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Oak floors, etc.

| Posted in General Discussion on November 20, 2003 06:04am

Hi,

I’m renovating a 1950 house in central Texas.  I pulled up the old carpet to reveal the oak floors beneath, which I plan to reclaim.  They are in fine shape with a couple of problems.  First, the carpet installer squirted glue under his pad.  It’s not everywhere like mastic, but just squirts here and there.  I’d appreciate suggestions about how to get this up without having to sand down the floors and refinish them.

The second problem is that apparently this house had termites at some time in the past.  Two of the oak boards (4 inches wide) have been eaten out.  The little buggers ate everything below the varnish, leaving a thin layer of varnish soaked wood over the hole.  These areas are only one board wide and maybe 6 inches long.  I’d prefer not to start trying to piece in a patch.  Sounds tough to get the level and color right.  Any suggestions on a putty to use and a way to use it?

My final question is on a different subject altogether.  I’m building a shelf out of MDF with a rounded over edge.  It will be painted black.  I’m looking for suggestions for how to finish the MDF so that it will be smooth and somewhat moisture resistant.  I’m thinking of an oil based primer so the grain doesn’t rise, with just a latex enamel on top, but I’m not sure that the routed edges will be very smooth. 

Thanks for the help.

Frank

Reply

Replies

  1. csnow | Nov 20, 2003 06:52pm | #1

    Glue could be anything. Try a scraper or a razor blade.  Then sandpaper.  Any solvent is likely to eat the finish you are trying to preserve.

    That termite damage sounds fatal.  Even if you wanted to attempt an epoxy repair, it would be easier to do this with the sections on a bench.

    Sometimes you can 'harvest' some matching flooring pieces from a closet, under a cabinet, or somesuch.  Patching is not as tough as one might think.

    You might reconsider refinishing the floors.  Not terribly expensive, and usually a very impressive transformation.

  2. caseyr | Nov 20, 2003 08:05pm | #2

    You might give something like Goof-Off a shot.  It is primarily for removing old latex paint and the adhesive from labels.  I doubt that the odds are all that good, but it is probably worth a shot.

    http://www.goof-off.com/goofoff/PRODUCTS/goofoff.html

    I have mixed feelings about trying to repair the termite damaged area.  I think it is possible but it might be tricky and the area will be much more difficult to replace once you fill it with epoxy and it doesn't work.  If I were to try it, I would try to fill the void as much as possible with a carefully shaped piece of wood.  Then I would use one of the double barreled syringe type epoxy applicators to put a layer of epoxy up in the area and then press the shaped wood in place, supporting it until the epoxy set up. 

    Actually, I even though I am a fan of epoxy and have used it successfuly to restore dry rotted wood, I would probably try and replace.  I am not quite sure just what your situation is, however, since most hardwood floors I have seen are on a subfloor which would prevent you from seeing that the termites had eaten the lower part of the oak flooring unless they had also eaten away most of the subfloor so you could look up from below. 

    If the oak floor is not tongue and grooved and is face nailed, then replacement should be pretty easy.  I didn't have any trouble on mine getting the level correct, but the color was not a complete match.  The replacement oak floor pieces I got were slightly thinner than the old so I had to use some paper shims to bring them up to the same level.  Tongue and groove flooring would be somewhat trickier and I will leave an explanation of how to do that to someone with more experience... 

  3. User avater
    CapnMac | Nov 20, 2003 10:29pm | #3

    Fix the termite damage with wood from a closet, or other hidden area.  You will need to sand & refinish under the glue in all probability anyway.  Getting wood from the same era means a better grain & color match.

    For the mdf, use a good grade sanding sealer.  Spraying it on gives a nice uniform finish.  Seall all of the sides while you are at it.  Then finish with the black paint.  Use sharp, preferably brand new bits for the round over, too.  That will give the cleanest cut.

    Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

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