Q: What is the best product to fill gaps in a hardwood floor? What is best wood filler for hardwood floors? Or putty?
I am refinishing.
A: There are a lot of different fillers on the market. I haven’t used them all. Woodwise is OK, but like most of them will crack out if there is movement between boards. The toughest one I’ve ever used is Timbermate but it is quite expensive and difficult to work with. For small, occasional gaps and nail holes I like a tube filler called Color-Rite. It comes in hundreds of tones and is easy to work with and being more of a caulking won’t pop out. There are also stain-able adhesives on the market that have a place.
Related Q: I have old, wide plank chestnut flooring in my kitchen/dining area. The boards are approx. 12′ wide and 1 1/4′ thick. The house was built in 1803. I am looking into what I need to do to prep and refinish (seal) the boards. They have not been addressed in approx. 10 yrs. They are not smooth and there are spaces between ranging from 3/8 to 1/2′. Is there a caulk of some sort that I can fill the gaps with?
A: Wow. I’d love to see that floor! You might take a look at Timbermate: www.timbermate.com
Related Q: Our old wooden floor has some very small openings (i.e. small pieces missing). What do you recommend we use to fill these small openings?
A: Any colour matched wood filler such as Color-Rite would do the trick (comes in a tube) or any wood filler which can accept stain if you need to match a particular colour. Any wood flooring retailer will carry such products.