Hello

I am installing some used maple flooring in a walkout basement game room, family room and utility room on sleepers. It is 2 1/4 x 33/32 and was used by a univerisity to protect the basketball court floor during special events. It was not nailed, just crowded into place over the ball floor. It does have a HEAVY urethane finish on it with lot of dirt and grit from use. It has been in storage for about 15 years, banded, just as it would be from the mill. I am scraping the dirt and grit out of the tounge and groove with a paint scraper, before laying it.

My questions are...
1: Is there one type of paper better then another to sand off the thick finish.
2: Would you suggest using a wood filler paste to fill the voids, nicks and gouges or is it going to look better destressed?. It is nailing together fairly tight. If a filler, do you have a brand you would suggest.
3: The main floor of the house is Red Oak. Would the staircase going to the basement look better in oak or maple?

Thanks for the input. I am always open to other people ideas...especially those outside the box I am in.

Kin

Once the floor is completely installed, have it sanded professionaly. You can try it yourself, but the learning curve to run a big belt ot drum sander is high. You can burn threw some wood fast.

Then comes the challenge of finishing, where you have to lightly sand between coats of finish, and then rid the dust.

Have the sanding crew or yourself, trowel fill the floor before the second cut with the sander.


You could do all kinds of custom stuff on the stairs with both the Maple and the Red Oak, to tie the two species together. That is if you didn't want to use full treads.

SOLID WOOD FLOORS ARE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR BELOW GRADE INSTALLATIONS.

I totally missed that Dan!!

Especially a Maple!

I wouldn't put a solid in a basement.