1956 Hardwood Flooring

[Bob_S]

It's usually best to leave asbestos flooring in place and cover it with carpeting or some other floor covering material (laminate, sheet etc).

[amadjuster]

99% of vinyl - asbestos flooring is in 9" tiles. However, there were some adhesives that had asbestos in them. The flooring is no problem if left intact as the asbestos is in the backing and is considered encapsulated unless it is broken up. If you have 12" tiles, you should be OK. Try using a propane torch with a wide attachment to heat the tiles. This will soften them and make them easier to lift up. I had forgotten about the diet coke removal trick but something in it turns the mastic to mush. Regular coke works, too but it sure makes the floor sticky. This really makes you want to drink it, doesn't it! Makers Mark is easier on the stomach. Most paint found on floors these days is latex and the wood floor is finished with a varnish or urethane, depending on when it was done. Either way, the paint will soften with some latex paint remover found at Lowe's or Home Depot and usually called Latex Brush Cleaner or clean up. This will soften the paint and allow you to wipe it up or get most of it with a putty knife. Make sure the blade is not sharp or it can cut into the floor finish.

[JPalmer]

Thanks for the heads-up David. I'll have to write that stuff down for later when we launch into the project.

I'm still getting used to the sounds of my shoes on the wood floor... and the kids running around on it.

[JPalmer]

Well... a bit of a major update. We didn't have the kiddos this weekend and decided it would be a good time to go ahead and pull up the carpet in the entire living room area.

There were only 2 spots of "concern" and one of them will be covered by the couch so no problem there. The floors are in great great shape, but with a few peculiarities....

1. They strip/sanded about 2/3 of the living room. It's smooth, but mostly unfinished.... the original finish is gorgeous though... kind of a honey walnut color, which is probably what we'll go back with later.









That last one you can clearly see the varnish line on the bottom of the photo. All you can do is shrug your shoulders and wonder why.

The good news is that it won't take much sanding to smooth everything out and put a new layer of stain/sealer down and poof... instant value back to the house.

[amadjuster]

Was the carpet over the darker colored floor or over the lighter floor. If the darker floor was exposed, it is darker due to exposure to light but it will all blend when sanded. This floor looks really nice and should finish up really nice. See if Home Depot rents the square sander as your heavy sanding will be on the darker floor, probably, and when you get it all down to the lowest grit you are going to, look for a water based finish and apply it with a wool applicator. Slow and easy prevents bubbles in the finish and the water based stuff dries a lot faster with little or no fumes. The draw backs are (1) You don't get the nice, mellow yellowing with regular polyurethane, and (2). water based floor finishes are still a little brittle.

[JPalmer]

Oddly enough... the entire floor was covered in carpet. Now, the darker part definetly still has a finish on it, while the rest of the floor has the tell-tale signs of sanding (occasional ring marks, small bits of the same colored finish). The entire floor has a pattern of glue to hold down the old carpet pad.

[amadjuster]

Varathane makes a sander that is easy to use and makes the least amount of dust and should be available to rent. Try A-1 Rentals or Kelly-Moore Paint. You might need to scrape the pad residue off but the coarse grit paper should do a number on it. Be sure and use the Varathane Diamond Water Base Floor finish and I think you Will be pleased with a natural, no stain finish. Have fun!

Let us know how this project comes out. Oh, and you are about to learn why painters and floor mechanics drink.

[kula23]

Very nice, Jason! Gonna love old wood floors. Man I can't wait to own my house one day. In fact, my mom have older house, i think 1924. I had helped her get rid of nasty carpets and got nice hardwood under of smelly carpets. I get to help her to condition and polish the floor. It was alot of work but it's nicely done afterwards! It's fun to fix it up!