Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - old floor and dark stains
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BobF
03-02-08, 10:31 AM
Our house is 50+ years old. The original living room has a hardwood floor. The people who owned the house 15-20 years ago (2 owners ago) covered it with wall-to-wall carpeting.
We removed that this weekend. Most of the floor is in good shape, needing only a light buffing. The middle of the room and the middle of the hall have some big black stains. I tried a couple different solutions and sanding with my orbital sander.
Of course the stains had penetrated the wood. The best I could do was either leave an obvious dark area or actually bleach it out with a very diluted mix of water, bleach, and detergent.
We want to keep the floor.
My questions:
1) Is there anything on the market today that will lighten those stains and allow new finishes to blend? We will refinish the entire floor.
2) I have to replace some of the boards along the wall anyway. How difficult is it to replace the boards in the center, given its tongue and groove?
We removed that this weekend. Most of the floor is in good shape, needing only a light buffing. The middle of the room and the middle of the hall have some big black stains. I tried a couple different solutions and sanding with my orbital sander.
Of course the stains had penetrated the wood. The best I could do was either leave an obvious dark area or actually bleach it out with a very diluted mix of water, bleach, and detergent.
We want to keep the floor.
My questions:
1) Is there anything on the market today that will lighten those stains and allow new finishes to blend? We will refinish the entire floor.
2) I have to replace some of the boards along the wall anyway. How difficult is it to replace the boards in the center, given its tongue and groove?
leejosepho
03-02-08, 11:02 AM
My wife and I had a similar situation after we got this place about 3-1/2 years ago. As you have already done, we cleaned and sanded as much as possible and practical, then we used a medium-shade stain to slightly darken the entire floor while blending the spots as best we could before applying a low-gloss finish. Anyone looking closely can still see some spots with color inconsistencies, but that is part of the character of an older house, eh?!
I have never tried replacing boards in the middle of a floor, and neither would I even attempt that unless absolutely necessary. But, maybe somebody else knows how that might be done without creating an even-worse situation.
I have never tried replacing boards in the middle of a floor, and neither would I even attempt that unless absolutely necessary. But, maybe somebody else knows how that might be done without creating an even-worse situation.