Tips on cleaning/painting before moving into a prewar apartment?
October 4, 2019 8:47 AM Subscribe
I just moved into a great apartment in a wonderful location! It’s a classic prewar NYC apartment, and slightly dirty-looking-but-not-necessarily-dirty. Can I do something creative about it?
This is a photo of my bedroom floor. Cleaning it / scrubbing it doesn’t actually seem to make it that much cleaner looking or feeling. It makes the whole room feel a little grimy. I want to have it be clean as I'll be barefoot indoors (the previous tenants wore shoes indoors)!
What can I do about it that makes sense within my bounds as a renter? I don't want to spend too much money and effort on it (I might move out in two years), but if I can do something by hiring a small contractor/laborer for a day, or spend a weekend fixing it up myself, then I'd be very down.
I have access to a proper woodshop, power tools, vehicles, materials. Should I just repaint the baseboards? Install some sort of baseboard covering? Are there power tools that can buff/clean things out, or will clean/edge wooden floors without quite sanding them down? Line the walls with wooden benches/storage? Any other creative ideas? Thanks!
(Bonus Q: is this something I can demand from the landlord/super? They seem pretty friendly but hands off (the building is owned/managed by the family), and not sure if they'll agree to doing work after I've already signed the lease.)
This is a photo of my bedroom floor. Cleaning it / scrubbing it doesn’t actually seem to make it that much cleaner looking or feeling. It makes the whole room feel a little grimy. I want to have it be clean as I'll be barefoot indoors (the previous tenants wore shoes indoors)!
What can I do about it that makes sense within my bounds as a renter? I don't want to spend too much money and effort on it (I might move out in two years), but if I can do something by hiring a small contractor/laborer for a day, or spend a weekend fixing it up myself, then I'd be very down.
I have access to a proper woodshop, power tools, vehicles, materials. Should I just repaint the baseboards? Install some sort of baseboard covering? Are there power tools that can buff/clean things out, or will clean/edge wooden floors without quite sanding them down? Line the walls with wooden benches/storage? Any other creative ideas? Thanks!
(Bonus Q: is this something I can demand from the landlord/super? They seem pretty friendly but hands off (the building is owned/managed by the family), and not sure if they'll agree to doing work after I've already signed the lease.)
Congrats on your new place, but don't do annnnnnnnything without getting consent of the landlord (including painting), unless your lease is very explicit to the contrary. I do think painting the baseboards would help a lot.
posted by praemunire at 9:13 AM on October 4, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 9:13 AM on October 4, 2019 [2 favorites]
Well, that looks pretty par for the course for Victorian rentals in my experience and I've never bothered to do anything but clean.
The problem with the baseboards is that you're looking at 60-100 years of paint layers, not just one layer. But repainting will probably help.
Some of the problem with the floor seems to be paint splatter. Some of it is sloppy varnish. Some of it is dirt. The real fix for the floors is to have them properly refinished, but that is not going to happen here so a thorough vacuuming and cleaning is the next best thing.
Nthing that you should not do any substantive work - nothing that changes the property, including painting - without consent of your landlord. As for this
is this something I can demand from the landlord/super?
You could try but I wouldn't. Generally those demands are reasonable when concerning a health/safety/damage issue, but this is truly just aesthetic. Most landlords I know would laugh at you for that, and you have no leverage anyways since you've already signed.
Just put in a little elbow grease with cleaning. Then lay down a rug. You will soon acclimate.
posted by epanalepsis at 9:26 AM on October 4, 2019 [5 favorites]
The problem with the baseboards is that you're looking at 60-100 years of paint layers, not just one layer. But repainting will probably help.
Some of the problem with the floor seems to be paint splatter. Some of it is sloppy varnish. Some of it is dirt. The real fix for the floors is to have them properly refinished, but that is not going to happen here so a thorough vacuuming and cleaning is the next best thing.
Nthing that you should not do any substantive work - nothing that changes the property, including painting - without consent of your landlord. As for this
is this something I can demand from the landlord/super?
You could try but I wouldn't. Generally those demands are reasonable when concerning a health/safety/damage issue, but this is truly just aesthetic. Most landlords I know would laugh at you for that, and you have no leverage anyways since you've already signed.
Just put in a little elbow grease with cleaning. Then lay down a rug. You will soon acclimate.
posted by epanalepsis at 9:26 AM on October 4, 2019 [5 favorites]
What you are perceiving as "dirty-looking" is really the patina of age. You could make those floors look brand new by sanding and refinishing, but even if your landlord permits that, don't do it. The vintage character of your place demands vintage floors. A lot can be done with just a real good cleaning and scraping off the paint spatters. The photo doesn't show much of the floor but if there are scratches and bare patches, a single coat of varnish might be in order.
posted by beagle at 9:34 AM on October 4, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by beagle at 9:34 AM on October 4, 2019 [8 favorites]
If the floors are level,
im going to be laughing about this one for a week, at least.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 9:49 AM on October 4, 2019 [15 favorites]
im going to be laughing about this one for a week, at least.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 9:49 AM on October 4, 2019 [15 favorites]
This is less a ‘dirt’ problem but more an ‘old’ problem. To get any of this to ‘look’ cleaner you’d have to sand and re-paint - not something you should do as tenant.
In your pic the only thing that really looks ‘dirty’ is the wire but you’ll not make a meaningful difference because old plastic is porous and you can’t get under it without removing it.
If you’ve never lived in an old property beware that there are always more nooks and crannies and that between the wonky walls, floor(board)s and windows old properties are less hermetically sealed than newer ones so you will always have more movement of air and dust. The only thing you can do is vacuum and mop regularly.
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:07 AM on October 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
In your pic the only thing that really looks ‘dirty’ is the wire but you’ll not make a meaningful difference because old plastic is porous and you can’t get under it without removing it.
If you’ve never lived in an old property beware that there are always more nooks and crannies and that between the wonky walls, floor(board)s and windows old properties are less hermetically sealed than newer ones so you will always have more movement of air and dust. The only thing you can do is vacuum and mop regularly.
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:07 AM on October 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
Is the finish on the floor intact? I used to live in a house with hardwood floors that had varnish (not poly). I cleaned them, then used wax, floor wax from a hardware store. They had a lovely soft glow. Very slippery at 1st, but that went away, not before the dog entertained us by sliding about because he was a goofball.
Looks like there is or was wire tacked to the woodwork. Tacks can be removed with pliers, but Don't Sand. Anything painted before the 70s was probably painted with lead paint. Leaving it alone is generally okay for adults, but disturbing it, esp. sanding, gets it in the air and in you and can make you quite ill. I would put 1 coat of white paint on it and that's it. When I was a small-time landlord, painted woodwork was white only because color matching is a huge drag, and I don't love paint buildup on woodwork. Use masking tape unless you are an etremely skilled painter,and even then, use masking tape.
posted by theora55 at 10:14 AM on October 4, 2019 [2 favorites]
Looks like there is or was wire tacked to the woodwork. Tacks can be removed with pliers, but Don't Sand. Anything painted before the 70s was probably painted with lead paint. Leaving it alone is generally okay for adults, but disturbing it, esp. sanding, gets it in the air and in you and can make you quite ill. I would put 1 coat of white paint on it and that's it. When I was a small-time landlord, painted woodwork was white only because color matching is a huge drag, and I don't love paint buildup on woodwork. Use masking tape unless you are an etremely skilled painter,and even then, use masking tape.
posted by theora55 at 10:14 AM on October 4, 2019 [2 favorites]
Best answer: If your landlord is ok with is, i agree that a coat of paint on the baseboard (and walls if you are industrious and willing to pay) would go along way.
also this stuff "Restore a finish" will make your floors look better. i just did my old cabinets after a good scrub and it helps with shine. I didn't sand or anything just scrubbed really well. its not really a stain more like a supplement to a stain.
posted by domino at 11:17 AM on October 4, 2019 [4 favorites]
also this stuff "Restore a finish" will make your floors look better. i just did my old cabinets after a good scrub and it helps with shine. I didn't sand or anything just scrubbed really well. its not really a stain more like a supplement to a stain.
posted by domino at 11:17 AM on October 4, 2019 [4 favorites]
2nding the lead paint issues.
posted by Candleman at 2:29 PM on October 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Candleman at 2:29 PM on October 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
Thirding Restor-a-Finish. (Even if you don't paint or refinish anything, be vigilant about regularly vacuuming the floor and using the crevice tool. Old, charming wood floors can generate splinters and weirdly sharp bits of debris.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:06 PM on October 4, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:06 PM on October 4, 2019 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Those look exactly like all the floors on the second floor of my house here in brooklyn. I think the best thing you could do is repaint the baseboards, taping the floor and wall well so that it's a nice clean line. That will make a bigger difference than you realize. If you want to get the landlords permission find out what type of trim paint he used (oil based versus water) and repaint them in semi gloss rather than full on gloss, this will hide a lot of the currently noticeable dings and update their look a bit.
I think you'll stop noticing the floor imperfections after a while, especially once rugs and furniture are in. Restore-a-finish is great, but read the instructions first to determine if you're prepared to treat an entire floor with it. Also keep in mind that once you wax over the RAF if the landlord goes to refinish (with poly), they'll have a mess unless he strips the wax off first.
posted by newpotato at 3:51 AM on October 5, 2019
I think you'll stop noticing the floor imperfections after a while, especially once rugs and furniture are in. Restore-a-finish is great, but read the instructions first to determine if you're prepared to treat an entire floor with it. Also keep in mind that once you wax over the RAF if the landlord goes to refinish (with poly), they'll have a mess unless he strips the wax off first.
posted by newpotato at 3:51 AM on October 5, 2019
Best answer: Whenever I move into a new apartment, and especially an older building, I give everything (walls, cupboards, doors, baseboards) a wash with a trisodium phosphate solution (TSP, also called sugar soap). It's not something I use routinely for maintenance cleaning because it can be harsh, but when you need to get rid of the funk and grime left behind by prior tenants, it's amazing stuff. You can literally wipe away built up grime on kitchen surfaces, and it was amazing for getting nicotine/smoke stains off walls. Once that's done, I feel that I can live in a place as my own.
As for your old paint and baseboards, that just comes with the territory of older places, and there's not much a renter can do. Floor wax will probably make the floors feel better for you, as it will help fill in some of the roughness and imperfections. Throw rugs and wall hangings can also distract from those imperfections. The only other remedy is a fresh coat of paint, but you would need your landlord's approval for that.
posted by amusebuche at 4:18 AM on October 6, 2019
As for your old paint and baseboards, that just comes with the territory of older places, and there's not much a renter can do. Floor wax will probably make the floors feel better for you, as it will help fill in some of the roughness and imperfections. Throw rugs and wall hangings can also distract from those imperfections. The only other remedy is a fresh coat of paint, but you would need your landlord's approval for that.
posted by amusebuche at 4:18 AM on October 6, 2019
Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I ripped out the wire, cleaned surfaces, taped and repainted the baseboards and trim, got spackle and got color matched paint to the existing wall to do some touch up. Already it's making a huge huge difference. I might even remove the existing quarter round, scrape off the layers of paint splatter on the hardwood floor, and paint and install new quarter round.
I thought about asking the landlord.. but the room has been painted so unprofessionally in the past, that I figured I was just doing it a service to make things neater as long as I wasn't doing damage. Plus, if the landlord complains, I can always scuff up the paint a bit and splatter paint on the floor to make it look original ;)
I'll post before/after pics when I'm done!
posted by many more sunsets at 8:05 PM on October 7, 2019
I thought about asking the landlord.. but the room has been painted so unprofessionally in the past, that I figured I was just doing it a service to make things neater as long as I wasn't doing damage. Plus, if the landlord complains, I can always scuff up the paint a bit and splatter paint on the floor to make it look original ;)
I'll post before/after pics when I'm done!
posted by many more sunsets at 8:05 PM on October 7, 2019
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As far as the floors being clean...short of a full refinish there's not much you can do. But that doesnt mean you cant clean them so they are free of dirt. Looking 'dirty' and actually being dirty are two different things.
Also give it time. It may be very noticeable now to you because you're not used to it. After a while it might bother you less.
posted by ananci at 8:57 AM on October 4, 2019 [2 favorites]