30
votes
Replacing hardwood floor in 100 year old house with no subfloor
The squeaking comes from vibrations created when the floorboards and joists rub against each other when weight pushes down on them.
There's a chance that replacing the floor with a new one "in-...
- 4,634
21
votes
Chipped floor planks keep snagging my socks
These are "shakes" - this is where the lumber separates along the growth rings.
Fill the cracks with glue (PVA / polyurethane / epoxy / cyanoacrylate) then place cling wrap over them and ...
- 17.5k
12
votes
Accepted
How to repair separated rails and stiles on solid wood doors
I have had some similar projects. On occasion, I have been able to force glue into a joint with a glue syringe and clamp the joints together. The key to this method is cleaning out the joint with a ...
- 1,354
12
votes
Replacing hardwood floor in 100 year old house with no subfloor
I will repeat some answers that you already have but, it is all part of my answers that will have different nuances.
To give my summary on the idea of floor replacement, and using the second picture ...
- 32.5k
11
votes
Replacing hardwood floor in 100 year old house with no subfloor
Considering the work and expense involved in replacement, I'd be looking hard at trying anything possible for squeak remediation. What comes to mind is injecting epoxy (or perhaps something else?) to ...
- 166k
11
votes
Chipped floor planks keep snagging my socks
When facing a similar issue in my home office (but with smaller bits of damage) I found a good color-matched wood filler, and applied it according to the package instructions. It has held up well, and ...
- 4,319
9
votes
How to repair separated rails and stiles on solid wood doors
Is the joint still solid? That is, if you grab the two pieces on either side and shake them, is there any movement? If it's solid, then it means that the gap is just a result of shrinkage, and it's ...
- 1,592
7
votes
Would it be appropriate to sand a floor between coats of poly with a handheld orbital sander?
I had two floors to do once and between coats I used a broom with 3 bits of fine sanding paper taped to the broom head - cheap, cheerful and effective...
Also, had to punch down the floor brads (...
- 24.1k
7
votes
Accepted
Would it be appropriate to sand a floor between coats of poly with a handheld orbital sander?
You could use a hand-held orbital- like you mentioned the biggest downside is time. But you're correct, sanding between coats of poly isn't stripping an old floor- it's just scuffing up the previous ...
- 1,101
5
votes
Accepted
How should I sand before the final coat of polyurethane?
Depends on the quality of the existing finish... if it's as flat as you want it to be, then I'd kiss it with 150 on a pole sander.
Link for illustration purposes only: there are many out there...
...
- 18.1k
5
votes
Can wood floors be refinished half a room at a time?
No. You really can't.
There are several reasons why:
Dust. Sanding dust will get everywhere. Ideally you want to move everything into one room, that will hopefully not be refinished, seal off ...
- 14k
5
votes
Accepted
can this antique douglas fir floor be saved?
It is totally feasible to do this. Just a lot of hard work.
We redid a laundry room that had a worn painted outdoor porch floor (the house is from 1869 and has been organically growing for 150 years)....
- 33.5k
4
votes
How to cover old stair risers?
If those refinished stair treads are a common type type of hardwood such as oak, maple or beech you can get 1/4 inch thick plywood with an hardwood veneer on one or both sides. Looks like one sheet of ...
- 62.8k
4
votes
Cons of Not Refinishing Worn Wood Floor?
It really depends on how tough you will be on the floors. Big difference between a man living alone vs. a family of 8 with two dogs. Note that the areas that are worn are probably the high traffic ...
- 47.1k
4
votes
How to clean wood dust without permanently clogging a wet/dry vacuum's paper filter?
Having run into the exact same problem, I might be able to make a recommendation to assist you.
There are many variations on this theme, but they are all based on the "cyclone" principle. Spinning ...
- 10.1k
4
votes
Staining a 130 year old pine floor
There is a good possibility that the pine boards in a 130 year old house are very dense wood. Old growth timber from that time was quite different from what we experience as "pine" today. As such that ...
- 62.8k
4
votes
Can This Hardwood Floor Be Saved?
I sanded a similar wood floor, a bit older though.
I used a drum sander 8 or 10” in diameter and 14 or 16” long roughly.
I sanded diagonal to the grain with coarse then finer grades of paper. It took ...
- 24.1k
4
votes
What is tacky finish?
At least two very different meanings.
One has nothing to do with how it looks - it's "tacky" meaning slightly sticky. For a finish, that's not fully cured/hardened.
The other is tacky ...
- 166k
3
votes
Accepted
Is a NIOSH mask advised when sanding a fully dried hardwood floor?
NIOSH (National Institute Of Safety and Health) does not manufacture respirators or dust masks, they conduct research and make recommendations for prevention of worker injury/illness. If their name is ...
- 33.8k
3
votes
How best to remove fumes after applying polyurethane in a hardwood refinishing project?
Turn up the heat while opening windows across the house. Put in fans in windows/doors blowing in the house on one or two sides. Just don't put fans blowing in all windows so air has an easier chance ...
- 1,281
3
votes
Accepted
Polyurethane on hardwood floor dilemma
You have a few options:
Don't put any more Brand B on. Go get more Brand A and finish the rest of the floor. After it has all cured, place a 5' x 7' area rug over the Brand B area.
Continue with ...
- 12.3k
3
votes
What is the best sander to use on oak stair treads?
A random-orbit sander has proven to be one of the most versatile tools I've used, having put hundreds of hours on them for projects of many types. Obviously they have limitations, but with a range of ...
- 115k
3
votes
Accepted
Hardwood floor help
If you would like the floors to look nice pull the base boards and the tack strip. Rent a large belt sander from the local equipment rental store. Your floor doesn't look to be in two bad of shape and ...
- 101k
3
votes
Accepted
Hardwood floor refinishing with polyurethane. Do I need to use any sort of base coat? What are the advantages?
I would always suggest you avoid sanding sealers unless you have a specific reason to use one. Sanding sealers place a clear base coat between the wood and finish. But because the sealer is formulated ...
- 3,410
3
votes
What should I consider when determining whether to clear coat, oil/wax or paint an old fir floor?
That’s called character.
I’d use a pre-stain (test it and the stain color in a back corner of a closet). I’d set and putty all exposed nails, you don’t have to be perfect.
You’ll enjoy it for years.
...
- 22.8k
3
votes
Accepted
How do I fix or finish a partially sanded wood floor
A "wipe on" polyurethane might get you most of the way there, depending upon how perfect you want to get it. Lightly sand the damaged area to make sure there are no sharp edges or rough ...
- 20.7k
3
votes
Accepted
Can This Hardwood Floor Be Saved?
Solid hardwood floors can be refinished several times. However, we don't know enough about your floor to answer properly. Some factors:
How many times it's been done before. Eventually you start ...
- 115k
3
votes
Accepted
how smooth refinished hardwood floor is supposed to be?
The floor looks good and the finish is not fully filling the wood grain. This wood has a pretty deep grain - oak I assume.
This is more eo be expected from a water borne floor finish. Waterborne ...
- 4,523
2
votes
Accepted
Do I NEED to remove the wood trim to sand and re-stain it?
We have a similarly old house, and I can say, if you are patient, stripping, sanding, and refinishing can be done in place. We have done casing trim, and baseboards in place, but chose to remove the ...
- 68
2
votes
Does it make sense to work on the hardwood floor first, not last?
No. Modern "dustless" sanders are quite clean, and if you have to wipe some walls it is still likely less work than protecting the floor perfectly. And while you can always clean up dust, you can't ...
- 8,077
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