Looking for advice on cleaning and protecting an old wood floor. The wood is heart pine, I don't know what the finish is, and there are gaps between the boards. Pictures inside.
[more inside]
posted by jalexc
on Jan 22, 2012 -
9 answers
What color engineered hardwood should I put in? What are the trends? What are the fads? What color would you NOT recommend?
[more inside]
posted by Toto_tot
on Jun 14, 2011 -
14 answers
Do most people put rug pads under area rugs that are on hardwood floors? I am a rug-owning n00b.
[more inside]
posted by kthxbi
on Jun 12, 2011 -
8 answers
Any tips for getting grout residue off of hardwood floors? Some previous owners of my house had carpeting in the living room, and tiles that they placed around the fireplace hearth (tiles were 1/4" thick and brick-like, in case anyone cares). I removed the carpet and the tiles to reveal the hardwood floors underneath, which is in fairly good shape in most areas. Except right around the fireplace where some white residue remains from where the tiles were. Is there anyway to reduce or remove this completely other than refinishing? Or should I just put an area rug over it until that time comes?
[more inside]
posted by weathergal
on Dec 30, 2010 -
9 answers
What kind of wood flooring should we get for our new house? Complications: two small kids, largish dog, budget.
[more inside]
posted by ish__
on Dec 16, 2010 -
13 answers
Are there any good lumber suppliers that can provide hardwoods (maple, cherry, etc) cut to specific widths, lengths and depth and ship the cut wood within the US?
The reason for the specific dimensions is that I use a service called Ponoko (
Ponoko.com) for the initial laser cutting of my art. They currently can only accept three generic sizes in their laser-cutting machines with a maximum depth of 10mm (roughly 3/8"). I've contacted a number of hardwood suppliers but none of them can supply widths of 15+ inches.
[more inside]
posted by ogunther
on Jul 25, 2010 -
10 answers
What tools/methods make cleaning hardwood floors a breeze on a regular basis? It's taking too much time and effort right now!
[more inside]
posted by wannaknow
on May 4, 2010 -
22 answers
We have some 15 year old linoleum and hardwood floors that could use some cleaning, including some minor discoloration mopping won't fix. What steamers would be good for cleaning those floors?
posted by mccarty.tim
on Feb 20, 2010 -
4 answers
Should hardwood floors always be installed perpendicular to the joists?
posted by blue_beetle
on Sep 10, 2009 -
11 answers
How can I limit damage to my virtually-unfinished hardwood floors without the trouble/expense of refinishing?
[more inside]
posted by aabbbiee
on Aug 25, 2009 -
14 answers
What's a relatively reasonable amount to expect to pay to repair a hardwood floor in an office? I know, how long is a piece of string, etc. but this seems just a bit out of whack to me...
[more inside]
posted by barc0001
on Feb 4, 2009 -
9 answers
If I steam clean a carpet that has been installed on top of a painted hardwood floor, will I ruin the hardwood?
[more inside]
posted by perpetualstroll
on Aug 1, 2008 -
3 answers
I'm looking for recommendations for a hardwood floor retailer/installer in the Greater Toronto Area.
[more inside]
posted by kate blank
on Jul 13, 2008 -
7 answers
We're in the middle of having a new kitchen installed. As part of the remodel we knocked down a couple of walls. The house has hardwood floors throughout yet the contractor did not put
anything down to protect the floor(!!) when they did the demolition. No surprise then that there are scratches and a couple of gouges on the floor. We're not happy. How to approach this? What rights do we have?
[more inside]
posted by NailsTheCat
on Jul 11, 2008 -
10 answers
How do I remove this strange glue from my previously carpeted hardwood?
[more inside]
posted by bradn
on Jun 29, 2008 -
5 answers
I'm looking for a reasonably priced vacuum for use on hardwood floors. Doesn't need any sort of powered brushes just suction.
Thanks!
posted by sandpine
on Sep 17, 2007 -
12 answers
I cut my foot pretty severely on a broken glass, and now it looks like someone slaughtered a pig on my hardwood floor. How do I get the blood stains out?
[more inside]
posted by gemmy
on Jul 22, 2007 -
10 answers
Any 'real' success stories with getting water/mildew stains out of an oak hardwood floor?
[more inside]
posted by zenpop
on Jun 30, 2007 -
2 answers
I'm having my hardwood floors refinished by professionals. It will take 3 days and in addition to the sanding they'll be applying 4 layers of polyurethane (no sealer) Does this sound good to you? Did I pick the right guys?
[more inside]
posted by Lorna
on Jun 10, 2007 -
6 answers
Please help me find a PDF or other free printable document that I can take with me to identify trees using a YES/NO question and answer format.
[more inside]
posted by Pastabagel
on May 10, 2007 -
6 answers
Jute rug damaged my floor! My wife and I are moving out of our apartment, and when we rolled up the jute rugs, there seems to be damage to floors underneath as though the actual rug wore into the floor.
[more inside]
posted by mzurer
on Mar 8, 2007 -
8 answers
What is the best way to clean a hardwood floor? I've gone the Murphy's Oil Soap route and it just leaves splotches, even after I try to wipe it with a rag afterwards. I'd rather avoid getting on my hands and knees. Anything that is tried-and-true and will make my floor shine?
[more inside]
posted by printchick
on Sep 15, 2006 -
9 answers
Hardwood Floor Filter -- How can I spruce up my hardwood floor without a major refinishing project?
[more inside]
posted by Mid
on Mar 10, 2006 -
7 answers
Experiences with hardwood floors in the bathroom? I have decided I want to install hardwood flooring in my bathroom. If you have ever lived with wooden bathroom floors, please let me know if there is anything I should be aware of.
[more inside]
posted by evoo
on Jan 17, 2006 -
25 answers
I'm currently considering buying a circa 1900 house that has one major issue, both the first and second floors reek of cat urine. Does anyone have experience with erradicating this odor from an older home?
[more inside]
posted by Yukon
on Dec 1, 2005 -
15 answers
RenovationFilter: We just bought an old library out on the great plains. Yes, library. But that's not the point. It's a wonderful, hundred-year-old brick building. The floors are beautiful, straight-grained, old-growth fir. Unfortunately....
[more inside]
posted by dersins
on Jun 10, 2005 -
27 answers
I have a friend who wants to buy a sweet (and cheap!) fixer-upper in an up-and-coming section of Philadelphia. Thing is, she'll need to do a lot of work to renovate it, including putting in new floors...
[more inside]
posted by AlexReynolds
on May 18, 2005 -
14 answers
I just moved in to newly built condo... I have spent a lot of money to option IN for SHAW Brazilian Cherry Hardwood floor..(100% covered 1300sq.ft (according to my research it maybe engineered Durashield coated ones like most hardwood floors now days)... Just before I moved in I saw a builder employee cleaning the floor.. He told me he is using PINE-SOL type cleaner... It did look shiny at first.... But I have been here for 3weeks now... The white films would not go away... even now my socks are yellowish oil all over when ever i step one or two steps.... foot marks are eveywhere... now it looks dusty and smudged all over... (there is no dust... but looks dusty with smudges).... I tried to clean it off with No-Was Bruce hardwood cleaner.... No luck... I tried little bit of water in the corner with about 5 small towels... it finally came off (it took me about 1 hour to do 6sq.ft..) it was very hard work.... I contacted the manufacturer.. they said NO oil based cleaner or wax should be used on these.. especially Pine-Sol and Pledge.... They said It was coated like clear coats in new cars..never needing wax... so basically putting pine-sol on these type of floor is like spraying Armor-All on paint of new car....At least new car can be washed off with a lot of water and soap...
[more inside]
posted by curiousleo
on Apr 19, 2005 -
25 answers
Point one: We are beginning to look for our first home.
Point two: Hardwood floors are pretty.
Point three: We have a kitty we lovingly call "Madame Barfary".
I've looked and looked, but can't seem to discover whether cat barf is harmful to hardwood floors. Anyone have experience in this area?
posted by frykitty
on Dec 10, 2004 -
30 answers
I'm gearing up to re-finish my hardwood floors this spring. My question is about stains and polyurethanes. Can I use an oil-based stain with a water-based poly coating over it? I can't seem to find any water-based stains, and I want to be able to put multiple coats of the poly down, and I only have about a week to do this (2 small rooms), so I need to take into consideration the quick drying times of the water-based finishes. The guy at the paint store said I could do the oil stain with the water poly as long as I let the floors cure first, but walked away from me when I asked him what that meant. Is a week enough time to sand and finish the floors of two rooms?
posted by archimago
on Apr 27, 2004 -
6 answers
