A reader tip on filling holes in stairs after rot dug out

A reader tip on filling holes in stairs after rot dug out

Apply the preservative first, let it dry, follow with the restorer, and finish with primer and color coat.

What I haven't been able to find is a good filler, especially one that will match the rich reddish golden tone of the fir after it reverts to its natural color.

[...] a reader called us to task for our advice on looking for an interim solution to her deteriorated fir floors:

In responding to a reader with an 1875 house, I think you left out a very important point telling those people how to sand their tongue-and-groove softwood floors.

If their planks had some cupping, which is likely, and if their floors had been sanded at least once before, which is also likely, there is a good chance that they are going to sand through the edges where the grooves are, generating splinters and exposing the tongues, thus destroying the structure of the tongue and groove.