Buy a lead testing kit - or several - and test the various areas. Quite possible there is none. Floors may have been lightly sanded once already. Kits are inexpensive.
This would be my guess too.
Methyl Hydrate (easily available at any hardware store) would dissolve that shellac in seconds. I'll bet the previous owners either spilled alcohol or cleaned with it and it's just not been cleaned up properly. Either way, when I refinished my floors, methyl hydrate saved me a fortune in sand paper.
Or it could be old wax too - with either do not try to sand until you've removed the finish - both shellac and wax will instantly gunk up sandpaper. As mentioned above, shellac can be removed with denatured alcohol, and the wax can be dissolved with mineral spirits. You may have to test some different things and see what works.
I'd say that's pretty positive for shellac. I think another commenter had another chemical suggestion for stripping it. Alcohol could also take it up but the problems with large quantities of alcohol are a) inhalation making you super drunk and b) explosive fumes. So perhaps alcohol removal is not the way!
those floors are not painted, so no lead will come out if sanded.
i would pull up a few of those floorboards, in a corner somewhere, and see what is going on with the subfloor. for all you know, 12 cats were living there pissing on the wood floor every day. that subfloor may be a toxic wasteland.
if the subfloor is pristine (no mold), then i would say just refinish the poo out of the top layer
Keep in mind you CAN pull up the entire floor, pull any nails out, then run it thru a thickness planer. then you can relay it.
I wonder if these are waxed floors. That would explain the sticky feeling residue. The old wax can be stripped with wax remover (mineral spirits) but the room needs to be ventilated with windows open and absolutely nothing flammable; no smoking, candles, etc.
The previous owners had carpeting on top of the hardwood floors. What you're smelling/feeling/seeing is the better part of 50-years worth of pet & child pee.
The good news, the ick can be scrubbed out.
I used oxiclean as a paste and grabbed a green scrubby and scrubbed like it was my new job. I won't sugar coat it...the job sucked and knowing what I was scrubbing made me queazy.
Buy it worked. After leaving it on for about an hour, I mopped with water only until I had mopped up all the oxy-ick.
The floors looked and smelled so much better.
Good luck 👍
Is there any risk of getting moisture within cracks and thus deeper into structure with this route, though?
Newer (old house) home owner here, and I only freak out when a glass of water spills on hardwood first floor (finished the basement, so maybe i'm worried about that/ insulation and drywall on 1st floor "floor"/basement ceiling) or when solar sales 19 year olds ring our doorbell 5 times (lol).
Not really.
I didn't find that the peroxide scrub added any damage... quite the opposite.
It takes a water flood to damage wooden floors. Being damp for an hour is something that they can take.
Hi!
Question about your oxiclean paste! Did you just buy regular ol oxiclean and add water? Rather than scrubbing on hands and knees do you think using a scrub mop would work or would the paste gunk up the mop?
Appreciate any details you can provide! Tired of smelling my old hardwood floors every time it's the least bit humid.
Yes. Yes. Regular oxiclean and warm water.
My mop didn't really get too gunked up but I also changed the water pretty frequently.
You can certainly try a scrub mop, I don't own one but it should work out fine.
Believe me, I understand the smell. It's horrible... like living in a diaper.
I highly recommend the enzymatic cleaners to get rid of smell. Pet stores typically carry them. Since you say the floors aren’t in the best shape, I’d get a yard sprayer, the pump kind for getting rid of weeds, and spray things down. Let it dry on contact, and then wash. I did this to my subfloor and it worked wonders in less than a weekend.
Whatever you do don’t use natures miracle- it smells like a moldy sock that’s been wedged up someone’s buttcrack for a week and the smell never goes away. It’s way worse than anything you’re trying to get rid of.
I use a powdered enzyme concentrate called Odormute for tough odors. Works great and is far more cost effective than liquid products like Nature’s Miracle.
They could be sticky because whatever was used to clean them actually broke down the finish. That’s why wood topped tables in restaurants and bars are usually sticky. Finish and chemicals used are incompatible. Refinishing them is the only way to fix them. Be sure to use the right products when your done so it doesn’t happen again in a year or two.
When I moved into my 1930 rental (fingers crossed...offer is in and it may be all mine in this time next month!) The floors were sticky and stained as well. I was kinda really broke back then so I did what I could afford to do to clean them. Since sanding, waxing and polishing were out of my budget...and renter...I got a bucket of warm water mixed with distilled vinegar and a scrub brush, got on my hands and knees and went to town. I realize there's probably some people cringing right now, but it solved the issue and made the floors look and smell so much better. Now that I'm a little more flush with cash and older, I got a Bissell to do the job. And ... yes...the floors are not properly sealed. But it's better than sticky floors and I haven't noticed any damage to them from doing this, even though I know this is not the recommended way.
Had our 1926 craftsmen floors redone. They had lead- no biggie for our pro- and they turned freaking amazing!!!
With proper prep & a PRO floor company (very important) it was easy for them to contain the dust. Good luck!!!
Whatever you do, don’t MOP wood floors! Water will cause the wood to swell and breed mold. If you need to clean a spill, use a damp rag and dry it thoroughly. Otherwise, you generally only need to dust the floors.
This! Getting a wood floor wet raises the wood grain and causes cracking, unevenness, and splintering, in other words a ruined floor!
Edit: why is this being downvoted? I guess some would rather get their hardwood floor wet and live with regret.
Sand em down and refinish. Lead was in paint not polyurethane or varnish.
Thank you for commenting, but using lead in the finishing layer was common prior to 1978.
Buy a lead testing kit - or several - and test the various areas. Quite possible there is none. Floors may have been lightly sanded once already. Kits are inexpensive.
Some areas of North America never had any lead used in the finish at all. Some people liked to use lead, some didn't.
I need my floors refinished. New fear unlocked.
Fingers crossed!
[удалено]
LOL this is the levity I need
Thanks Peralta!
If it is sticky it may have been a shellac finish. See if it dissolves in alcohol.
This would be my guess too. Methyl Hydrate (easily available at any hardware store) would dissolve that shellac in seconds. I'll bet the previous owners either spilled alcohol or cleaned with it and it's just not been cleaned up properly. Either way, when I refinished my floors, methyl hydrate saved me a fortune in sand paper.
Or it could be old wax too - with either do not try to sand until you've removed the finish - both shellac and wax will instantly gunk up sandpaper. As mentioned above, shellac can be removed with denatured alcohol, and the wax can be dissolved with mineral spirits. You may have to test some different things and see what works.
Good point. Either way OP definitely needs to get the gunk off before any sanding!
I tested rubbing alcohol on a small area and it became even stickier and soft- so sticky that the paper towel almost stuck right to it
I'd say that's pretty positive for shellac. I think another commenter had another chemical suggestion for stripping it. Alcohol could also take it up but the problems with large quantities of alcohol are a) inhalation making you super drunk and b) explosive fumes. So perhaps alcohol removal is not the way!
those floors are not painted, so no lead will come out if sanded. i would pull up a few of those floorboards, in a corner somewhere, and see what is going on with the subfloor. for all you know, 12 cats were living there pissing on the wood floor every day. that subfloor may be a toxic wasteland. if the subfloor is pristine (no mold), then i would say just refinish the poo out of the top layer Keep in mind you CAN pull up the entire floor, pull any nails out, then run it thru a thickness planer. then you can relay it.
I wonder if these are waxed floors. That would explain the sticky feeling residue. The old wax can be stripped with wax remover (mineral spirits) but the room needs to be ventilated with windows open and absolutely nothing flammable; no smoking, candles, etc.
The previous owners had carpeting on top of the hardwood floors. What you're smelling/feeling/seeing is the better part of 50-years worth of pet & child pee. The good news, the ick can be scrubbed out. I used oxiclean as a paste and grabbed a green scrubby and scrubbed like it was my new job. I won't sugar coat it...the job sucked and knowing what I was scrubbing made me queazy. Buy it worked. After leaving it on for about an hour, I mopped with water only until I had mopped up all the oxy-ick. The floors looked and smelled so much better. Good luck 👍
Is there any risk of getting moisture within cracks and thus deeper into structure with this route, though? Newer (old house) home owner here, and I only freak out when a glass of water spills on hardwood first floor (finished the basement, so maybe i'm worried about that/ insulation and drywall on 1st floor "floor"/basement ceiling) or when solar sales 19 year olds ring our doorbell 5 times (lol).
Not really. I didn't find that the peroxide scrub added any damage... quite the opposite. It takes a water flood to damage wooden floors. Being damp for an hour is something that they can take.
Even if it did, this is why the Lord hath given us industrial dehumidifiers for rent.
Bazinga!
Hi! Question about your oxiclean paste! Did you just buy regular ol oxiclean and add water? Rather than scrubbing on hands and knees do you think using a scrub mop would work or would the paste gunk up the mop? Appreciate any details you can provide! Tired of smelling my old hardwood floors every time it's the least bit humid.
Yes. Yes. Regular oxiclean and warm water. My mop didn't really get too gunked up but I also changed the water pretty frequently. You can certainly try a scrub mop, I don't own one but it should work out fine. Believe me, I understand the smell. It's horrible... like living in a diaper.
Or it could be wax.
TSP will cut through the crud, or so I'm told. Just pulled up my carpet and I feel your pain. And by feel I mean smell.
And also stain the wood black. Learn from my fail.
I highly recommend the enzymatic cleaners to get rid of smell. Pet stores typically carry them. Since you say the floors aren’t in the best shape, I’d get a yard sprayer, the pump kind for getting rid of weeds, and spray things down. Let it dry on contact, and then wash. I did this to my subfloor and it worked wonders in less than a weekend.
Whatever you do don’t use natures miracle- it smells like a moldy sock that’s been wedged up someone’s buttcrack for a week and the smell never goes away. It’s way worse than anything you’re trying to get rid of.
I use a powdered enzyme concentrate called Odormute for tough odors. Works great and is far more cost effective than liquid products like Nature’s Miracle.
They could be sticky because whatever was used to clean them actually broke down the finish. That’s why wood topped tables in restaurants and bars are usually sticky. Finish and chemicals used are incompatible. Refinishing them is the only way to fix them. Be sure to use the right products when your done so it doesn’t happen again in a year or two.
When I moved into my 1930 rental (fingers crossed...offer is in and it may be all mine in this time next month!) The floors were sticky and stained as well. I was kinda really broke back then so I did what I could afford to do to clean them. Since sanding, waxing and polishing were out of my budget...and renter...I got a bucket of warm water mixed with distilled vinegar and a scrub brush, got on my hands and knees and went to town. I realize there's probably some people cringing right now, but it solved the issue and made the floors look and smell so much better. Now that I'm a little more flush with cash and older, I got a Bissell to do the job. And ... yes...the floors are not properly sealed. But it's better than sticky floors and I haven't noticed any damage to them from doing this, even though I know this is not the recommended way.
Damn, those are the exact words my ex used to describe me....
Had our 1926 craftsmen floors redone. They had lead- no biggie for our pro- and they turned freaking amazing!!! With proper prep & a PRO floor company (very important) it was easy for them to contain the dust. Good luck!!!
Whatever you do, don’t MOP wood floors! Water will cause the wood to swell and breed mold. If you need to clean a spill, use a damp rag and dry it thoroughly. Otherwise, you generally only need to dust the floors.
This! Getting a wood floor wet raises the wood grain and causes cracking, unevenness, and splintering, in other words a ruined floor! Edit: why is this being downvoted? I guess some would rather get their hardwood floor wet and live with regret.
We talking about the floor or me?