Although wooden floors are classic, they can get cracks, gaps, and other issues with time. Many homeowners use putty to ensure longevity and restore their beauty. But it’s simple to make your own at home rather than buying pre-made ones.
Not only can DIY putty be made to precisely match the color and texture of your wooden floor, but it’s also very affordable. Making your own putty and using it to fill in larger gaps or minor scratches can be a satisfying and useful solution.
We’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of creating putty for wooden floors in this article. Your floors will look better and last longer with professional-looking results that you can accomplish with a few basic materials and a little time.
Putty application on wooden floors is a simple do-it-yourself project that can save costs and leave your floors with a polished, smooth surface. Even a novice can extend the life of the floor and improve its appearance by filling gaps, cracks, and imperfections with the correct materials and a little perseverance. To ensure that your wooden floors look their best, this article will walk you through all the necessary steps, from selecting the best putty to applying it correctly.
- Types and features of floor putty
- What are the requirements for the mixture
- How to choose the color of the putty
- How to make putty yourself
- How to level a wooden floor with PVA putty
- Video on the topic
- How to seal cracks in wooden floors
- How to seal cracks in a wooden floor before painting
- Wood putty: 2 types – acrylic and PVA glue with wood dust with your own hands
- WOOD PUTTY WITH YOUR OWN HANDS. PUTTY WOOD OWN HANDS
- How to make wood putty (grandfather"s recipe)
- Wood putty and sealing cracks
- ☑️ WOOD PUTTY. UNIQUE RECIPE FOR PREPARATION WITH YOUR OWN HANDS.
Types and features of floor putty
A large range of materials are produced by the industry to cover wooden floors.
The most widely used categories of content are:
- Acrylic (see. Acrylic putty – types, features, application). Designed to eliminate minor defects and fill joints. Feature of the coating:
- harmless to humans;
- moisture resistant;
- high plasticity, which makes it easier to work with the material.
The primary prerequisite for coating application is meticulous surface preparation; wooden floors need to be completely dry and clean. The surface will turn glossy and smooth once the composition dries.
Benefits of using acrylic putty:
- the ability to remove various defects of the wood coating;
- greases joints well;
- does not emit harmful toxins;
- does not evaporate;
- high resistance to fire.
- Oil. It consists of:
- chalk;
- oil;
- water.
One major disadvantage of the mixture is that it takes a while for it to fully harden.
Advice: In spite of this subtlety, you can use oil-based putty to create a functional and long-lasting coating that won’t deteriorate over time.
- Polymer. The composition of the coating:
- water;
- polymer materials.
The polymer material’s primary objective is:
- filling cracks;
- leveling unevenness;
- eliminating defects in wooden floors.
Benefits of this kind of putty:
- prevents dust accumulation;
- protects the treated edges of the wood from clogging.
- fills cracks that do not sag or collapse after several years of use;
- dries quickly;
- ecologically friendly.
Recommendation: Apply the mixture straight to the floorboards; polymer putty is not appropriate for treating cork wood floors.
- Solvent-based. The basis of such material is wood dust. Putty is used to treat parquet and wooden floors, including those equipped with a "warm floor" system.
The following are some benefits of the finishing material:
- the ability to process different types of wood, including exotic ones;
- unpretentious in work;
- easy to apply;
- dries very quickly.
What are the requirements for the mixture
Putty, no matter what kind, needs to possess the following qualities:
- Uniformity of texture.
- Absence of impurities and various mechanical inclusions.
- Good adhesion.
- Dry quickly.
- Coat wood well.
Advice: There has to be shrinkage in the mixture. If this attribute is lacking, the substance ought to be applied in multiple coats, thereby lengthening the duration required to complete the task.
- After drying, the coating should not crack.
- The surface should be easy to sand.
Advice: All the material’s specifications are typically included in the packaging, but you should first test the material’s qualities on a piece of wood before continuing.
How to choose the color of the putty
To putty wood that will later be painted, all you have to do is choose a composition that satisfies the specifications. However, before beginning the process, make sure the coating’s color matches the wood if you want to open it later with varnish.
Buying a pre-made composition in the desired color is the best course of action in this situation.
In the event that this isn’t feasible, there are two ways to change the shade:
- Tint the putty while it is still soft. For this, universal pigments produced by industry are used.
- Paint the finished surface, already covered with putty, with the required color.
Advice: Combine these two techniques to get the desired result.
A coating might be, for instance:
- Puttying wooden elements with a composition corresponding to the lightest tones of wood.
- Then paint the surface with a darker color to create an imitation of a natural wood pattern.
How to make putty yourself
It is not required to buy a pre-made, superior composition; you can create one at home. You can make putty with a different base by following an instruction.
- Resin mixture, which is made on a water basis.
- fill a deep container with: ozokerite – 400 grams and 200 grams of rosin;
- melt the contents;
- add ocher, which has a yellow color – 400 grams;
- mix the entire composition well until a homogeneous paste is obtained.
One compositional feature is that it must be applied hot. Before applying the mixture to a wooden surface, it should be warmed up after it hardens.
- Oil mixture. To make it:
- grind 30 grams of pumice;
- add turpentine oil – 60 grams, linseed oil – 280 grams;
- add to the composition: ammonia – 17 grams, borax – 12 grams, regular gelatin – 19 grams, water – 300 milliliters;
- mix the mixture again;
- heat up to 90°C, with constant stirring, in a water bath;
- after the mixture has reached a paste-like consistency, it is removed from the bath;
- the mixture is given time to cool, and you can start applying the coating. The material has quite good properties, and its price will be significantly lower, even for a dry composition purchased in a store.
Advice: The solution should be used up entirely after preparation because otherwise, over time, its beneficial qualities will start to fade.
- Drying oil is the basis of the putty.
Apart from drying oil, the composition consists of:
- animal glue – 100 grams;
- kerosene/varnish turpentine – 130 grams;
- liquid siccative – 30 grams;
- dry and sifted chalk;
- liquid soap.
The steps involved in making the putty are as follows:
- heat the animal glue;
- add soap;
- keep the mixture on the fire, stirring all the time;
- slowly add drying oil, siccative and turpentine to the mixture;
- add chalk at the very end.
Until the mixture has the consistency of sour cream, thoroughly mix it.
Advice: Instead of letting this composition cool, put it in a steam bath or put the solution-containing container in a hot water container.
How to level a wooden floor with PVA putty
The most unusual, but very useful, method of helping to level the floor is to putty with a mixture of PVA glue and wood sawdust. This mixture becomes extremely strong and difficult to work with after it hardens. In terms of characteristics, this mixture is comparable to chipboard; however, it is not pliable enough to be utilized as a mixture. The picture displays how to use PVA putty to level a wooden floor.
When leveling a floor in preparation for installing laminate or linoleum, this kind of mixture is used.
The following steps are involved in applying PVA putty to level a wooden floor:
- The old coating is removed.
- The floors are sanded.
- Sagging and creaking floorboards are fixed to the joists with self-tapping screws.
- Wooden slats are nailed to the floor, up to 50 centimeters apart, which will act as beacons.
- Putty is prepared from PVA glue and wood sawdust.
- The gaps between the slats are filled with a spatula with the mixture.
- Layers of putty are applied.
- The last layer of floor coating is leveled with a rule, if necessary, a mixture is added.
- The putty is left for two days to dry.
- Further finishing of the floor is carried out.
| Step | Description |
| 1. Prepare Materials | Gather wood filler, sandpaper, putty knife, and a mixing container. |
| 2. Clean the Surface | Ensure the floor is clean and free of dust and debris before applying the putty. |
| 3. Mix the Putty | Combine wood filler with water according to the instructions until you achieve a smooth consistency. |
| 4. Apply the Putty | Use the putty knife to fill gaps, cracks, and holes in the wooden floor. |
| 5. Let it Dry | Allow the putty to dry completely, following the manufacturer"s drying time recommendation. |
| 6. Sand the Surface | Once the putty is dry, sand the area smoothly to match the surrounding wood. |
| 7. Finish the Floor | Apply your desired finish, such as paint, stain, or varnish, to complete the process. |
You can successfully putty your own wooden floors if you have a little perseverance and the appropriate supplies. Your floors will look better and last longer thanks to this process that fills in cracks and guards against damage.
Don’t forget to thoroughly prep the surface before using putty. This guarantees a glossy, long-lasting finish. Give the putty enough time to dry completely after application before sanding and finishing.
You don’t need specific skills to produce results that look professional when you follow these steps. Your wooden floors will appear revitalized and poised to dazzle.
