Hi everyone, this is my first post, hope I have placed it in the correct topic area.
My husband and I bought a 85 year old Neo-Tudor in Brooklyn, NY and are tackling our first big project: kitchen renovation.
In terms of kitchen flooring, we removed a layer of laminate tile, then plywood, under which is an undertermined layer that is hard to identify as it is cloth-like and disintegrated. A major reason for doing this is so a door that should open into the kitchen will actually be able to (floor is currently too high).
We were surprised to see the layer under the undetermined cloth/felt like material is actually wood. It seems to be oak, though not sure as it is not totally exposed; under this is the sub floor. The cloth/felt like material seems to have serious adhered to the wood. The section we have uncovered thus far seems to not be particularly worn down.
My question is — considering this is the kitchen — is there a real possibility this floor would have a chance for a new life if sanded and polyurethane was applied? I have had a couple contractors tell me no (the plumber and the plasterer) but I have had other people disagree (friends and neighbors).
Advice/ideas welcome.
Thanks,
Laurel
Brooklyn, NY
Replies
As long as it's properly finished and maintained there's no problem with a timber floor in a Kitchen. The felt material might be a problem though -- I would get a floor finishing contractor to look at it and give you a quote. He'll soon tell you if it can't be done.
IanDG
Thanks for your response .. I am definitely going to have a contractor look at it!
I have successfully refinished 100+ year old floors like that quite a few times. As long as the wood is sound it's no problem to do. I just stripped off a number of layers of floor covering in my present 1896 house and I'm thinking about sanding and finishing the nice old heart pine I discovered.
I don't know what the fibrous stuff you found was... It could something as simple as oilcloth that was used back then. Like someone else said; I'd get a quote from an experienced floor refinisher. By the way, If you are thinking of sanding it yourself: Rental floor sanders usually suck, and do a lousy job. It's worth paying a pro to at least do the sanding.
Thanks for your response! I think a contractor is the only way to go in this case! But your answer gives me some hope ... I have a few pics if you have any interest:
http://www.zapix.com/laurel/index2.html
You'd have to get enough of the old crud off to get a decent look. The cloth could be a floor cloth or possibly genuine linoleum. The original owners may have put it down for style or installed it because the hardwood had some issues.
You're likely to find a good amount of unusual holes and artifacts from previous remodels in the hardwood. If there is any black sticky tar-like glue under there, be careful because it may contain asbestos. If you don't mind a floor with "character", it could work out. The hard part is stripping all the old gunk. Most has to be removed before any attempt at sanding. It will clog the paper instantly. There are such things as vibrating floor scrapers. A knife blade about a foot wide that will take off the worst of the crud. See if you can rent one. If not, a manual floor scraper is the next option. An orbital floor sander (square pad - not a round buffer) is easy to control. Much slower than a drum sander but much safer. Won't put huge divots in the floor.
I'd bet you won't be able to make a good decision until you have the floor at least rough sanded. Just a lot of messy manual labor. After that, the finishing part is easy. Even if you put a new floor on top, better not to install it on top of 6 other layers of old flooring.
Thanks for your response and suggestions. I think you are absolutely correct in terms of having it at least partially sanded. From the time I put in, I know it will be a long tedious job, but I think I will go forward with it as I think the potential is definitely there! I have a few pics here if you are interested: http://www.zapix.com/laurel/index2.html
L-O,
I have saved old floors no other floor guys would touch.
I question whether your kitchen floor is oak. Most kitchen floors of that age were pine, as they were intended to be covered. They may even be heart pine, which would make them more valuable than any other floor in the house.
You may be seeing the old car decking (subfloor). They were most often run on a diagonal to the joists, in that case they aren't worth messing with unless the house contains some sort of historical significance.
Get the best floor guy you can find. Check out http://www.nwfa.org for a contractor in your area.
I have saved a few of these floors. I generally charge double or triple my standard sq. ft. price.
Here are 2 that were saved: One required a border fix as walls were removed. Both had either multiple coats of paint or mastic or both.
Ditch
Thos foors in the pics you send are amazing! Absolutely beautiful! Thanks for sending them. I can see why anyone would need to charge double or triple considering the amount of work the restoration would involve. I am definitely going to find a contractor to talk with after I proceed a little further with inspecting the floor. I have some pics of it here:
http://www.zapix.com/laurel/index2.html
Laurel
I'm in cold Spring Harbor on Long Island here in NY.
Originally from Flatbush and Nostrand in Brklyn.
I'm restoring and adding onto a 325 year old house.
The timber framing and some of the floors are in fact oak that will also need refinishing (floors).
I see no problem in doing so.
I've done quite a bit already on the existing house.
Some floors were too messed with to redo so I went over them with wide plank pine and hand made nails that I "face" nailed.
The simple solution would be to wear a serious face mask, fans in the window to blow the dust out, and belt sand a small area to see what comes up.
Thats what I did.
Some rooms look great and othere were no way worth it.
Be well vented
andy
The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Hi Andy,
Thanks for your response. I am actually not that far from Nostrand ... I am in Lefferts Manor between Fltabush & Bedford! The photos on your website are wounderful, your work/craftsmanship is really impressive!
I am going to go forward with the floor, hopefully will find a contractor. I need to really have a close look at the entire floor though first and am proceeding with that at the moment.
I have these pics if it interests you:
http://www.zapix.com/laurel/index2.html
Bedford.......I think thats where I lived....It was an aweful long time ago.
PS...Hope youre gonna remove the studs and keep the brick walls.
My website aint the house I'm in now.the one I'm in now is a trifle older but thanks for the compliment.
BE well
andyThe secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Laurel,
I grew up a few miles from Andy, and have seen great things done with the oak floors common to old Brooklyn houses - I would have no qualms about refinishing most for a kitchen. I have also lived with wood floor kitchens, and had no problems.
I recently had occaision to use a good floor guy nearby (Bay Ridge, if you know where that is) who does excellent work and will also do repairs if there is some damage. Send me email (just click on my name and there will be a link) if you want the name and number, and you can see if he will come to where you are.
Hope this helps. Rich.
Rich,
Thanks for your response, I will e-mail you off the forum. Definitely interested in your Bay Ridge guy if he ventures this far. I am in Lefferts Manor (east side of Prospect Park) between Flatbush & Bedford.
Oh, I have some pics. The floor REALLY needs serious work.
http://www.zapix.com/laurel/index2.html
Laurel
I just finished my kitchen, Under two layers of linoleum mixed with masonite I found a beautiful Maple floor that was original to the house built circa 1915. There were about a million tiny nails that I had to pull out but when all was said and done I now have a great looking floor that has maple far more beautiful than any new I could afford today. Hope you are as lucky
Well your experience is giving me hope for my floor. It is strange how easy it is to get "connected" to an idea or thought (in the case the floor). I really feel almost an obligation to try and restore it at this point!
I looked at your pictures, That looks familiar, sans the tile. but I have that in my bathroom off the restored floor. I had paper stuff like that stuck on the floor and I found it came up real easy if I wet it down with water with a rag mop. Got it really wet and let it soak. Then it just peeled up with a drywall knife.
From what I read in this discussion everyone here is going to say it is asbestos and I will be dead in a week, the water probably helped, I wore a respirator most of the time and the wife and kids were out of town, and if I did it every day it would be a different story. c'est la vie
Good luck with the floor, I am sure it will look great.
One last thing, you better post a picture when it is done! Think you have a prize floor under there. I really want to see the after.