Hello, Staining timber floors after floor sanding can be a tricky job. As someone has suggested, it is best to do some tests on the boards that you have. The floor sanding company that you choose should be able to do some stain samples for you if you give them the boards to experiment on. Feast Watson is a good product, but you will probably find that best stain colour for your timber floor is a blend of a couple of colours. Perhaps a blend of walnut and another colour . It really comes down to personal taste. Some contrast to other timber furniture is a good idea. Take a look at our Budget Floor Sanding Brisbane blog page for some more floor sanding information. Type "staining"into the search box, the second floor sanding blog has a couple of photos of a new timber pine floor( light colored similar to Baltic pine ) that we stained with Feast Watson prooftint, to blend in with a older floor. Hope this helps. All the best with your timber floor restoration. http://budgetfloorsanding.com.au/

I love that you're looking to invest in restoring it. I initially would have wondered whether there's still risk of it being bought by developers when you put it on the market again as they may retain the existing home to appease the heritage overlay but build others on the large block, especially if the area if growing in demand. In that case I would recommend keeping it simple, retaining cladding, just doing cosmetic changes plus fresh but inexpensive kitchen & bathroom. However, after reading your follow-up post, it sounds like you're actually going to be doing a lot with it and the integrity & heritage of the home is important to you, so I would do it well to attract a premium buyer, pricing it out of developers' budgets. In that case, avoid aluminium windows - even the more traditional style ones don't look quite right. And windows make such a statement visually so I think it would be ideal to invest in original style ones. My mum just did a renovation on a 1920s Tudor home and the windows that had to be replaced she ended up getting cheaper custom made by a local joinery than by the big Stegbars etc, but she did shop around. Alternatively there are building materials vendors/recyclers that could have good original windows, or even demolition homes listed on gumtree can come up with some great finds providing you're happy to remove yourself. And you need quite a few, I wouldn't worry about not having them identical from room to room which may be an issue finding so many matching, provided all your trims are painted say in a fresh white, they should tie in nicely together. And again, I was originally going to suggest keeping the cladding if you're doing a simple renovate to sell, however seeing all the work you're doing to the rest of the house, I'd be tempted to remove it and uncover the weather boards beneath. A once beautiful double-fronted Victorian house near me (unlike yours it was a complete dump - holes in the floor, had been derelict...) with vinyl cladding was sold last year and the new owners have removed the cladding and there was beautiful and very well preserved brick-pattern weatherboard underneath (I can't remember the name of it, it may not be common in your region). So you could have well preserved weather boards underneath. And if not, if you're both handy (and have trade friends) it is fairly straightforward and relatively inexpensive to replace them. And with your extension you'd want the weatherboards to all tie in too. It may also be easier and cheaper with wiring and insulation/sisalation too? And lastly, just make sure there's lots of light coming into that central lounge room from the adjacent rooms. Those features are amazing! Good luck! I'd love to see the progress photos!

I know of a few ways this can be done, but all depends on the job and what original adhesive was used. Water and vinegar method - allow the glue to become soft then try to pick off Acetone - let glue absorb then wipe off - careful with this as acetone will discolour your boards/remove varnish (could sand after to avoid) Warm water - wet some cloths and place them over the glued areas, allow to soften and then remove with cloth/pick off. Depending on the type of adhesive, you may be able to sand off - but beware that some adhesives will melt/clump and spread the issue further. Whatever you decide, I recommend getting a professional to come and view the works as they will be able to gauge the period it was done and thus the materials employed. Best of luck :)

My victorian cottage has had its hard wood floor boards covered in 80s carpet. I’d like to remove the carpet, sand and paint the floors white to lighten up some of the rooms. Has anyone done this? How much did it cost per room and how long should the paint last before repainting. Thanks