How to Seal Wooden Floorboards
- 1). Use your hammer and counterpunch to knock down any raised nail heads on the floor. Vacuum thoroughly.
- 2). Wipe the whole floor with tackcloths to take up any remaining dust.
- 3). Stir your varnish or polyurethane gently (don’t shake it). Pour a narrow puddle in the corner of the room farthest from the door. The puddle should be about the size of the pad of your gloss applicator and should run perpendicular to the direction the floorboards.
- 4). Place the gloss applicator into the puddle and pull it slowly backward, with the direction of the boards. Add more gloss as needed, continuing tp [ull it over the floor. Work your way across the room in courses, until you’re backing out the door.
- 5). Let the gloss dry overnight. Sand it with 240-grit sandpaper, using light, fast strokes with the direction of the boards to dull the shine. This will allow the second coat of gloss to stick. Wipe up the dust with tackcloths.
- 6). Add a second layer of gloss in the same manner as you did the first. Let it dry, sand it and apply a third coat. Let the third coat dry for at least 48 hours before using the floor.
