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How big is the floor
25-30m^2.
Thanks for all this, fantastic advice. No real photos of the floor as it's being installed right now, so I'm out of the flat for the day. The work started yesterday and they did install some of the new boards. I had a look and it's pretty flat. I guess one option is to very lightly sand off any dirt etc then try a coat of oil, if the finish is ok then go ahead with subsequent coats but if not I could pay someone to sand it for me...
Cupcakes-
Hoover before any sanding too btw. And hoover lots before applying any oil. And hoover between different grits of sanding paper if you have the time.
I'd also take the time to strategise how/when you're going to finish it, as you really don't want any traffic at all in the first 12-24 hrs. And you'll be doing it 2-3 times.
On the flip side, it's a floor - so you'll probably forget about any imperfections fairly quickly.
We went for clear semi-matte, and I was happy with that. It will yellow the wood quite a bit. I'll dig out a photo in a bit for comparison (although that's on Beech rather than pine YMMV etc). -
My 2p is that if it's new, raw and already looks good don't bother with the sanding. It should only be ~£150 all in, but it's a faff to do well. If you're just taking about a few footprints and dirt just use a small random orbital sparingly in those spots.
If you do go the whole hog, as said be careful with the edge sander - it's very easy to angle it by accident so it's not perfectly flat which is how you take a gouge out.
Nef
hugo7
I like Polyx because it's a piece of piss to apply. Brush it on round the edges and do the rest with a roller. 24hrs later give it a light rub over with a non abrasive pad (although I just used a new scouring pad from the kitchen), which will lift off any dust or hair that has settled as it dries. Be careful at this stage as it will still be gummy in places so do it barefoot and don't kneel on it with your trousers as it will leave a mark. Repeat 2 or 3 times as needed.
Floor sanders can be quite unforgiving/take a bit of getting used to. Edge sanders in particular can really gouge out the floor if you're not careful (which is a separate point, that you really need both an edging and a drum sander).
It all depends how level and even the boards are once they're down. If the whole thing is in good nick and there aren't any proud edges or bits of damage that need taken back, I reckon you could do it with a belt sander and a detail sander for the edges. I did my hallway with a belt sander and that was on reclaimed beech that needed a decent bit of sanding (and is more edge than open floor). Although in a big open room a proper drum sander may be more practical
How big is the floor? I hired an edge sander in the end as the beech was too tough to be sanded even with a random orbit round the edges.
Main tips for sanding would be to work methodically through the grades of sandpaper and don't go too fine, as this will actually stop the Osmo absorbing - 180 grit should be plenty.
Sand with the grain, IE the sander should be going up and down along the length of the boards.
I also much preferred using a belt sander because I had it hooked up to my extractor which massively reduced the amount of dust produced. The edge sander I used got dust fucking everywhere, even when hooked up to the extractor. Be prepared to seal off the rest of the house completely when sanding as it's a horrible and messy process. I don't know what the going rates are near you, but getting professionals in to do the sanding often isn't a bad idea just because they'll create so much less dust and mess (and it saves you faffing around hiring sanders etc).
Be aware that no matter how careful you are, you'll fuck up bits of it if it's your first time doing it.
Also, Polyx takes about 2-3 weeks to fully harden, and you'll want to be pretty careful about not walking on it for the first 2-3 days. Clean bare feet are pretty essential during this period IME.
Got any photos of the floor?