Everyone-
Last week I was at an auction and found a stack of 1×3 t&g straight grain fir flooring (from an old farm house that was tore down, 100yrs old +-), about 160sf. I bid, and eventually got the stuff. Great deal. My question is in regards to refinishing it. The boards have been painted a few times. Should I rough sand it down through a planer, install, and then sand the finished floor as if I was refinishing it, or how?
Any thoughts are appreciated.
Replies
Run it through a thickness planer to get rid of the paint, and to take off the majority of the dings from 100 years of use. There will likely be grit embedded in the wood. If you use a conventional thicknesser, be prepared to sharpen the knives, or replace them if you use the replaceable kind. If you can find an abrasive thicknesser, it will survive the grit better. The paint is probably lead-based, so wear a respirator and clean up the dust carefully.
Have some paint samples checked before planing or sanding. If there's any lead present strip the paint with a chemical stripper. Loose lead dust is a health hazzard for humans.