Thought I'd toss this one out there and see what you thought.

I moved into the house I grew up in last May (after having been away for about 14 yrs.). The place had been vacant for quite some time but there had been renters in here on and off while I was away up until the last five or so years. The place needed an AWFUL lot of work both inside and outside. Another story perhaps for another day. One thing though that could really use some help are the hardwood floors.

When I was growing up here all the rooms were carpeted and I was absolutely floored (no pun intended) to find that there had been some really nice hardwood underneath the carpet in the two-section living room area(s). It is incredibly worn and needs to be refinished though. That's where my questions and perhaps problems come into play.

When I watch a DIY show it doesn't seem to be too difficult to refinish hardwood flooring but it looks as though it is something that maybe I shouldn't attempt myself given my lung problems. Anybody have any ideas on what may be the least dusty and fume free way of refinishing the things? The two rooms measure about 11' x 18' and 11' x 15' if that makes any difference.

Would there be any products out there that could assist in perhaps making a complete refinishing not needed? I've gone through lots of Murphy's Oil Soap to keep them looking as shiny as possible but the worn areas just make me sick to my stomach when I think just how great they could look.

Okay, that's pretty much all I wondered. Not expecting really anything other than I need to sand them down and refinish them but thought I'd see what I could learn.

Thanks.

__________________
It takes a gutless mouse to play only when the cat's away.

No love, no friendship, can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever. ~~ Francois Mocuriac

Confucius say, "He who masturbate into cash register come into money."

An optimist looks at the glass and says it's half full. A pessimist looks at the glass and says it's half empty. A Cubs fan looks at the glass and says, "When's it gonna spill?"

Deus Impetitio Esuritori Nullus

leave them the way they are. call it character.

if you're determined, there are breathing masks that would greatly reduce if not totally eliminate anything you'd breath in.

__________________
Trees give peace to the souls of men * Nora Waln

The forest would be very quiet if no other birds sang than those who sing the best * Henry van Dyke

some fairly sordid tales, rambles, and anecdotes
Hypothetically Speaking * Something More * Cammy Interrupted * An Experimental Vacation * Masked * so..damn..hot * Thank You * My toy, his idea * no.19 Maple Lane * I Have A Surprise For You * Yesterday * In a Quiet Kitchen * help me decide * untitled prose * more untitled prose

Sounds like you're living my life now...I've been in the house I grew up in for over 11 years now. The hardwood floors are something you do want to try to save, but with lung probs you might want to avoid any DIY salvage ops...I have not gone to the total refinishing process with the bigass rolling drum sander, which would require a complete application of floor varnish, but I did go with this; in our bedroom, we pulled up ugly Pepto pink carpet (that was prob the dustiest dirtiest part of the project), cleaned the wood with Murphy's, then went with the old yellow paste wax...I still have my mama's old Kenmore floor buffer to help with that (nearly impossible to find them anymore)...in the dining room I spot sanded with my random orbit palm sander to take down a few high spots & small stains (not altogther successfully), cleaned the dust as best I could, & touched up with a good floor Varnish (I recommend Minwax) followed by paste wax...nothing that would pass for showplace finish, but it don't look bad for a 50+ year house...also stratigic use of doormats & area rugs can cover the worst spots, & soften up the room a little...
Everything I did still involves a bit of dust & fumes, so you should invest in a good respirator mask whatever you decide to try...PM me if you wanna ask for more details, & best of luck...

__________________
Plug me into somethin'

If the theory does not conform to the facts, then the facts must be discarded.

No good deed ever goes unpunished

Never argue with an idiot. He'll drag you down to his level, & beat you with experience.

Yeah, that's pretty much where I'm at right now. Area rugs and such.

Oh, I know I shouldn't worry about it because it's such an old place and all but it could look just so great! The "character" that wyndhy mentioned is definitely there but it just looks so bad.

I tore out a lot of carpet from a back hallway and the bathroom when I first moved back here and laid down vinyl flooring. The dust was pretty fun to deal with there but nothing too terrible. Bought a couple of the respirator masks and they helped. Found out from that part of the project that I've got a little bit of arthritis in my hands. I blame that on being single for so damn long.

I may have to give the spot sanding thing a try. I guess if that doesn't work to my satisfaction I can always take the plunge and redo the entire thing. (Which I'm not smart enough not to do but am hoping a simpler solution is out there.)

The pace I'm going at with this thing is very much snail-like so I've got time to change my mind a few times before I actually take any action. Way too much idle time on my hands nowadays.

Thanks for the tips wyndhy and scotzoidman!

__________________
It takes a gutless mouse to play only when the cat's away.

No love, no friendship, can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever. ~~ Francois Mocuriac

Confucius say, "He who masturbate into cash register come into money."

An optimist looks at the glass and says it's half full. A pessimist looks at the glass and says it's half empty. A Cubs fan looks at the glass and says, "When's it gonna spill?"

Deus Impetitio Esuritori Nullus

wyndhy got her post in while I was still composing mine, but her advice isn't at odds with mine...my floors were the same as yours, some spots are just too ugly to write off to "character"...so my solution is a compromise based on prior experience with DIY renovations, where the rule is "everything will take longer & cost more than you planned for" I also have to take the slow & easy approach, being on diability for a bad back, diabetes, arthritis, carpal tunnel, etc....I've been stuck in the middle of a mid-sized kitchen renovation for most of the past year, the paint & new floor tiles are still sitting in the floor waiting as we speak...

__________________
Plug me into somethin'

If the theory does not conform to the facts, then the facts must be discarded.

No good deed ever goes unpunished

Never argue with an idiot. He'll drag you down to his level, & beat you with experience.

Sounds like you and I need to get together over a drink sometime and talk about all the stuff we'd like to get done on our houses. Seems like we're in the same boat. Hopefully the damn thing doesn't spring a leak or I'm probably screwed.

__________________
It takes a gutless mouse to play only when the cat's away.

No love, no friendship, can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever. ~~ Francois Mocuriac

Confucius say, "He who masturbate into cash register come into money."

An optimist looks at the glass and says it's half full. A pessimist looks at the glass and says it's half empty. A Cubs fan looks at the glass and says, "When's it gonna spill?"

Deus Impetitio Esuritori Nullus

I put down a new hardwood floor in our last house and sanded & finished it myself. Rather than attempt using a drum sander, I opted for what is essentially a large orbital one. It's one of those machines that is an orbital scrubber/buffer and they sell round screens that go between the buffing pad and the floor to provide that abrasive quality. Drum sanders can be a bit unforgiving. Come to think of it...the orbital one was a bit difficult to handle at first too! ha ha

At any rate, I used a dust mask and the sawdust wasn't too bad at all. And for finishing, I used water-based polyurethane. That way I didn't have to worry about the noxious fumes that oil based stuff emits. I think it required a few more coats than oil stuff would've, but it was a wise trade-off considering we slept in the house while it was drying. lmao

__________________
Though I am different from you,
We were born involved in one another.

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.

Complete surrender should not just come at moments in which one faces overwhelming odds, but in the calm when it seems one is personally in complete control of one's life.

Sweetie, with your lung problems I would suggest paying someone, or have a friend do the work and you supervise from a distance. The dust is bad enough, but there sounds like there's a lot of chemicals involved with this kind of work, and that could be a real problem for you.

Nurse Wanda

__________________
"I wondered, am I a lesbian, am I straight, or bisexual? Then I realized that I am just a slut.
So where's MY parade?"

---Margaret Cho

Yeah, that probably would be the smart way to play it. Sure would be good to have a personal nurse though who could make sure I wasn't over exerting myself while supervising.

__________________
It takes a gutless mouse to play only when the cat's away.

No love, no friendship, can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever. ~~ Francois Mocuriac

Confucius say, "He who masturbate into cash register come into money."

An optimist looks at the glass and says it's half full. A pessimist looks at the glass and says it's half empty. A Cubs fan looks at the glass and says, "When's it gonna spill?"

Deus Impetitio Esuritori Nullus

hmmmmmmmm

with benefits?

__________________
"I wondered, am I a lesbian, am I straight, or bisexual? Then I realized that I am just a slut.
So where's MY parade?"

---Margaret Cho

Why of course dear. Whatever benefits you would desire.

__________________
It takes a gutless mouse to play only when the cat's away.

No love, no friendship, can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever. ~~ Francois Mocuriac

Confucius say, "He who masturbate into cash register come into money."

An optimist looks at the glass and says it's half full. A pessimist looks at the glass and says it's half empty. A Cubs fan looks at the glass and says, "When's it gonna spill?"

Deus Impetitio Esuritori Nullus

at the risk of "hijacking" this thread..........

Oh nurse Wanda.

I've got a "head" ache!

I can verify that Murphy's Oil Soap probably won't help it. Probably wouldn't try to sand it either.

__________________
It takes a gutless mouse to play only when the cat's away.

No love, no friendship, can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever. ~~ Francois Mocuriac

Confucius say, "He who masturbate into cash register come into money."

An optimist looks at the glass and says it's half full. A pessimist looks at the glass and says it's half empty. A Cubs fan looks at the glass and says, "When's it gonna spill?"

Deus Impetitio Esuritori Nullus

Having Nurse Wanda supervise sounds great to me, too, but I have this feeling that the job might not get done in a timely fashion...

Health problems can make any DIY project a challenge, but typically they often make for a tight cash situation as well...which is why I don't go ahead with hiring somebody to do the work. Besides, I like the satisfaction of knowing I did it, & (hopefully) saying it looks pretty good considering. Depending on the severity of your lung probs, you might be able to handle the job with the right kind of respirator...I can never get used to them myself, but I'm weird like that. WI's idea on the water-based polys may be better for you as well, & I hear that they are getting better all the time. Probably need to wait for spring anyway, so you can ventilate the house thouoghly, just to be on the safe side.

Oh, & WI, I hear that those big floor buffers, with just the right amount of tequila (taken internally, of course) make for a real fun ride...

__________________
Plug me into somethin'

If the theory does not conform to the facts, then the facts must be discarded.

No good deed ever goes unpunished

Never argue with an idiot. He'll drag you down to his level, & beat you with experience.

Just a late thought, have you thought of just turning the boards over?

It's a big job, but not to the scale of full refinishing maybe.

__________________
Calm, quiet, smooth, devastating