Wooden floorboards - knots splitting

[pejoli]

Moved into a Victorian house last year - no carpets and the floorboards(pine I think, though quite wide 25 cm planks ) stained a walnut colour - looks very nice.

However, we're finding that the knots in the wood are starting to 'flake' - not sure the terms to use, basically the layers of wood in a knot that have a big cross section are delaminating, so catch on things like a computer chair, or even walking in socks and get broken off.

Anything I can do about this - should I be treating the floor with something to help preserve/prevent this. Where layers of wood are starting to lift, is there an easy or best way to stick them back down (other than just wood glue) to help them last longer?

Thanks, and let me know if above doesn't make sense, or pictures are needed.

 

[AronSearle]

You can get shelling of wood fibres, which kind of sounds what you are experiencing, but it doesn't happen around knots, knots can just stick out or crack, but not 'flake'.

Generally with wood it is sand / fill, to fix most finish problems.

Otherwise pics.

 

[pejoli]

Hopefully these show what I'm talking about

Untitled

• pejoli
• 25 Apr 2015
• 1

Untitled

• pejoli
• 25 Apr 2015
• 1

 

[AronSearle]

Yes, that's shelling, but those are not knots, which clears up the confusion.

All you can do is sand them, shelling is the layers of the wood separating and sometimes happens on the flat-sawn face.

Sealing the timber in may help bind them, but it doesn't always work and sometimes you have to sand a bit more.