Hello - we want to fill the gaps between the boards of our 1930s house. I've been told of 3 different methods:
1 - Use "wood"-coloured silicone sealant
2 - Use a mixture of wallpaper paste & sawdust
3 - Use a product called Rubio mono-coat(?)
Has anyone tried any of these? Good or bad? Or can you recommend something else?

Cheers
Paul

"Wood coloured" suggests the floorboards are not covered with carpet etc.

So is this a cosmetic excercise or are you stopping draughts?

Silcone looks naff and attracts dirt through static.

Sawdust and glue is what schoolboys use to fill bad joints, it looks bad.

If you are doing this for cosmetic reasons, I wouldn't bother unless the gaps are more than 4-6mm, it'll only end up looking worse. If big gaps are the case, I'd glue strips of wood in the gaps, wedge shape in section to cater for any fluctuations and then sand the surface flat.

Fleas will lay eggs anywhere, thats a problem in itself. You must have a dog or cat, you need to deal with the fleas on animal and stop the egg laying cycle.

I once recycled a pet bed from a skip, it looked nearly new. Boy what a problem I had brought home! It took lots of nasty chemicals , but once the hose and dog were treated, the problem never reoccured.

I'd say forget the gaps in the floorboards!

Hmm - no pets, maybe they were already resident before we moved in.

Anyway, there's none in this house, so I guess we'll leave the small gaps.

Thanks all for your advice.

By the way has anyone used hardening oil on Pine boards - as we've small kids I thought it might be a good idea?

Cheers,
Paul

I've filled gaps between softwood T&G Floorboards with decorators caulk. Available in brown, white and cream.
The floor must be varnished or oiled/waxed first.

Vacuum the gaps first and squeeze the filler into the gap, further press in with a paint scraper across the gap and then wipe of surplus with a damp cloth. Do the wiping of thoroughly and only work on an area of about 1 sq. metre at a time.

I use a dark brown on a pine floor and it looks like a deck on a wooden boat. Lasts at least 15 years!

Same stuff around the perimeter stops the draught under the skirting board.

I've just been discussing this with Toby Newell, who specialises in wood floor renovation and finishing. This is what he had to say regarding filling the gaps between floorboards:

"I would try and remove all traces of silicone, if it is silicone, as nothing sticks to silicone and it may affect your finish. It's possible it is an acrylic sealant which is cheaper than silicone which is not so bad. The professional way to fill florrs is to use the sanding dust with a cellulose type lacquer to make a paste. Bona have just stopped doing theirs so the only one I know is made by Lecol it's called 7500 floor mastic filler. You may need to fill the floor three or four times if you have big gaps. Alternatively I use a novel method which I think is unique, I fill all the gaps in one go with 2 pack car body filler coloured with paint colourisers this gives a perfect fill and sands very smooth. The only problem is if you use 2 pack wood filler (same substance) already coloured it is very expensive. I think ag woodcare do a 6kg tub for around £40 which is very good, you could try that. It is quite unpleasant in vapour smell terms and sticks to everything but it really works. Normal wood filler is frankly useless, as a French polisher we only really use 2 types, either wax beaumontage for small cracks and pinholes and 2 pack wood filler all the rest just shrink and fall out."

As for the fleas: they get off their host animals and lay eggs on floors, so if you've got carpet they'll be in there, and with wooden floors, they end up in the cracks. The eggs can lie dormant for months and months, and hatching is triggered by movement--so in an empty house they won't hatch, but as soon as people move in, they will. Typically, new occupants will get flea bites on their lower legs and yes, some people are more attractive to fleas than others.

Thorough cleaning should remove them, but in practice the nasty sprays from vets work well. If you don't have dogs or cats, though, they'll soon die out as they can't live on human blood alone.

(We have stone and wood floors downstairs, and carpet only in the bedrooms which helps prevent fleas: and even with four cats and two dogs, although we never treat them, we never have problems with fleas because our house is so very cold!)

Had an outbreak of fleas from my old cat just before she died and had a real problem until getting new cats with a fresh coat of flea protection. As said they need to feed on animals and as there are no cats and dogs then you should consider the presence of rodents under the house. Hence the answer: a cat from cat protection recently treated will deal with both problems. Also timber wedges that have been allowed to dry in the room first are your best answer - also no nasty chemicals just a bit of dust as you finish the floor flush. say that with a mouthful of crisps!!

The environmental health dude will come out if asked & squirt some stuff around. It doesn't damage finishes & everything is dead as a do-do within 48 Hrs

After that I'd get a carpet & get to work looking closer @ wifeys legs ;)