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Refinishing Old Hardwood Floors....?'s

1K views 25 replies 10 participants last post by  oldedeeres 
#1 ·
Okay, so I knew this was coming soon, but my sister is taking mom outta town for a week July 3 so my schedule just got bumped up perfect timing to do it since she will be gone for a week....happy July 4th to me :hitting_self_roller:

Anyway, I got the sanding all down pat and access to several type of large and small sanders, my questions are.....finishes.

Anyone recommend a rally good finish such as a good polyeurathane? My nephew used the "varathane" brand and after 8 months is showing scratches from the dogs and a table they re-did shows stains and water marks.

I heard water based finishes are easy to apply, dry quick but not very durable.

At this point it will be no pre-staining, just sand, clean and poly. May change once I pull carpet this weekend and actually see condition of floors. Been carpeted over for at least 45 yrs

What did you all use to apply? natural bristles or a mop type applicator?

Thanks!!!
 
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#2 ·
My only experience has been on cabinets and furniture and I use the Minnwax water based polyurethane and I spray it on. I've been very pleased with the results so far. It's expensive but it saves a lot of time since it dries fast and you can apply a couple of coats (with light sanding in between) in just a few hours. However, for floors I would probably use the oil based polyurethane because it dries slower and would have more time to smooth out after application. I've not had any experience on floors but I think you could apply it with a roller. What ever you decide to use, be sure to wear a good respirator during application.
 
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
19 years ago we put down 3/4" T & G Red Oak flooring. We put several coats of a water base polyeurathane with a medium nap roller. Be careful to roll slow so you don't get bubbles.

The floors look pretty good except where the bar-stools have been pushed in and out.

Very easy to clean with a mild detergent and flat mop.

My folks had beautiful hardwood floors through-out their house (built in 1960) but was all covered in the 80's with rubber backed carpet!
 
#4 ·
when I was young we used to do the floors every so many yrs. Grandpa has a big upright belt sander that was made for flooring. It sanded and vac the floor at the same time, but you had to watch where you stopped it, or it would eat right though. After wards we applied just a regular varnish, then a lite sanding then another coat or 2. After that it got waxed and us kids got to slide around in our socks to polish it up. these floors lasted several yrs with just varnish, so maybe a guy don't need anything fancy to coat them. I remember them putting it on with a short napped roller on a long handle.
 
#5 · (Edited by Moderator)
You will need to strip them and sand lightly. To strip off wax and shellac use 60 grit on a plate sander and to keep from going through paper like mad sprinkle powdered TSP on the floor and use it as a sanding medium this will help the shellac balls stay off the paper. Takes a bit of practice but works AWESOME!! Then you can finish sand with 150 and tack off dust and pour on the poly. That's right poor it on and squeegee it around .finish edges with a brush. Keep any fuzzy crap away!! It will leave lint behind ! Epoxy is the toughest but also crazy expensive too. Poly by min wax oil based works well but needs time to dry!!
 
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#8 ·
The stuff they put on my White Oak floors 18 years ago was a water based poly. called Waterlox. Not sure on that spelling. Very durable stuff. They started by giving the floor a coat of tongue oil as a sealer. If you can get access to a professional finish like waterlox it will give you a better result. The waterlox was applied by pouring it on the floor and using a pad applicator to spread it out. I'm sure there is a knack to doing this but it did go on fast. Check with sellers of raw flooring. They will know where to get the finishes. It's not an easy job to strip and refinish a large area. It always seems to take much longer then planned. As said above, consider getting quotes from pros!
 
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#9 ·
Thanks for responses. Seems you all have had good luck with the water based finsishes, I have read they are not so durable.

Guess it's all in the eye of the beholder.

I shop at Menards, they had a "floor" poly in Minwax and "High traffic floor" in Varathane brand, of course, about $8-10 more a gallon than the regular.

Not sure what wife will want, she may like the yellow or honey look the poly will give. The little sanding I did looks to be maybe a hard maple or the likes, not oak from what I can tell, not an oka color or grain.

I suspect it will be high gloss no matter what she goes with.

Menards had a low nap brush style applicator for oil. Many of the youtbue videos I have watched show people using these or just a big brush.

BEST WAY TO GO CALL PROFESSIONAL, THEN GO FISHING OR TRACTORING JUST SAYIN.
I already have checked with a few.....if I paid someone to do it, I wouldn't have money to go anywhere or do anything for a long time. Most are charging $2.50-3.50 per square foot.....I have a lot of square foot. :wallbanging:

I still have to buy materials to expand mudroom, build a bedroom, add a 100 amps sub panel and buy a water softener before we can move in, gotta save money anywhere I can so floors are on me!

I am hoping to have all my coats down within a week. Mom is Leaving July 3rd, planning to leave work early, sand the rest of that day, then start finishing.

I pulled some carpet back last night, hit it with 100 grit on my small belt sander "just to see". It will definitely need a coarse grit to strip, not much taken off and it clogged that belt in a heartbeat, but...I was just experimenting :D

We found this issue when we pulled upstairs carpet also, but it seems they had a nice finish on the outside 1 1/2-2' then the center of room was maybe carpet or some type of floor covering over wood. It appears to be two different colors, maybe they stained the outside edge before finishing or it's just was maintained over the years iwth polish, etc, I dunno.

Guess I will not know until I get the sander in there. I am borrowing a 17" circular buffer style sander, but I am going to rent a belt or drum sander. Just afraid the circular will make scratch marks going across grain, I can run belt sanding with grain.
 
#10 ·
Took a couple quick pics form the other night. Stupid phone is starting to take blurry pics for some reason.

The small white spots are paint, the big blobs are drywall mud, probably from when dad dropped the ceilings in 1971 :D

Brown Road surface Wood Asphalt Rectangle
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Brown Rectangle Amber Wood Flooring
 

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#11 ·
S-day ( stripping day) is getting closer. Sister and wife painted walls this weekend, son and I haul a bunch of furniture to a relative yesterday. The boy is pulling carpet today, belt sander on reserve for Thurs. Getting off work 1/2 day and hitting it hard Thurs afternoon.

After doing some research, decided on going oil base. I have never done water and from what I have read, if it dries on ya, you can get lines in finish that can only be sanded back out. I've used plenty of oil base finishes on wood work/cabinets so I am comfortable with that. Also ,the water base leave a clear finish, oil gives a yellower finish which I think will help this floor look warmer.

I did a larger test sand area with small belt sander, looks like wood is a pine or maple but some boards have gray streaks in them. I know I've worked with wood before like that, I was thinking Poplar??? but that is a softer wood so I am not sure. It's sure a light yellow though what ever it is. Wife wants all dings, holes, etc left in, she wants an old beat up farm house floor look. like putting the lipstick on a pig haha. It will look good though I think

Empty rooms.....

Front Living room 16x17

Fixture Window Wood Floor Flooring


Wood Fixture Floor Flooring Building material


Dining Room 14x16

Flooring Tile flooring Wood Floor Road surface


Brown Rectangle Road surface Wood Grey
 

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#12 ·
Took a couple quick pics form the other night. Stupid phone is starting to take blurry pics for some reason.

The small white spots are paint, the big blobs are drywall mud, probably from when dad dropped the ceilings in 1971 :D

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The second pic looks like tongue & groove pine plank flooring. This was used as a sub floor not to be seen but today it's popular to paint or stain this for a rustic look. Old growth Poplar will have green to gray & even black streaks running parallel with the grain. Today's Poplar that are harvested are mostly Hybrids not much heart wood if any at all. Like you mentioned these woods are on the soft side but the Poplar can be hard near the heartwood. Regardless it will help your finish wanting to leave the character in the finish. I'm old school I haven't grasped the water base finishes yet, I know most are using them mainly because they dry faster. I think the oil base will give you a nice honey color. Water base will leave you with what your looking at when you apply. Hat off to ya Marty for tackling this yourself, tough job but rewarding at the end. :thumbs:
 
#13 · (Edited by Moderator)
Thanks Jim, it will be some hard work, but with cost involved in replacing carpet or covering with another flooring, it's a no brainer. We don't have the money for new flooring at the moment so what will it hurt? A few days a work, maybe $200 in supplies and I am stuck with a finished old look farm house floor that looks good or If it doesn't turn out well, we can always cover with another flooring down the road once we get our house sold, moved in and can save up some money.

If you look in my first pic in the upper right hand corner, you can see virgin wood there and how light it was. That was under a wall I took out.

I have been doing a few test sand areas, it is a 3 or 3 1/2" tongue and groove board and i have double 1" thick flooring. I have a wider tongue and groove underneath, then this top layer. The upstairs bedrooms have two layers of the sub-floor material, downstairs got an upgrade on the top layer. I wasn't sure what it was, but now I am thinking it is a pine board, it is light color and has some redness in some of the boards. I have some gray in them too, but I think that is just grime that has discolored the boards over the years. I have some type of oil stains in a a few spots not sure what they came from. I sanded them out and they got somewhat light, but I guess they will be added character once I finish it.

I also found some chips, holes and splinters in a couple areas. am going to get some water based filler, sand a non coated area then mix the filler with some of the sawdust and fill the holes then sand. Hopefully that will kind of keep patch the same color.

son got 3/4 of the carpet out yesterday, I will post pics once he gets the rest out before I start sanding!

Gotta figure out how to take out some of the squeaks too, definitely an old wood floor, no one can sneak into the kitchen :D
 
#14 ·
Looks really different without carpet....and the echoes, echoooes, echooooes :D Definitely will need some runner carpets or area rugs.

Found a couple surprises, couple small chunks missing in various places. The worst was a large line in part of the floor, I'm betting my dad was cutting a sheet of plywood directly on floor and went through gouging into floor. I used the small belt sander and got rid of most of line, I tried to also feather it out some so I didn't have a big dip in the floor. The large belt sander will help that more tomorrow. A couple spots are too deep so I put filler in them along with a few holes. I know they will show, but at least they won't collect dirt. I have got some light stain, I may try to sand and blend them a little tonight when I work on it.

Brown Property Fixture Wood Interior design


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Brown Property Wood Fixture Flooring


Water Wood Cloud Road surface Grey


Wood Wood stain Sky Fawn Flooring


Man, someone had been driving a GT in there and left turf tire marks :thumbs:

Anyone who has ever torn out 60's/70's carpet knows what this is from. This was from previous carpet, the stuff we tore out had the foam.

Brown Wood Tints and shades Natural material Flooring
 

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#15 ·
Carpet is attractive and warm on the feet in the winter, but Oh My Gosh it's filthy stuff over the years, no matter how much it's vacuumed!! I love a hardwood floor, easy to keep clean, and you'll be surprised at how it "opens" a room up and makes it appear bigger. Curtains, furniture and pictures on the walls will help take care of the echo. I'm looking forward to the pics of the finished project. Thanks for sharing your project.
 
#16 · (Edited by Moderator)
I'm looking forward to the finished product too :thumbs: Wished that guy doing the work would hurry up and get it done :D

Yes, my wife wants to get away from the carpet if just the fact it get dirty easy with us and 3 dogs and it holds a lot of allergens, allergies will be bad enough when I fire up the wood burning stove this winter. She loves hardwood too anyway. It will definitely change the look of the house! It's a 105 yrs old, she wants to get back to that old farmhouse look.
 
#17 ·
i'm beginning to think I would rather do drywall than this, it's kicking my butt. I worked for 3 hours last night trying to get up next to the walls sanded, using a palm sander, corner sander, and 3x21 belt sander.....I only got 2 1/2 walls done :wallbanging: :wallbanging:

Paper keeps clogging quickly with the old varnish.

There was at one time an inside corner bead on baseboards, well someone painted them years ago.....along with about a 1" strip on the floors :shoot2: :shoot2: :mad2:

Up at 5 am this morning, getting off early, dentist appnmt, then off to sand, probably be about a 17 hr work day :hitting_self_roller:

on an up note, I found some stain, was able to wipe my wood filler then lightly sand. Not a perfect match, but won't stand out like the bright white color of the plain filler, it will now blend in some.
 
#18 ·
Well, rented two sanders after work Thurs, spent 6 hours Thurs night, 10 hours Friday sanding then swept and wiped all floors down with a mineral spirits soaked rag. Saturday morning was a final tack and first coat went down. 24 hr later, Sunday after got a sanding with 180 grit, swept, wiped down, tacked and #2 coat. Final coat will go down tonight.

I think they are gonna look very nice. We still have the lighter color wood around the outside and some scratches, but wife loves it and just gives the old farmhouse charm and character. once the furniture and some area rugs go down, no one will notice.

All said and done I have ...

$124 in sander rental/paper

$160 in polyurethane

$50 or so in various supplies.

40+ hours of labor

Not bad for finishing over 500 square foot of flooring. A lot cheaper than lying new flooring or carpet, that would've been $1500 on the low side to who knows how high for top end floor or carpet and it is original floor to house and adds character.

I was dreaded sanding, but rented these two puppies, drum sander and edge sander...the edge sander was the cat's meow, man it saved a lot of time.

Property Blue Wood Fixture Flooring


Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood Laminate flooring


Few pics of ready for first coat.

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once quicky after first coat. I only remember to take pics right after I coat it so it's too wet.

Brown Fixture Wood Rectangle Building material
 

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#20 ·
Beautiful!!!!
I got 3rd coat down last night. Hope to be able to take some better daylight pics....it turned out pretty well, almost looks like glass.

A couple spots I am not happy with I must've brushed against the stairs carpet and got some lint in a large spot, but once we start walking on it, furniture, rugs, dogs, it probably won't matter. :D

I had to hand sand on my knees last night, the pole sander I use for drywall just didn't get it done; sanding, then wipe down, then tacked, all on my knees, they were numb by the time I was done. I only had hard knee pads, figured they would scratch the floor up too bad.
 
#21 ·
....and finally!!!!

There are some flaws in finish I may try to see if I can sand and polish like auto clear coat, but overall they look great.

Brown Property Amber Wood Lighting


Brown Fixture Amber Wood Window


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Brown Property White Window Amber


this is my favorite pic....

Brown Amber Fixture Wood Flooring
 

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#22 ·
Wow! That looks great! Must feel good to see the final results. I have to redo mine, probably next year. It's a total of 1300 sq ft as the whole house except bathrooms and front entrance is hardwood. It's 18 years old so it's getting pretty worn in high traffic areas.
 
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#23 ·
Yea, being done feels good. After knowing what I started with, they look reeaaalllll good and i happy with the results!

I can now say I have finished hardwood floors and got the shirt, well, no shirt, :D but they next time they ever get done again, I will be paying someone, I doubt in 15-20 yrs my knees would let me do what I had to do with this.

I did right around 500 Sq feet in these two rooms. I found out it extends into kitchen too, but that has 3/4" particle board, Luan with linoleum, 1/4" cement board and tile with cabinets all on top of that. Doubt it will ever get finished like this.
 
#25 ·
Almost makes you hate to walk on it, doesn't it?
Yep. My mom comes home from Florida today, told her she she wasn't allowed to walk on them HAHA. It will be 3 days of drying so she should be good.

While I am replying......Question, what do you all use under your furniture legs/tables, etc when you put them on hardwood?

I was going to just buy some of those sticky felt pads for under furniture.
 
#26 ·
I grew up with hardwood floors, and those are what my mother used. She changed them every year or so in the dining room as I recall, and as the quality of the newer products went down she would stick two together for better protection. Socs, bare feet or slippers in the house, no shoes allowed on the hardwood!
 
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