Baltic Pine is a massive part of floor sanding in Melbourne. It was the main flooring timber used in home building since well before the turn of the twentieth century. In fact, many of the Baltic floors my wife and I restore are well over a hundred years old—and boy, some of them certainly look like it!

Over the decades, these heritage floors have been susceptible to borer and termite damage, water marks, dry rot, and rising damp. But worst of all, they’ve been the victims of horrendous renovations from the late '60s and '70s—an era of 'doing up' houses with zero regard for their history, and even less thought for their future.

Fortunately, modern homeowners are much smarter. People now go out of their way to restore character features to their original beauty, ensuring they look incredible for future generations. That is exactly where we come in.

Repairing old Baltic Pine requires a specialized touch. We have several top-end, second-hand timber suppliers at our disposal, allowing us to source the exact width, thickness, and age of the boards needed for a perfect match. This ensures our repairs tie into the existing floor seamlessly for a near-invisible result. Plus, once the damaged boards are lifted, we can access the sub-floor to add structural reinforcement, strengthening the foundations and preventing future issues down the track.

A Deep Dive Into Baltic Pine Flooring

A question we get asked a lot is...

"WHAT'S THAT BLACK STUFF AROUND THE EDGES?"  

The black stuff around the edges is known as Black Japan, and truth be told, it's a bitch to remove 

I've used kerosene as a sanding aid for many years to help me get rid of the 'Black Stuff'

When sanding off old Black Japan the heat from the friction of the sandpaper turns the Black Tar into a type of sticky gunk, which quickly clogs up the sandpaper rendering it useless. To help counter that we spray kerosene onto the Black Japan which softens it, and nullifies the stickiness of the glue, enabling us to get much further and to get better value out of our sandpaper.   The kerosene thing is a simple trick, and a robust solution

I also use it around the edges while using the smaller edging machine - as you'll see below

GAPS

The #1 Question We Get Asked About Old Baltic Pine: "Do you fill the gaps?"

The short answer? No. No, we do not.

And before you think we're just trying to skip a step, let us explain why filling those gaps is the fastest way to ruin a beautiful heritage floor. It all comes down to a bit of Melbourne history and a lot of physics.

1. The "Horse & Cart" Factor

Back when Baltic Pine was the go-to flooring choice, timber wasn't kiln-dried or moisture-tested like it is today. Honestly? Most of it was what we’d class as "sopping wet."

Tradies back then just grabbed the boards straight off the horse and cart and merrily started laying them down. Over the decades, as that trapped moisture naturally dried out, the timber shrank dramatically. The result? The massive, gaping lines you see in old Melbourne homes today.

2. The Myth of the "Quick Fix"

Every now and then, some clown thinks it’s a brilliant idea to pack those gaps full of putty. Don't fall for it.

Timber is a living, breathing material. When Melbourne’s weather does its thing, the wood moves dramatically:

• In high humidity: The boards swell up and squeeze together.

• In dry weather: The boards shrink right back down.

When you pack a rock-hard substance into a space that wants to move, something has to give. The floor undergoes an ongoing battle against the filler, and the filler always loses. Within a few seasons, that putty gets crushed, cracks, and starts popping out.

3. The Damage Left Behind

When putty fails, it doesn't just look ugly—it actively damages your home.

Once it pops loose, chunks of rock-hard filler sit on top of your beautiful new floor. All it takes is one footsteps to catch a piece, drag it along, and leave a massive scratch right across your freshly polished surface. Or worse, it gets caught under the wheels of your vacuum cleaner and acts like a piece of coarse sandpaper.

Our Philosophy: Those gaps aren't defects; they're the story of the timber. Leaving them clear keeps the floor structurally healthy, prevents future scratching, and honors the genuine heritage character of a classic Melbourne floor.

Take a look at these real-world examples:

The photos below show exactly what happens when you try to fight physics. Notice the patchy, messy look where some putty stayed stuck, while chunks have popped completely out, leaving a gritty mess behind.

All up, it's a fair bit of a nightmare 

The following are four Baltic Pine floors where Lisa and I have cleaned out all the gaps as part of our sanding process. The results leave you with a super neat floor, free from any worries about putty breaking, popping out and causing problems.

Not only that, they look great too.

Well, as you can see, I'm not a fan of putting filler between the gaps of Baltic Pine. So, what's the solution? How do we sand and finish Baltic floors AND have them looking the goods?

one of two things. 

Firstly, we can do nothing and simply sand the floor and just not worry about the gaps. Merrily focusing on the top of the boards that we can prepare and make look the goods. 

Or, secondly, we can clean the gaps out - as in, using a multitool along with a hammer and chisel to dig out and remove the debris that's caught between the boards. 

The second solution gives us a beautiful result leaving you with a great looking floor where the entire focus rests on the stunning grain and knots found on top of the floorboards. 

Well, that pretty much sums up my take on the drama surrounding whether to, or whether to not fill the gaps between an old Baltic Pine. Simply put... don't do it

Although, I'm against filling Baltic Pine gaps, I will however, fill the gaps between many of our other flooring timbers which are more stable, stronger and look like they will benefit from the effort

After reading all this, if you ask me, "could you fill the gaps between our Baltic Pine floors?" you'd better have a big cheesy grin on your face when you do so...

The collection of floors below feature transformations from start to finish, giving you a very good idea of the work that goes into sanding a Baltic Pine floor.  Also, pointing out that no matter the condition of the floor we begin with, Lisa and I will bring it back to life... It's what we do.