Saturday, August 21, 2010

Shine Like It Does

After several hard and difficult weeks dedicated to the parlor floor, we are close to the "finish" line (pun intended).
















When we moved in, we peeked under the carpet and discovered a pretty ugly mess covered in paint, dark varnish and who knows what else. The original floor probably had not seen the light of day since the turn of the 20th Century.



Although you could see impressions of past furniture placement, various strange cut lines and several small gouges, this old oak floor has it's own stories to tell. It is highly likely it was timbered from an oak tree in Oakland in the days when it had oak trees. It's very sturdy and we were happy to find no warping or broken slats.

This project was very hard on the knees and wrists so I had to take breaks in between working on the floor but now I've applied the final 4th coat of Tung Oil on the floor and will give it a few days before laying anything on the new floor.

It's not a perfect looking floor and still contains many small nicks and nacks in the floor but I decided to pretty much sand off only a thin top layer of the wood....just enough to take off the gunk on top and retain much of the past embedded on to it by long ago residents.



The final result totally changes the vibe of the room and contains a look and glow that I have not seen in most new flooring. It's enchanting to say the least. What do you think?

2 comments:

  1. George - absolutely fantastic. I love the tung oil. Having done a little of that kind of work I appreciate the back & knee pain associated with the job. I can imagine how good it felt to apply that last coat. A really pro job!!

    Bill & Sylvia

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  2. Thanks Bill! You and Sylvia will have the honor of being the first guest to step upon it. Now we just wear our socks and slip-dance on it for kicks!

    See you soon!

    -ganda

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