How to Fill a Wooden Floor (Effective) 

Before you comment or email asking what filler to use, you can find out what I use and recommend (UK and US) by downloading my free eBook about the products I use. It has fillers, lacquers, oils, stains everything you need to know got to howtosandafloor.com/products/

Absolutely brilliant. My house and it's floors are over 100 years old and have been covered with carpeting for most of that time. I can't afford an artisan as yourself, but am considering it as a DIY. Working in various trades for decades, I've seen my share of hatchet jobs done to what were beautiful floors, and now deserve to be laminated over. Planning to work through your catalog here for what is a wealth of great information and clarity. Even if my wife bumps me off and completes the home renovations with the insurance, you have already imparted some priceless knowledge so that we don't get talked around.

Oh, I get it. The liquid is the filler, and the dust is just what you use for pigment. The reason you use the dust from the floor you just sanded is because it will be the best match colorwise for that room. That's awesome!

I followed floor guys for over 20 years doing the paint finals. I had no idea thats how you did this. Great job, super cool floor.

love that workmanship on the floor... its a beauty to look at

Quite a useful bit of information provided about finishing new or older hardwood flooring. Such a discovery running into your video, learning how to DIY restoration ! Super !

Top notch work mate! It is good to see a job well done.

Just got done filling my floor... THEN I found your video. Jesus man. That was amazing.

this guy's videos are the ONLY thing you should watch about refinishing a floor. really wish I had watched them all before I went through the steps. I started with sanding and cut diagonal like he said (even though everyone told me not to!) the drum sander cut away over 100 years of paint, varnish, scratches, rot, and animal piss. It took 4 or 6 passes diagonally with 24 grit. I did reach a few nails on the tongue and groove on a floor that had never been refinished, so I figure I removed just over 1/8" to 3/32" or 5 40 gallon garbage cans full of sawdust. I have a bad back and the drum sander was hurting. I tried the edge sander and was afraid I was going to mess it up when my back went out. mind you, I was not re-doing one room. I stripped carpet from 800 square feet of red oak downstairs and 400 square feet of heart pine upstairs (5 rooms plus a library/office nook). I didn't want to, but animal urine forced me to... you cannot shampoo animal urine out of carpet, pad and floor underneath. don't even bother. So I went with a 3 head orbital using 24 grit around the edges (and it took a long time (hours with each of the larger grits per room). I didn't trowel and now after a coat of sealer and 1 poly I wish I had because the gaps on the old pine are quite wide. 24 grit diagonal and with the grain, 36 grit with the grain, 60 grit with the grain, then 80 and 100 grit with the orbital. it is far from perfect. I should have done 6 or 8 passes diagonal but I was afraid of going to far after I saw nails. the oak did not cut down nearly as easily as the pine, so even though the downstairs was in much better shape, it was hard to get through the old finish and even out the floor, so it took just as long; also harder to get out any mistakes. I should have vacuumed more between passes. The larger grit can get stuck under the orbital and scratch a curly-q longer than orphan Annie's in floor and you probably wont see it later.... it looks like some insect on meth attacked the wood and ate a trail in circles over and over for 3 to 8 inches. the paper gummed up.. a lot!... I easily spent $400 on sanding paper, and since I was working 80 hours a week at my normal job, the sander rental fees were also quite expensive for the month that we had them. I don't need to trowel the oak. I'm just looking for a his video on finishing, so I can get this hell month over with and not regret all the time and money I spent if the floor comes out bad with a crappy finish job. lots of bubbles even with the lambs wool. the pine looks pretty good i'll say, but he would probably say it sucks and he is probably right. it was half the price of a professional and I started right away, not 2-3 months to book a quality professional. so where is the video for finish mate?!!!

Love this lad for what he's sharing.

Thank you for sharing your hard earned experience and know-how with us!! Excellent content and commentary on video, including your replies in text. Truly nice work. Many thanks.

Great Instruction and you made it look easy. Thanks for the video:)

excellent video!! and ben's instruction is very detailed. thanks Ben

When someone makes it look easy, you know they’ve done it a lot. Thanks for the pointers, I’m about to refinish my floors.

That was very helpful and informative as to the order of doing things too, which I was not overly sure of. So lay floor and then initial sand, make up filler, lay filler and then finish the sanding process. Got it, thanks very much from South Autralia.

That's a nice bit of work. You use that trowel like a champ. Never occurred to me to "grout" a wood floor, but it makes perfect sense. God willing, I will never have to!

FanBloodyTastic. I have Australian hardwood floors that I had Re sanded and polished downstairs in my home. The gaps were filled with a wood putty containing colour similar to the boards. Looks ok, however I believe with time this filler can “ pop” especially with heat expansion in our hot Australian summer. It’s done now. However upstairs needs Re sanding also. I’ll show this video to my sanding professional and I’ll do it myself prior to final sanding and polishing. Thank you ever so much for sharing your trade secrets with us. I wish you all the very best in every thing you do mate. Cheers, Andrew V.

I love to see a craftsman make it look like a work of art.👍

Your vids are so much more useful!! Thanks so much

The most satisfying video on the internet

Really great to see this from a pro. Thx. Cheers!

Nice demo on how it's done, thank you again.

Thank you for the excellent videos Ben. For 1st floor pine plank floorboards would you recommend a different method? I've read in some of the comments below that this kind of open fill isn't suitable for floorboards because of the seasonal contraction/expansion. FYI, we are in the UK so seasonal temperature variations aren't perhaps as great as elsewhere. If open fill isn't suitable, you've mentioned spot filling. What product would you use for that? Would you ever insert wood strips (I've seen that on other videos)? Tx!

A true artiste! I'm about to do a motorhome floor in blonde tongue and groove. Thanks for the mixing and spreading style tips.

Great video, watched it and thought i can do that. What a total mess, filler every where, had to resand the whole floor to get the filler off. Hats off to ben, that is a skill you have there.

Great video! What do you do with the leftover fill in the pile? Seems like it would harden rather quickly, so is there a concern if you don't get excess up?

Your vids are good and edited just right thanks

way to go mate! thanks from CA, USA

Awesome. Thank-you just wish I would have found your channel a couple of weeks ago. Better late than never.

Great music ;) It made the video-watching-experience that much more fun.

Love this video. Sorry if you said but 'when' in the sanding process would you do the filling? You use the 80grit dust, but would you do the filling after the 80grit sanding stage, then leave it to set, then continue with the rest of the sanding process (100grit onwards etc). OR do you do it after all sanding is done, but before the oil/lacquer goes on? Cheers EDIT: It's on his website: Before you start filling you should have completed the edge sanding to a 50 or 60 grit and sanded the main body of the floor with at least 80 grit. I sand the floor to 60 grit, empty the dust bag, then sand the floor with 80 grit. That way you have only fine dust from the 80 grit. But the advice I would give to a novice is also empty the dustbag at 80 as well, then do the 100 grit and use the 100 grit dust to fill the floor (and the 80 grit dust if your run out of 100 grit dust).

Great video, Ben... Thank you for sharing!!

Nicely made video! Very helpful! Thank you for sharing :)

This hard worker deserves a beer

Hi there, great details on the channel, I was wondering I have a parquet floor that I have sanded and it has some areas where say a 2-3mm deep strip of the parquet has stripped off over the years. It has been over varnished many years ago so in the indentation the varnish is still showing after sanding, would this be covered by using the dust filling method in this video or better to use wood filler? I am planning to change colour to a lighter stain.

Ok IAM going too say it. People do not try this at home!!lol. This guy makes it look flawless and easy. So beautifully done.

As mentioned below, that funky groove is making me reach for my flares and cigarillos!

Great music,dude....easy to work with!

I'm impressed at how little you needed for that, small gaps! I'll probably need double 😂

Cheers that was very helpful...............I feel I could give it ago lol.........Cheers Claire in South Yorkshire

Good clear instructions. Thank you

well done it looks amazing

Thanks for this info. There are lots of parquet and wood floorings from rich houses that need restoring and since coronavirus hit hard on the construction work I'll see if I can get a job with parquet flooring

Good looking results . Apparently that Herring bone design had needed filling. I just mix the fine edger dust as well with regular floor finish and it works well. Thanks

perfect! ok..what do you do after it dries? you lightly sand it and poly? what are the final steps?

This is so great thank you so much!

Marvelous videos! Thanks so much!

What kind of wood solvent sealer you use? Good job. Just got a big project today living room and dinning room. Thanks for the idea God bless

Very good job! thank you! I am going to do my house floor, but I have no experience on it. Do I start with a 60 sand papier followed by a 100 one?

mmmmm chocolate, i have to start my floor getting ideas from you has been great thanks!!!

Great job, mate. I doubt that I'd use a water-based filler, although it's safer and user-friendly, because the moisture in it would cause the wood floor pieces to swell and then shrink back after they dry, the filled voids could be left with cracks. I also suppose that floor boards up to 3/4" (19 mm) thick would cause filler to slump and/or shrink into the voids between boards and require a second application. I suppose that only a very thin mixture would allow the filler to flow to the bottom of such voids to form a stronger, more structural fill rather than a cosmetic surface filling. Thanks for the vid and the expert info. I can't wait to begin refinishing wood floors!

This is really my favourite Channel! Thanks for your nice Videos, it is very enlightening, Waiting for your latest update. Drumsnab Parkette

Hi thanks for your tips really helpful. I’m due to fill my floor tomorrow but how long do you have to wait before you can sand the floor again I assume final grit size?

Love your videos Ben. Here in New Zealand I can't get Lecol 7500, Glitsa or Bona Mix and Fill. Do you know if Osmo Wood Putty would do the trick? It's clear and can be mixed with sawdust, however I imagine it is much thicker than the Lecol you are using.

Planning on doing a pallet wood flooring a small room, thanks for this info!

Nice work, well done.

Your videos are amazing!

I'm just starting the sanding process of a reclaimed parquet herring bone patter - so will use this process to fill any gaps - what's the best process and product o then give it it's final was / finish? I don't want to look too polished or shiny when it's finished

Thanks Ben for the quick reply

Good job on filling those cracks! I like your fails video too. Thanks for sharing! I like your low key presentation and not a lot of jabbering. What wood was that?

Thanks for the video guide, I’ll be giving this a go next week. One thing, I’ve really struggled to find the knife you use to spread the filler. Are you able to share a link please?

PERFEKT Job ... thanks for d VIDEO. Very very nice 👍🤝

I have a herringbone type floor with some of the wooden planks coming loose. I could probably lift a couple of planks with a butter knife if I wanted to. What would you recommend to re-adhere the planks down to the floor?

I like the funky music especially when I'm huffing solvent.

This is a great video. How would you fill knot holes or holes more substantial from grade B wood, say holes 1 inch deep and 1 inch in diameter, or larger? Also, would this technique work well for more porous woods like Red Oak? Finally, how would you handle floors that have more than one kind of wood that are slightly different colors?

once you've filled the gaps would you then re-sand it with a fine grit pad before adding your finish to it?

Thank you for these videos!!! I have a whole house's worth of flooring to redo, and I am not nearly as intimidated as I was before. I really like this filling method. I've used similar methods making filler for woodworking projects, but I've never used a solvent. When you sand off this filler-layer, can you then re-use the dust to make more filler?

Well done, thank you or sharing.

Great video! I've got a couple of big gaps in my parquet. Maybe like 8mm wide and the length of a whole block... Could I use this to fill that gap?

Dude...you're stud man! That floor looked "meh" prior to you doing that and now it looks frickin gorgeous. I even subscribed. lol. I don't even work on floors or with wood. I work on carrs! lmao!

I liked it.. you are a hard working man.. and it seems you love your work too..this is good :)

This was great, thanks for sharing!

Very good thanks for your knowledge and time,will that be the same for a parquet floor?

Wonderful videos! You are so helpful! The only question I have is should I use filler at all on 20 year old yellow pine wood floors? They have gaps. But they tend to expand and shrink. I’m in desperate need of your advice. I can’t find much info of filling softwood floors. Thanks

Great video, with my project I'm at the filling stage so this is useful. Quick question though, once you've filled what do you do next? Another once-over with the sander? If so, how long should you leave the filler to harden before sanding?

I great vid thx very helpful so will that also give a good finish? Can you tell me what you used many thx

Heck yeah man! This is awesome!

We are installing reclaimed red oak by hand. Yes it takes time. The product originated in Arkansas, still has the info on the back of each board.

Was that a refinish job or new installation , I have some very good tips for new installations of Herron bone floors good job

Thanks very much, very good video

You are awesome. My floor is a mess. I need to replace some boards, and then sand, fill and refinish. Do you like water based or oil finishes? My floors are 90 years old and never redone

Awesome video right to the point

Hello Ben! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I tried downloading your E. book on "products to use" with no it is no longer available. I live in the USA in California and I can't find a water solvent to mix with the fine dust. Do you know what else I could use here with all the different laws in California? Thanks so much for your time.

Thanks Ben I have been studying your videos for a few weeks now planning to repair a 100 year old mahogany parquet floor. I have studied your finishing video. My question is at what stage would you fill the floor. ie after 80 grit sanding before the 120grit sanding? Also what type of lacquer do you use to finish ?

Very cool. Thanks!

I love the Broken Herringbone wood floors, what kind of wood is that though? Looks awesome!

Fantastic, thank you!

What is the good filler to use for a finished wood floor in the US? The way that you did for unfinished floor is a bit different from products offered in the retail stores here.

Question: So instead of sanding dust and wood flour cement for a filler. Could you use a tung oil and sanding dust mixture? Or a wax and sanding dust mixture (probably not that one)? Thanks!

Hi Ben Once you have completed this step. Does it need fine sanding then and then stain it? Or can you stain straight after this process?

Awesome Video!! If I tried this I would have one big mess.

Question for you given your experience. I have an old T&G floor - probably 150-200 yo. The floor is so old it was attached directly to the joists and half the joists are logs and no it isn't the subfloor... this is how they used to do it in log homes. Anyway, some of the gaps have grown so large over the years, the tongues are really showing. What to do? I've been considering everything from slivers to a method similar to that in the video. The space is air conditioned which probably helps. But I am concerned with seasonal changes (I'm in the north east US). I've heard any filler will likely crumble out over time. And it sounds like slivers aren't great to T&G (which makes sense). There is some movement in some boards which I'll likely address as well as possible from underneath (coupled with some additional fasteners in tongues). But after that, it is what it is. The other option is that I just leave the gaps as they are (e.g. character) and just fix the really bad holes with dowels, sand, stain/varnish. What do you think? Thanks for your help man - I'm open!

Okay, so you would do this after sanding. Would you need to go over it again with like a 100 or 150 grit again to get any excess filler off before staining and poly coating?

cheers for the video , once filled with Lecol, do you use the 120 grit sander to finish it off before using the hardwax oil?

if you are staining the wood floor, do you mix the stain with the dust, or stain afterwards?

Hi, I have a cork piping around the edges of my floor will this cause problems with sanding and filling? Thanks Andy

QUESTION: I have a 6" long plank board oak (from Poland) floor that was originally laid pretty green. No need to argue why that happened, it is what it is. 5 years later the floor has gaps between a 16th and a 1/4" between planks. Plus, it was weakly glued to a plaster-leveled floor compound and there are several places where I can hear a hollow sound when I rap on the top of the wood. I think the only way to 100% solve my problem is to bring in the most professional floor layers in my area and completely replace the floor with new material. However I am wondering if there is a 'diving save' option where I use the technique you described above but with two phases: 1) use a fairly liquid version so the glue gets deep into the cracks, and 2) a second normal viscosity layer for leveling the cracks. Would love to hear your thoughts and recommendations

Great work, with professional knowledge and experience . Whoever placed thumbs down absolute moron! Thumbs up buddy to all your hard work👍🤗 thank you for your videos , keep up with great work 👍

Im not sure why this is so pleasurable to watch?

Brilliant job.