How to DIY: Sanding and varnishing floorboards

The first thing to do when you take on a large project like restoring a townhouse is to ensure that the floors are properly treated. In our case, this means removing (literally) hundreds of nails from the old floorboards before they can be sanded and varnished. The Boyfriend's Mother, who is an interior decorator and irritatingly brilliant at pretty much everything she tries, (don't believe me? Do YOU know what a balustrade is and how to fix it? I rest my case) how to has been teaching us how the professionals do it.

Get these things:

One professional to show you what to do
Hammer
Spreader
Nail pliers (curved)
Hole punch
Sander and paper
Floor varnish
Dust masks (I thought they were for wimps too - until I started choking!)
Coffee (lots of)

Do these things:

1. Remove nails from floorboards
In this case, the house hadn't been lived in for about fifty years and before that it had been carpeted. So all of the carpet tacks and various other nails and pins had to be removed from each board before sanding so that the sanding paper wouldn't tear. Try to get all of the nails out but if one is really stubborn, use a hole punch to shove it at least 3mm below the surface. This process takes hours. Literally. Hours.

Run the scraper over the floor to take up any blobs of plaster of concrete and to feel the nails.
Remove said nails with pliers.
Put nails somewhere you won't tread on them.

2. Sand the floor
This is the fun part (supposedly). Be careful not to let the sander run over the wires or you face a rather unpleasant death by electrocution. Also, put on your mask or you will choke. Trust me on this one, you'll regret toughing it out when you're coughing up sawdust later!

Plug the sander in and start in one corner. Turn it on, with the paper in the air so you don't rub a groove where you're standing. Start moving (slowly - the sander will try to run forwards with you) and run in a straight line along the floor.

When you get to the end, lift the sandpaper (to avoid grooves again), turn and do the strip next to the one you've just done. We had to go over each bit a couple of times. Complete the sanding by using a handheld machine along the edges (be careful with the skirting boards).
Get used to the fact that you won't be able to see for dust for at least half an hour after sanding.

By this point you'll be feeling like maybe carpet wasn't such a bad idea after all. However, persevere! You'll start seeing the difference almost immediately:

3. Varnish the floors

Before varnishing you need to clear the floors thoroughly, both with a broom and then with a vacuum cleaner to ensure that there is no dust left to get into the varnish. It might be an idea to vacuum twice - the second time at least a few hours after the first time to give the dust in the air time to settle. Choose your varnish and apply it using long, even sweeps with a paintbrush roller. Make sure that you don't leave it long enough to get tacky (it dries fast) but keep moving at an even pace across the floor.

The difference is unbelievable - and by doing it yourself you've saved at least £500!