[maureend]

Hi,

I have a house built in the 50's I don't know to much about. We have ripped up the floor in one room and found what we think is nice hardwood floors. I don't know how to tell what type of wood it is so, thats one question. Also, under the "sticky" tile there was some kind of tar undercoating. Most of that is off but there are still many, many small dots of this stuff on the floor. From what I read I would need to scrape this up but since I don't know anything about wood I'm concerned I will damage the wood. Can't I just use a fine gritt sandpaper? Also I believe the wood is a lighter color...I would prefer darker. Again from what I read most people discourage from staining the wood...why?

 

[maureend]

hardwood floors

Hi,

I have a house built in the 50's I don't know to much about. We have ripped up the floor in one room and found what we think is nice hardwood floors. I don't know how to tell what type of wood it is so, thats one question. Also, under the "sticky" tile there was some kind of tar undercoating. Most of that is off but there are still many, many small dots of this stuff on the floor. From what I read I would need to scrape this up but since I don't know anything about wood I'm concerned I will damage the wood. Can't I just use a fine gritt sandpaper? Also I believe the wood is a lighter color...I would prefer darker. Again from what I read most people discourage from staining the wood...why?

 

[Just Bill]

If you are planning to stain the floors, all old finish must be sanded off. This can be DIY job with the disc floor sanders available at rental places, but do not attemt it with a drum sander if you have never used one before. A heartbeat of inattention and you will have a hole in the wood.

 

[jpsmith]

Please post a picture of your floors and perhaps we could help identify the species. My house was similar - built in 1950, had nasty shag carpet when we looked at it, removing the carpet was one of our demands for purchase. Much to our surprise, the entire house (sans kitchen & bathroom) had red oak floors in need of nothing but refinishing.

 

[DangerMouse]

my guess is you'll find it's oak... red or white. very common back then.
the gunk can be scraped off with a plastic spatula, or metal putty knife if you're careful.
fine grit sandpaper would do little if anything at all. but listen to Bill and don't try to use a drum sander if you've never done it before.
i watched a guy totally screw up a job....and he was the "boss???"
personally, i'd keep the color as light as possible. dark colors show dirt, scratches, etc. much more than light.

DM