Refinishing 55 year old floors

[CThomp]

Last night I got done stripping some floors in my house. The house was built in 1950 and has 3/4" thick t&g 3" wide pine floors. I guess the original owner decided to use a stain that was so freakin thick it took me over 20 belts on a drum sander to remove all the stain in a 192 sqft room. I'm going to be oiling and polyurethaning them. No more stain.

So my questions.

Is there an easier way besides using over 20 belts? Is there an effective stain remover that won't hurt the wood?

The floors look beautiful just being bare wood now that all the crap is out of them. Thats why i'm oiling them instead of staining them.

[Sweep]

Hiring a professional floor sander is one of the best bargains in life. Stay off the roof too.

[CThomp]

I don't mind doing the work. Jut trying to make it easier on myself through the use of modern technology. I also figured out that I shouldn't rip up the old carpet until after all drywall and painting is complete. I spent over two hours just sanding up the paint drips my girlfriend and her friends created when they were painting the room. Yeah they didn't use drop cloths and I ran out of goo-off.

[CThomp]

Floors in one bedroom are now done. We linseed oiled them yesterday afternoon. I had no idea that stuff was combustible. I didn't but it got hot...really hot. The rags are currently residing in a bucket of water.

The floors look great though!

[VALENT]

cthomp, will you have to put any poly or similar on top of the linseed oil?

[Cole]

Pics Man, Pics.

[CThomp]

Definitley. Poly is the next step. I don't want to have to do this again and I want the floors to be tough. The room will someday have kids in it so it has to be impact resistant. What a pain in the ass. And I still have 3 more rooms plus a short hallway with this same situation. Oh well. Suck it up DIYer. It's sanding time!!

[CThomp]

Alright...still don't have pics cause i'm a lazy ass that keeps forgetting to bring my digital home from work with me.

But...got two coats of poly done today. Second coat had to be applied with the windows closed. Yeah I know this was dumb. But we had to have the windows closed because we weren't staying there tonight. It was a poly and run type of a thing. I got the first coat on this morning. I brushed it kind of thin to work it into the wood. That was the easy part. Second coat went on heavy and sloppy but thorough and even. If that makes and sense. I did the second coat, got cleaned up, and hauled a$$ out the door. I wanted the place sealed with the a/c cranking so it would dry faster. I checked on it a few hours later and it was about dry. I bought quick dry poly. The first coat I had the windows open and shop fans blowin for ventilation but it's so humid down here the floors were still tacky for the second coat.

SO...in the end when I checked on the floors earlier they looked awesome. Next time i'll wear some dive gear.

If you're thinking about shelling out the big bucks for some 3/4" floors find some reclaimed or new if they make it heart pine 3" wide floors. Its such an unbelievable color.

Yeah i'm a jerk...no pictures just yet.

[giddonah]

jerk :lol:

[Dragon]

I redid an oak floor once in a house that was built in 1896. I took up all this nasty linoleum and found a beautiful floor. Its a lot of work to refinish, but well worth it.

[giddonah]

and the pictures?

[giddonah]

how about another smilie Rich?

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