damn good quality stuff too, I might add.

Best bet would be to go HERE (http://www.timberzoo.com.au/) for your second-hand boards.

:whs:that age and place sure is

[zios]

Yep, on the Baltic and damn good quality stuff too, I might add.

Best bet would be to go HERE (http://www.timberzoo.com.au/) for your second-hand boards.

Hi again. How do I tell if they are standard Baltic or red Baltic pine boards?

[Sherman]

Sand a section back and even by putting some water on it the timber will come up with a pink tinge to it if red baltic. you will need to sand to level and get rid of paint marks etc before treating. the oil suggesstion is good because you can rejuvenate at a later stage without sanding back each time which will prolong the life of your boards. If you can get old boards down your way, there are a number of suppiers in Melb that do have the 22 mm boards. re the colour, it will depend on what you want. the clear will highlight the colur of the timber and if you want a stain, you can use one. if you have a lot of natural light then a dark stain is ok but if not, it can make the rooms look much smaller. GALLERY - Anro Floorcare (http://www.anrofloorcare.com.au/gallery2) not sure if the link will work but there is a baltic, same age as your, house was in Hawthorn though and it is treated in a clear oil.

[Dusty]

Hi again. How do I tell if they are standard Baltic or red Baltic pine boards?

They are all standard Baltic whether they're red, brown or yellow. It's simply just a different colour. The red boards (which I reckon you have) are far denser, with tighter grain and therefore sand up beautifully.

If you are trying to source similar toned boards the best bet is to take a piece of your own flooring to the second-hand yard(s) and spend some time with someone there, matching it up as best you can. The piece you take with you as a source match would be best if half of it was just clean sanded and the other half sanded and coated. This will help the workers at the yard find you the correct boards.

The following link HERE (https://plus.google.com/photos/115949346423495632626/albums/5740447765347607265?authkey=CKKO3o-As4fUdQ) show a red Baltic Pine floor - properly coated with two pac polyurethane. Although, over the years I've sanded and finished many a bit darker than this one, it still gives you a fair indication of how it can look if it's done well. In the fourth photograph you can see a couple of boards that had been put into the floor at some stage which are of the yellow variety. They stand out like dog's thumbs against the rest of the floor.