Hi everyone…
I humble myself to your collective knowledge…I am three years into a second career fixing homes and have acquired some good skills but obviously have much to learn…
A women I’m doing some patching/painting for wants me to rip up her carpet and restore her hardwood. The home is occupied so a total refinish is out, but not necessary anyway because the floor is in great shape. The floor doesn’t seem to have any protective sealer at all though. I don’t know what protective finish(if any) was originally applied but it seems to have worn away completely. No shine at all – perhaps an oil sealer?
I’m trying to learn what products to use to first clean the floor without removing the stain,(as she did in one spot using paint thinner) and then whether I’d be better off applying a satin polyurethane or some kind of oil?? (no shine desired)
Thanks in advance for your time and help…
Best Regards,
David Shachnow
Replies
There is a nearly dustless sanding system. Basically a giant vacuum on a trailer. Adds 50 cents to 1 dollar to the cost. I can't think of the exact name, but I think it might be Apollo. You will need to call around to find someone to do it.
It sounds like the existing finish is a penetrating oil, like tung oil.
You might want to tell what type of wood it is. You'll probably get more specific answers if you do.
there are also numerous discussions on floor finishes over on the Old House Journal discussion board.
I really like the post before mine's answer but heres another thought.
Take some denatured alcohol and see it that cuts any of the existing finish. Some of those old floors had shellac as a finish and its possible that its wore off.
I went back and re-read, you say that it appears that their isnt any finish at all, my sugestion about the shellac may be for nought.
Doug
Something to consider is the possibility of wax being the finish. Recently saw a floor that the finisher thought had no finish. He screened it (guess the screens didn't gum up?) and applied a urethane coating. You can scrape the urethane off with you fingernail. The original floors were dull, appeared to have no finish. But in this 70's house you surely wouldn't have expected no finish with carpet never being down on it.
There is a flat pad floor sander (orbital/oscillating) that is not dustless by any means, but it is not aggressive like a drum sander. You can remove the finish w/o grooving the floor quite easily.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
if she removed stain colour with spirits, my bet is that these floors were kept up with wax.
Since stripping and re-waxing twice a year was hard work, this is the maion reason so many good hadwood floors got covered up with carpet, tiles, etc during the sixties and seventies.
Since it is wax, you will not get away with taking shortcuts. You will have to stay with a wax system or totally remove the existing wax to get a new finish to bond well enough for a floor.
Short version is - yes, you can refinish a flloor while it is being lived in.
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When you say totally remove the wax, you mean starting at 80 grit or so and sanding down to bare wood, yes?
I like the wax myself. It's not as user friendly as the poly, but it does look nice. I've got two rooms finished with danish oil and paste wax.zak
"so it goes"
How can I determine for certain(if possible) whether I'm dealing with an old oil finish or an old wax finish.(or worn off poly)
I don't want to sand this floor at all, I just want to clean it and give it another coat of wax/oil/poly.
I'm concerned about what to use to clean it and whether the paste/oil/poly will take over the existing finish.
Any info/guidance or suggestions for sources(books/articles/forums) on this topic GREATLY appreciated.
Dave
if it is wax, Naphtha and rags, maybe steel wool ( unlesss you will be using water-based products - twool fibres left behind willcause rust) and elbow grease
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I believe that Formby's has furniture refinishing products that help with determining and will work with most finishes.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Whatever you do to the hardwood, be prepared to spend a lot of time pulling a few thousand pad staples out of the hardwood - and patching the holes - lol.