Removing Ronseal Diamond Hard Wax from Floorboards

[Simon89]

Hi,

I have found a source of reclaimed pine floorboards which I plan to reuse for a forthcoming project (circa 20m2) The floorboards are currently finished with Robseal Hard Wax which I will want to remove prior to reworking and finishing with Osmo Oil.

Any thoughts on how easy this will be to remove? And how to go about it? I don’t want to plane it as I think I will loose all the patina and marking in the wood (will run over with a belt sander though)

I’m yet to buy the boards so may source some others if it is going to be a PITA to get off.

Thanks

 

[Trevanion]

A scraper plane like a Record/Stanley no 80 would be my weapon of choice. It will leave the patina in the boards and take off the finish without spending a fortune on belt sander belts because they keep clogging with hard wax.

No matter which way you do that kind of job it does take a lot of time.

 

[Osvaldd]

I made a pine bench/garden seat which I finished with BLO, it started to go moldy black soon after, I scraped the oil with a card scraper, no80 would've been easier on my hands though.

 

[custard]

A scraper plane like a Record/Stanley no 80 would be my weapon of choice. It will leave the patina in the boards and take off the finish

But patina is chiefly a property of the finish, plus it's a moot point if scraping or sanding removes most timber.

Furthermore scraping's fine for small surfaces, but for floor sized projects it's a daunting challenge. I appreciate that in times past certain wooden floors were traditionally hand scraped, but the guys that did it probably didn't see out their 40's!

So, in answer to the OP, in the first instance I'd try various solvents, if you're sure of the finish then a call to Ronseal for their advice would be a smart move. I always find finish manufacturers both knowledgeable and helpful. Plus, unlike internet forums, they tend to know what they're talking about!

 

[Simon89]

Thanks for all the advise. The thought of scraping that many boards makes me think they are not right for my project. I will get some flooring without a hard wax finish! I know I can take a floorboard down in no time with my belt sander