Wood Flooring?

Question

What is required for a floor made of wood to be finished? I am thinking of buying a 1951 home which is currently carpeted. I despise carpet, ...

so while looking at the house, I peeped under the carpet and there was wood. It looked like it had never really been touched. It didn't look like the usual hardwood one finds under a carpet. It looked like wide planks ...

What is required for a wood "floor" to be finished and be made into a walkable, livable floor?

Does the original wood have to be treated or laid in a specific way for the floor to be walkable and safe and sandable?

Answer 1

It's a little hard to tell exactly what you're dealing with, but it could be a wide-plank hardwood floor. If that's the case it can certainly be finished or refinished.  Here's the process:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/...

Houses in the 50s often had wood flooring so it's quite possible that someone covered it with carpeting. Another thing to consider: the flooring may be severely damaged or stained--that's sometimes why people carpet over a wood floor. Only way to tell for sure is to remove more of the carpet.

Answer 2

You would have to check the floor for nails popping up and for bad boards.

Here is a link for refinishing hardwood floors:

http://www.ehow.com/how_1856_refinish-ha...

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/diy_kits/a...

You can rent the floor sander and tools at Home Depot or another Hardware Home Center.  They will also give you tips.

Answer 3

There are lot's of floor refinishing companies around.  The last couple of people in my neighborhood had them professionally done and it cost them around $2000 each for a fair-sized living room and dining room.  You could do it yourself but expect to go to the Home Depot or other store to rent some equipment like floor sanders etc.  You can also get advice there as to what kind of refinishing products are available and what's best for wearability and appearance. When you looked at the floor were there gaps between the boards?  The pros use epoxy to fill them and depending on the color it sometimes doesn't do an appealing job.

Answer 4

I don't know when they stopped doing it but there is a good chance that it is just ship lap. Before the invention of plywood they used a tong and groove ship lap the boards are about 8" wide and they would nail them down over the floor joist one way for a sub floor then the other way for the finished floor. You are just going to have to pull the carpet up to see. If there is no finish on it at all that is probably what it is. Most of the time it was just pine. They would then nail the hard wood on top and finish it. If you can see the sub floor under the house and it looks the same I think that's what it would be. If that is the case you will end up with a lot of patched and knots with cracks around them and it may be unfeasible to try to finish it. It may would be more economical to just install a laminate over it you can do a good amount for $2000 and never have to worry about refinishing again.

Answer 5

It sounds as that may just be plywood or particle board underlayment. If it is sheets 4 feet wide, it would be one of these. If so you will have to buy new flooring and either install yourself or hire it done. It will make a Great floor but it isn't cheep.