Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/Antique woode floors

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Expert: - 12/26/2009


Question
Hello.
I just bought an 1870's home in CT. This is a 1.5 story cape farmhouse. I love the chestnut floors(some boards are oak)but they are very worn/unfinished looking. I do not see any evidence of a polyurethane on them. They are very uneven so I am not sure about sanding. I also love the aged wonderful color of them. If I sand will that look/color be lost? I am thinking of the tung oil finish for them but not sure how to clean/prep first. If these were your floors how would you proceed?  

Answer
Hi Kathy, your floors probably had either a wax finish or shellac, (or a combination of both over the years). I would look at WaterLox as a likely finish fo floors like yours...sanding will ruin a lot of the age and character (machine sanding), so I would look to clean them well with mineral spirits and scotchBrite pads, which is a big job. Perhaps it would pay to have a Floor restorer in who has experience with Historic floors like yours...they will be able to properly evaluate them with you and make suggestions as to the way they would tackle such a job.They may have a cleaning technique to rid the floors of the wax and old finish to properly prep them for the new finish that I'm not aware of....and I would highly recommend paying someone to do this work if you can afford it.It's smelly, dirty work. I would NOT put Polyurethane or any other film type finish on your floors. WaterLox is a penetrating Tung Oil/modified Varnish finish that has several characteristics that make it an ideal choice. Please read about it here.:

http://www.waterlox.com/

Feel free to post back- regards- Greg

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Greg Scholl

Expertise

Questions on Woodworking, wood finishing and refinishing of all kinds, repairing furniture and wooden objects, Architectural details, Woodturning, carving, tool usage, product usage, some chemistry as it applies to woodworking and related interests,cabinet making and furniture construction/design, etc. I have experience with all manners of colorants, finishes, paints, stains, dyes, glazes, and coatings, wood species recognition and usage,tool recommendations, blade types and recommendation,techniques and methods for many Woodworking related issues, etc.

Experience

Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. Consulting for area Painting/Decorating and Building contractors on non painting issues..(staining, wood prep.,clear finishing, floor restoration and architectural detail restoration and repair, etc.) Sold, built, serviced, setup Home, Industrial, and Commercial stationary woodworking tools for a major tool retailer in CT. for three years, sold hand and power tools , provided knowledge, parts replacement, service, and on site service, Trade show Demo, and training as well.

Publications
Published in Fine Woodworking Magazine (12/97), included on Fine Woodworkings first "Best of Fine Woodworking" CD-ROM (2002) ...("27 year compilation of expert know-how")

Education/Credentials
Art School at Silvermine Guild in Norwalk, CT., 9 year apprenticeship in a European run Cabinet and Restoration shop in CT., various classes on subjects having to do with the field. Seminars from major Tool manufacturers, Skil/Bosch, Delta, Powermatic, Ritter, Porter cable, Milwaukee, Dewalt/B&Decker, Performax.

Past/Present Clients
Many varied clients including work on Martha Stewarts' Westport, CT. show house, many fine Antique dealers and private collectors in and around Fairfield County and in Woodbury, CT. (the Antiques capital of CT.), Golden Age of Trucking Museum, Wilton Historical Society.

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