How to fill small gaps in Herringbone flooring

[_Alex_]

Hi,

 

I am installing glued Herringbone flooring. I followed advice from a professional builder who adviced to do the central row, let it dry overnight and continue the day after. I used a laser and watched a lot of decent videos on how to do it. However, as a DIY doing it for the first time I have some small gaps (see photo below).

 

After some googling I can see there are several options to fill the gaps but I am not sure which one is better. All follow the approach below:

 

• Sand the floor with a 100 / 120 grit and keep the wood dust.
• Mix the wood dust (prepare a thick consistent mix) with either:
•     Solvent-based wood filler (Berger Seidle Solvseal Pafuki Super).
•     Water-based wood filler (Bona Mix & Fill, can fill gaps up to 2mm).
• Spread it with a trowel filling the gaps. Let it dry.
• Finally, sand again.

 

Question 1: Are there any options to fill those gaps which preserve the wood colour? (I can see in some cases the wood loses a lot of colour, perhaps is a wrong understanding from my side).
Question 2: Are there any approaches where I fill gap by gap (as I don't have many).

Question 3: The floorboards I use have a small indent at the edge (see photo below). Would this be bad for any filling method?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice!
Alex

 

[_Alex_]

P.S. The Herringbone flooring is engineered wood.

[Big Jimbo]

The flooring also has a micro bevel edge. I have laid solid oak herringbone flooring, and used the old dust and glue method to seal up small gaps.

If you try doing that, you are going to have to try and put the micro bevel back in. Sounds like a nightmare. I'd leave well alone if your gaps are as small as that shown.

[_Alex_]

10 hours ago, Big Jimbo said:

The flooring also has a micro bevel edge. I have laid solid oak herringbone flooring, and used the old dust and glue method to seal up small gaps.

If you try doing that, you are going to have to try and put the micro bevel back in. Sounds like a nightmare. I'd leave well alone if your gaps are as small as that shown.

 

Thank you so much @Big Jimbo for your help!

 

I am ignorant but agree adding the micro bevel back sounds like a nightmare.

 

I wonder if there is a way to cover or fill those gaps one by one keeping (more or less) the micro bevel. What I can think of:

• Use masking tape around one gap.
• Fill the gap with the wood dust + wood filler mix (I would generate the wood dust by sanding the spare floor boards I have from the floor installation separately, so I do not touch the installed ones).
• Then use some "V" shaped tool which allows to cut a shape similar to the micro bevel? I would do some experiments on a few floorboards I would prepare separately with small gaps on purpose, to see how well it works (or if it works at all  ).

Alex

[Alan Ambrose]

I might procrastinate and think wabi sabi for a bit - it may be that you grow to not notice them or appreciate the patina. Some of the most desirable antiques are all over the place. Otherwise the dust, glue and pointy thing will work, although those are already sealed no?, so you might have to reseal them if you sand the surface.

[markc]

Don’t worry about it. The floor is going to move over time and small “gaps” will never be noticed by anyone else plus they soon fill with dust etc and are forgotten.

[Alan Ambrose]

A little water might be an option to close up the gaps a bit.

[_Alex_]

Thank you so much @Alan Ambrose and @markc!

 

I think for the time being I will follow your advice and ignore the gaps.