Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Smelly Hardwood Floors after carpet removed

We are looking at a house to buy but it has a huge odor problem. Only one room has carpet in it and it stinks really bad of cat pee. I plan to rip that carpet out and put down new hardwood. But the rest of the house also smells bad of cat pee and mildew and maybe smoke? All of the original hardwood floors in the rest of the house are exposed, and the quarteround is missing which leads me to believe that there was carpet and it was pulled up and removed. So I'm wondering if the original (unfinished) hardwood floors have retained odor that was absorbed through the carpet? And if so, what to do for this?

Have you thought about re-doing the carpeted area in question in hard wood, and then re-surfacing all the rest of the hardwood floors by a flooring contractor who would give you one price.? OB

Cat urine is difficult. Refinishing the floors might solve the problem.

Urine that has passed between boards and absorbed into subfloor will remain. If that is not a problem, refinishing floors may resolve odor problem. Some floor refinishers will not refinish wood floors with urine problems because when sanding the urine odor can be so intense that it is breathtaking. Thus, it is often best to remove the hardwood, seal odors into subfloor, and install new hardwood.

Clean with enzyme digester cleaner the wood floors and walls along baseboards where pets can spray urine will help with determining the severity of the urine problem. If odor remains, then it is likely that the urine is beneath the flooring in subfloor.

Urine can run down behind baseboards, which can be removed and walls cleaned with enzyme cleaner. Walls along baseboards can be sealed with sealer/primer and repainted.

If smoke odor is an issue, wash walls with TSP, prime with sealer/primer to seal in odors. If mildew odor is an issue, locate the source. Check crawl space and/or basement for moisture issues, around doors and windows leaks and dampness, in attic for leaks, and bathrooms, laundry, and kitchen for leaks.

Keep in mind, too, that houses that have sat empty with no HVAC to control humidity can smell musty. Urine odors also tend to be more pronounced if humidity is high, especially on days when humidity is higher.

If considering purchasing a home, it is a worthwhile investment to hire a certified home inspector to make sure there are no problems that are not immediately visible. He can report if you have adequate attic ventilation and insulation, if roof leaks, if you have plumbing leaks, etc.

Too, some people are more sensitive to odors than others. Air quality inside the home is very important, especially to those with allergies and respiratory conditions.