Can I just call it character?

[Tumbleweed]

I mentioned in another thread that getting down to the wood floors in my kitchen was a lot of work. There was ugly indoor-outdoor carpet which they glued down. Under that was linoleum which was oddly put down much like an area rug and tacked down. Under that was tile which was glued with something I can only describe as looking like tar paper. I worked soooo hard getting every bit of residue off that floor.

But I ended up with a floor that has a lot of nail holes. A few of the boards were warped so required sanding down. And a few have slight gaps between them.

The wood itself is very pretty however with all the imperfections I am questioning whether I want to hire a professional to sand and restain it or just replace it with new.

[tridlette]

Have you made a decision about the flooring?

My house had wall to wall throughout. The original flooring is oak hardwood, but it looks awful, since there have been 8 children raised in the house without ever changing the original carpeting. The carpets disintegrated into the flooring, leaving a lot of dull marring and sticky spots where things were spilled on the carpet and soaked through. Add to that the carpet shampooing and the wood looks yucky.

I think I want to have them all sanded and refinished. I wonder if they will do the entire first level of the house, and if so, how long to I have to stay off the floors, and can I live in just my kitchen for that length of time?

[Tumbleweed]

I am going to have them resanded and stained and I WILL be calling those nail holes and imperfections "character". LOL

I'm in a similar situation you are in. I will be ripping up carpet in the dining room for sure and possible the living room and at some point in time have them all sanded and redone at the same time. The problem I'll have is I have no where to go so either we live in the upstairs for a few days or the other option is having each room done at separate times.

One thing I know for certain if you have older floors: Have your floors redone in the summer when the humidity is at a little higher level but not on a rainy day as drying time will obviously be longer. If you do it in the summer the old boards tend to swell a bit and the gaps between them are smaller. If you do it in the winter when the gaps are the widest there is a good chance the "refinisher person" will not take the time to let the polyurethane dry properly and come back the next day to put on coat #2. You have seen how paint or poly gets a dry thick layer on top if the can is not sealed up properly....well, thats what will happen with the poly that settled in the gaps. Eventually the wet stuff in the gaps may start oozing out. Not a good thing.

Drying time will of course depend on the product they use, how humid it is in your home and the temperature. I have heard from several people that you should wait 2 days before walking barefoot (no socks) on the floor, 4 days before putting any furniture on the floors, and at least a week and as long as 3 weeks before laying any rugs that furniture will be placed on.

Even if the "professionals" say you can walk on the floor the next day, I'd give it another day just to be safe.

So hanging out in your kitchen may be a problem. I think I'd be planning a little mini-vacation about then. LOL I think that is what I'll do provided I find a refinishing company I really trust.

[tridlette]

when we ripped out the carpeting from the dining room, after 47 years and 5 children living here, we were sneezing like the end of the world. Even upstairs at the opposite end of the house with doors closed. So much yucky stuff got into the air. It tooks several days before any of us stopped sneezing.

So, when you take up the carpeting, wear breathing protection, use an air purifier, open windows, or keep misting down the area so the dust and mold doesn't take over. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I know it is awful, and I remember somebody on Home Makeover getting into the mold and dying from a lung infection.

If you have a good tent, or a mobile home, that would be a decent place to hang out for a few days while the floors are done. I think maybe I'll join the local swim club when I do the floors, and I will have access to the showers and also the snack bar!

[Tumbleweed]

I like your plan for when you have yours done. And I like your advise about wearing masks. This carpet isn't real old (I don't think) that is in the living room/dining room but I'll still wear a mask. The main traffic area from the kitchen to the living room is cutting through the dining room and no matter how often I steam clean it, it still looks dirty. Thats why I don't like carpets...the dirt they hold no matter how often you vacuum is disgusting. Plus I have a elderly female cat that is peeing on it - and it is all because I rescued a abandoned male cat that is antagonizing her. I swear I'm steam cleaning every other day. Which is why I need to get this carpet up ASAP so I can get those floors protected from her wee wee. Grrrrr.