The Kitchen Floor Finish

Last week we got the new pine floors installed. After letting the floor sit for a week and acclimate to the house, it was time to sand and finish. To start, I had to disassemble and remove the makeshift sink area again. At least I’m getting good at taking it out and putting it back in! With the floors cleared of stuff, I gave the floors a good vacuum and got right to sanding. I’m using a 7″ angle grinder that I’ve modified to be used as a sander. It works well but it’ll wear you out.

Wood filler

After the initial sanding, I went through and spread wood filler in all the gaps and cracks of the floor. This is the same stuff that we used in the living room floor, however, I wasn’t happy with the color in the living room. That being the case, I tinted the color with a touch of reds and yellows to orange it up a bit. Sure enough, it blends right in and you can’t even see where the filler is. After the filler was hardened, I went through and sanded a few more times with finer sandpaper and then with a less aggressive sander to get a smoother finish.

Sealer

Once the sanding was complete, it was time for the first sealer coat. I vacuumed the floors and then quickly applied a coat of amber colored sealer. This will darken up the floors a bit. After 4-5 hours, the floors were just dry enough to walk on so I went ahead and applied a second coat of the amber sealer.

The finish

After the sealer had dried overnight, I got right to sanding the floors the next morning. Wood, when initially sealed, has fibers that stand up and make the surface feel rough. This sanding is to cut down those fibers and lightly scuff the surface of the finish for better adhesion of the top coat.

Once the sanding was complete, I gave the floors a good vacuum and then applied the first top coat.

The second coat

After a few hours, the floors were able to be walked on so I went ahead and applied the second and final top coat. Time to let the floors sit overnight.

Installing the sink, again

Early Monday morning, around 6:30 AM, I reinstalled the makeshift sink area again. Oceana helped me carry in the dishwasher and hold stuff up while I made the connections. And just like that, we’ve got our makeshift kitchen back but this time with brand new floors. Progress!

That’s all, folks

That’s all for today. Thanks for following along!