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So I’m finishing my basement and my mother in laws attic and the Inn we own needs the 100yr old maple floors re finished. My wife and one of my cooks are willing to do it, but I’m the one that always does this type of stuff. However, I don’t know all that much about doing this and if I don’t give them info I’ll get stuck helping. What I know- The floors have no sub floor and are laid on the logs they used to move the Inn 85 yrs ago. Problem:1 as a result the floors follow the trees so a drum sander etc. would tear the uneven boards to ribbons. 2 the floors have been sanded before (I don’t know how or when) but the nails are close to the surface I’m assuming sanding except w/ very fine 120-220 is not an option? belt sander, small rotary sander in bad areas.
The primary goal is to seal and protect the floors. 150 ppl. a day walk on these floors may to jan. Professionals are not in the budget. Can they clean and seal w/ minimal sanding? Trust me this floor is a roller coaster full of character. Just want to preserve it and protect it. Ideas and products. Thanks.
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Thomas, You do not say what the floors are finished with presently. Let's say they have a urethane finish, probably oil rather than water-based. You can use a floor buffer like a Clarks 1700 with say 80 grit screen. You do not need to strip off the entire finish, just enough to clean it up. More important and I would suggest doing prior to screening, is to wash it well will a good floor soap to remove as much dirt, grease, and other surface crap. Then screen. If it is a poly, then you can apply one or two new coats of poly and be done with it. Try a test patch someplace out of the way first to determine compatibility.
If that will not work then you ave no choice but to strip the finish to bear wood. Again the floor buffer with screens is the tool for the job, especially as uneven as you state your floor is. Start with a 36 grit screen and move up to 80 or 100 grit for the finish. All youwant to do is remove the finish, not sand smooth. Then you can finish with whatever choice of finish you wish. The floor buffer will work on 95% of your floor. You will need an edger for the perimeter of the room(s) and a good random orbit sander for the more obstinate places.
I have posted before that my favourite floor finish is DURASEAL. I would reccommend it to you as well. But whatever you choose, it is important to have a clean floor to begin with, and that if you choose not to strip to bare wood, that it is compatible with the existing finish.
walk good
david
*Thanks Dave. How do we determine the present finish. No idea what it is. don't really want to talk to previous owner (long story)
*Thomas, Determining an existing finish can be difficult. One way is to ask a flooring finisher or paint supply house for assistence. Were there any obvious left over cans of floor finishes at the place? I would not want to steer you wrong, but if I were to venture a guess, if it were finished in the last 20 years, it would probably be an oil-based polyurethane or GLITSA. Those being the two most common floor finishes I have encountered. But even similar products may react with each other, that is why I encourage a test area, to help determine compatibility and check with manufacturer's product use specs. To test, find an out of the way spot, sand and prep the flooras you plan to do. Apply new finish as you would. When dry run a crisscross pattern of masking tape obver the new finish and let sit for 24 hours. Remove tape and see if the finish is pulled with the tape.That test is not infallible, but it does give a good idea of effectiveness. If I am refinishing an unknown floor, I can waranty the finish only if I strip the floor to bear wood.walk gooddavid
*What you need is Huck Finn to do the work,young Tom!Have him use a citrus type cleaner applied with scotch brite pads to remove the finish without sanding. Acetone might also work, especially if the finish is shellac. The "trick" with restoration is lots of elbow grease,a great respirator and lots of coffee! You gonna do the pickett fence next?
*Alcohol will disolve shellac -- that's the standard. It won't soften varnish or poly.I've done two houses with 60+ year old floors. Used the type of heavy-duty orbital sander many hardware stores rent now (both Ace and True Value in our area. It's much gentler than the drum type sanders, and dosen't strip the floors of their character (used that type on maple in our first house in 1980). The machine is like a large floor polisher.I've also had good results with Penofin interior floor finish. It's a penetrating oil, gives a nice sheen, is renewable if you should get wear spots (which we never have, with two kids and a dog). The oiled finish might be worth considering for the Inn floors.
*You may have a problem with those large orbital type sanders. Even when only used for a waxing job, I have seen edge rippingon the planks. The "pad" snags a protruding splinter and yanks off a piece. If the floor really has a "washboard" surface, how you gonna get that machine down into the valleys?