Any ideas for my Old Wide Wooden Plank Floors?
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i am renting a house and definitely do not want to put money into it. I have hard wood floors throughout the rest of the home which are the newer tight fitting ones. The ones in my kitchen are wider and they have gaps in between each peice of wood that collects dirt, dog hair... anything. I have tried everything. Sat on the floor with a knife scraping each space but my back I can't sit for too long. I just bought the bissell cross wave that vacuums and washes with little bristles thinking that would get into the spaces. Any ideas? Thanks.
possibly you could caulk in between, use wood putty or something that will stay in the grooves. I have a floor that had big gaps and ended up gluing tiny dowel rods in the gaps
A BRASS wire brush would get in between the grooves and clean them out. Brass is soft and shouldn't damage the wood. If your landlord will allow, you can fill the grooves with wood putty, but it may pop out over time. You could mix sawdust, if you can get some, with polyurethane and fill the cracks. Less chance of popping out.
Wood turners use CA Glue (cyanoacrylate, it is a type of super glue). Put the saw dust in first carefully drip the glue in the crack over the sawdust. Practice first, it comes out really fast. You will also want to see if you like the look.
Years ago we had this type of floor in our kitchen and dining area. Couldn't keep it clean even using the crevice tool on the shop vac to clean the spaces. Finally bought a large indoor/outdoor rug (you can take it outside to clean if you want) that was impervious to spills and other messes my kids made. It was a good investment and held up for years. I wouldn't put too much work into the floor itself unless your landlord is helping you physically or financially. The trouble with floors like this is they look kind of cool until you have to live with them.
if there is a basement underneath, can you see the light between the cracks? that floor looks a lot like the old farmhouse my aunt had. it was a sub floor and meant to have another layer of floor cover over it. i'd get a large rug maybe an indoor out door type and call it good- if/when you move.. it can go with you. the indoor out door type can be taken outside and hit with a water hose if needed. if you like to paint- you can paint the back of flooring sheet goods to suite your style. think remnants.
Thank you all!! 😊😊
I would buy some wood filler.. or even spackle or caulking to fill in the gaps! A little of your own $ = less time cleaning
And the home owners might deduct the cost from your rent!
I loved my historic farmhouse and it's kitchen floor.s A stiff broom worked for me.
The rug is a good idea but you can also get a piece of lineoleum or a painters tarp and paint either to match your kitchen. There are lots of instructions on-line for doing both of these.
All the ideas are great. Wood filler sounds the best if you don't want a rug. Applying wood filler get v shape piece of material to push into grove. Like a plastic business card. Hope that works for you ?
Believe it or not, I saw a fix for this on the PBS show, This Old House. If I remember correctly, Tommy took rope (hemp) of the appropriate size and used something like a flat screwdriver to push the rope into the cracks.
Bissell cross wave is definitely a great vacuum for vinyl floor. However, you should not use too much liquid base solution to keep it clean. Carpet or rugs can be a good solution for your vinyl floor.
Seal the floor! or add a large Mat?
You can fill with wood putty. Then I would throw a rug over it to minimize issues.
Those gaps need to be fixed. You can go to the hardware store where they cut wood and they will gladly give you the saw dust. Bring a few bags. Mix the saw dust with wood glue and fill in gaps. When completely dry. Use a hand sander and sand down to the level of the other planks.