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Old Flooring and Trim Identification and Refinishing

3K views 8 replies 2 participants last post by  oh'mike 
#1 · (Edited)
Okay, Still new, could not figure out how to edit my old wood flooring
post. So here I am starting a new one! Basically I have a couple of questions for my 1912 small bungalow. We have started working in the front bedroom (ripped up stinky peed on carpet, floor was still original wood and already down to bare wood). These are my questions;

1. Can anyone tell me what kind of floor it is? I have posted pictures of both the living room floor, which is decent condition, although the picture isnt very good, along with the trim, and a picture of the floor after sanding of the bedroom.

2. I cannot match the floor stain, with the trim or the rest of living room floor. Any suggestions on what to do? Stain or just polyeurethane?

3. Is there anyway to bring back the beauty of the trim without having to sand it and restain it? I really like the way it works and it matches the trim in the attatched living room.

3. When and if I stain the floor, any suggestions on color matching or whether to go darker/lighter?

Any help would be appreciated! I put photos, first photos is of the floor in the bedroom after sanding the first time (yes we actually swept), second is the living room floor right outside the bedroom (same continuous floor), the is a picture of the trim in the bedroom, and the last is a picture of the floor up against door and trim outside the bedroom. Living room floors are in decent shape. Trim in bedroom is worn but solid.
 

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#2 ·
The pictures are not to clear --so this is a bit of a guess---top flooring picture is oak--probably red oak.
Lower flooring pic to fuzzy---

The trim is NOT oak --probably birch or poplar----both of those woods do not strip well--the stain soaks in so deep that you will not want to strip and restain.

Your best bet is to clean the trims well with steel wool and mineral spirits ,sand lightly and add a fresh coat of clear finish on top.

You should try Minwax wipe on poly---do this in a hidden spot--if it bonds without lifting the old finish--use that product. It's easy to apply and looks good.---Mike---
 
#3 ·
Sorry about the pics, I loaned out my camera so had to take them with the phone. :( I will try your idea with the trim, thank you! I am anxious to get this room done, it has been a waiting project for awhile but want to make sure that I do it right!

Thanks for the possible identify on both trim and floor. I know nothing about wood and when I talked to floor people at home improvement stores, they had never seen small floors like that.
 
#4 ·
The narrow strip floors were quite common in bungalows back there----It was a bit cheaper and easier to install than the wider flooring we use today.

Some times it's only 1/2" thick-----

Do try the Wipe on Poly--it's good stuff!

Also if you haven't bought a sander yet,consider one of the random orbit sanders with the velcro paper--

They are so much faster than the old pad sanders that use sheets of paper---you might even enjoy sanding with it!----Mike----
 
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