I bought a 1930s house last year and in renovating it, pulled up old carpet in the living and dining rooms planning to install new carpet. I was surprised to find some beautiful, but worn and scuffed, oak hardwood floors underneath. Now I would like to refinish these floors and enjoy the natural beauty they offer. How do I go about restoring and maintaining them?
“The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program advocates keeping as much of the original material in an historic home as is possible and practical,” says Brian Driscoll, a technical assistance coordinator with the agency. After that any repairs or treatments should be made as conservatively as possible, he says.
“While an 80-year-old wood floor is bound to have some scars and dings, these marks are a testament to its age and authenticity,” he says of the flooring.
“It is common to find the finish worn thin in the high traffic areas of the floor, especially in interior doorways and at the front and rear exterior doors,” Driscoll says, adding that less traveled areas along the perimeter of rooms are often in excellent condition as they were often covered by furniture.
“The least invasive treatment for wood floors is to simply clean them thoroughly,” Driscoll says of floors where the finish is intact, not too thinly worn, and contains no serious defects.
“I prefer to use a damp (not wet) sponge and a mild detergent such as Murphy’s Oil Soap for this,” he says, adding it’s a good idea to have a separate bucket with clean water to frequently rinse the sponge. “Cleaning, waxing and buffing an old floor surface may be all that you need.”
In areas where the finish has been worn through to the bare wood, Driscoll suggests a new coat of finish be applied.
“This will involve scuffing up any remaining old finish to help the new coat of finish adhere and also cleaning the floor well after scuffing to remove all remnants of dust, wax and any embedded oils or other impurities that may interfere with the new varnish,” he says, adding that those undertaking such a project should be sure to make sure that the new finish is compatible with older spirit-based finishes.
If there is considerable wear tothe old finish and large areas where it’s been completely worn away, the best choice may be stripping any remnants and applying a new finish.
“The most invasive treatment, short of total flooring replacement, and one that people often mistakenly consider as a first option, is floor sanding to remove the old finish before applying a new one,” Driscoll says.
Caution should be taken with this option because sanding can lead to problems including the basic structure of the floor.
Oak flooring installed in the 1930s was often three-quarter-inch thick and usually what is known as “tongue and groove” with each piece having a “tongue” or protrusion in the center of one edge and a “groove” or slot in the center of the opposite edge, Driscoll explains, adding that the two connect by the tongue of one piece fitting into the groove of the adjacent piece.
“But the distance from the top of the groove to the top surface of the flooring is only about one-quarter inch and sanding can remove a considerable amount of wood surface,” he says, adding that when the wood becomes too thin between the top of the groove and the floor’s surface, cracks can develop. If the wood is no longer thick enough to flex, sections can break off and come loose.
“This type of damage is very difficult to repair,” Driscoll concludes. “And you should consider floor sanding as a last resort.” Do you have a decorating or remodeling question? Contact Linda S. Haymes, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or email:
HomeStyle, Pages 33 on 02/22/2014