Unfinished hardwood floor

The woman who used to live here never cleaned the floor, she'd just vacuum and
apply Murphy's Oil. This 20+ y/o hardwood floor isn't in very good shape. There
are marks, scratches and discolorations all over and I made things even worse by
moping it with a Lysol solution (trying to sanitize it) and now I have some of the
floor with some luster from all those years of Murphy's oil and a very visible
part of it it's dull and a shade or two lighter because of my bright Lysol idea...

Because of its location, I can't hide the mess with an area rug and finishing the
floor isn't an option right now so I need to know:

How do I effectively clean this floor without damaging it?

How do hide the discolorations caused by doors rubbing against the floor?

Is there a product I can use on both the part I "treated" with Lysol and the rest
of the floor so that the whole floor looks the same color and, hopefully, will add
some luster as well?

Turandot wrote:


> How do I effectively clean this floor without damaging it?

I agre with what the other poster said about sanding the floor down and
refinishing it well with a satin-finish polyurethane finish followed by
waxing. We have hardwood floors and that's what we did.

--
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle.
I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. - Mother Teresa

On Fri, 9 Jan 2004 13:01:58 -0500, Turandot <qqqq@pppp.net> wrote:

>The woman who used to live here never cleaned the floor, she'd just vacuum and
>apply Murphy's Oil. This 20+ y/o hardwood floor isn't in very good shape. There
>are marks, scratches and discolorations all over and I made things even worse by
>moping it with a Lysol solution (trying to sanitize it) and now I have some of the
>floor with some luster from all those years of Murphy's oil and a very visible
>part of it it's dull and a shade or two lighter because of my bright Lysol idea...
>
>Because of its location, I can't hide the mess with an area rug and finishing the
>floor isn't an option right now so I need to know:
>
>How do I effectively clean this floor without damaging it?
>
>How do hide the discolorations caused by doors rubbing against the floor?
>
>Is there a product I can use on both the part I "treated" with Lysol and the rest
>of the floor so that the whole floor looks the same color and, hopefully, will add
>some luster as well?

Clean a wooden floor with Murphy's Oil soap, following the
manufacturer's directions. If an area won't clean well, you could try
a rag dampened with mineral spirits (be careful how to dispose the
rag). I would rinse the floor well, being careful not to allow the
floor to remain wet for too long. Water can damage wood if the wood
is damp for too long. If the rinse water is soapy, rinse again.
There is a product called BriWax that comes in various colors--it will
cover light scratches, clean, and wax in one step, but I would still
clean the floor first using an oil soap. As an alternative to the
BriWax, you could use the proper color of shoe polish to hide the
scratches, then follow up with Johnson's Paste Wax (or Butcher's Wax),
and buff with an old clean terry cotton towel. An electric
auto-polisher fitted with a terry bonnet may get the luster you want.

We have a similar floor in our house, about 40 years old and in need of
refinishing, but that's not very likely. Ours is very dull and scratched,
but when I want it to brighten it up I use Wood Preen (made by Kiwi Brands
Inc out of Pennsylvania), which is a wood cleaner/protector/wax. I think the
product has been around for a very long time, but it is still available (if
you can't find it, let me know!). It has color in it, so it might blend the
light and dark areas of the floor and give them some luster. It takes some
elbow grease, though. Basically you apply it with a mop or soft cloth to
small areas at a time, rub it in, then buff with a clean cloth or a floor
buffer. Both my Mom and my Mom-in-law had floor buffers in their basements
from the 1950s; they look like a small upright vacuum only they have
removable round brushes and "polishing pads" on the bottom. That has worked
fairly well for getting some shine to the floors following the Wood Preen
application. If you can't find a buffer, you can just use a cloth and elbow
grease....).
I found Murphy's, etc. to make them dull but clean. Someone else suggested
bowling alley wax but I would think that would make them slippery.
I also recently tried "Brite" floor cleaner and that cleaned them well and
seemed to give them a nice shine (it is what I use on my linoleum, too). But
it did make them slippery and the luster didn't last very long. Be careful
that you don't get drops or spray when you squirt it, because it shows up
when you are done if it is not on there evenly.
Hope it works. If you find another good solution, let me know!
-Holly

..
Turandot <qqqq@pppp.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.1a68b699d4a812f6989761@News.CIS.DFN.DE...
> The woman who used to live here never cleaned the floor, she'd just vacuum
and
> apply Murphy's Oil. This 20+ y/o hardwood floor isn't in very good shape.
There
> are marks, scratches and discolorations all over and I made things even
worse by
> moping it with a Lysol solution (trying to sanitize it) and now I have som
e of the
> floor with some luster from all those years of Murphy's oil and a very
visible
> part of it it's dull and a shade or two lighter because of my bright Lysol
idea...
>
> Because of its location, I can't hide the mess with an area rug and
finishing the
> floor isn't an option right now so I need to know:
>
> How do I effectively clean this floor without damaging it?
>
> How do hide the discolorations caused by doors rubbing against the floor?
>
> Is there a product I can use on both the part I "treated" with Lysol and
the rest
> of the floor so that the whole floor looks the same color and, hopefully,
will add
> some luster as well?

"Turandot" <qqqq@pppp.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.1a68b699d4a812f6989761@News.CIS.DFN.DE...
> The woman who used to live here never cleaned the floor, she'd just vacuum
and
> apply Murphy's Oil. This 20+ y/o hardwood floor isn't in very good shape.
There
> are marks, scratches and discolorations all over and I made things even
worse by
> moping it with a Lysol solution (trying to sanitize it) and now I have
some of the
> floor with some luster from all those years of Murphy's oil and a very
visible
> part of it it's dull and a shade or two lighter because of my bright Lysol
idea...
>
> Because of its location, I can't hide the mess with an area rug and
finishing the
> floor isn't an option right now so I need to know:
>
> How do I effectively clean this floor without damaging it?

white spirit

>
> How do hide the discolorations caused by doors rubbing against the floor?

wood soap scrub, sanding, white spirit scrub

> Is there a product I can use on both the part I "treated" with Lysol and
the rest
> of the floor so that the whole floor looks the same color and, hopefully,
will add
> some luster as well?

a few coats of a darker coloured varnish like a mahogany will even it out
and hide some discolourations and make it shine but when the day comes to
refinish then it's more work to get off...unless you're selling, that's what
my floor was like when I bought this place. Under the dark varnish was very
light parquet with stains.

Hi, I would say you need to refinish your floor. There's a possibility
you could stain your floor, so as to disquise or blend the marks with
color. You would have to test a closet or area that's not too visible,
but, certainly the outcome would have a rustic appearance.
Never, I mean never, use Murphys' on any floor. You will
either discolor or damage the finish if you still have one. We do not
use any solvents, turpentine, or vinegar(acid), any longer to clean
hardwood floors. If you do, you had better rinse it and wipe it up
immediately. Water too, is not hardwood floor friendly. The best
hardwood cleaner available is made by Bona Kemi. It is inexpensive and
will not damage your floor. Remember that hardwood floors add direct
value to your home, unlike carpet or many other floorcoverings. Also,
flooring is one of the largest investments for your home.
Be Good,
Wally






Phisherman <nobody@noone.com> wrote in message news:<gm1uvvg1h2mcjl1d4s7g4o84j3ell4sbms@4ax.com>. ..
> On Fri, 9 Jan 2004 13:01:58 -0500, Turandot <qqqq@pppp.net> wrote:
>
> >The woman who used to live here never cleaned the floor, she'd just vacuum and
> >apply Murphy's Oil. This 20+ y/o hardwood floor isn't in very good shape. There
> >are marks, scratches and discolorations all over and I made things even worse by
> >moping it with a Lysol solution (trying to sanitize it) and now I have some of the
> >floor with some luster from all those years of Murphy's oil and a very visible
> >part of it it's dull and a shade or two lighter because of my bright Lysol idea...
> >
> >Because of its location, I can't hide the mess with an area rug and finishing the
> >floor isn't an option right now so I need to know:
> >
> >How do I effectively clean this floor without damaging it?
> >
> >How do hide the discolorations caused by doors rubbing against the floor?
> >
> >Is there a product I can use on both the part I "treated" with Lysol and the rest
> >of the floor so that the whole floor looks the same color and, hopefully, will add
> >some luster as well?
>
> Clean a wooden floor with Murphy's Oil soap, following the
> manufacturer's directions. If an area won't clean well, you could try
> a rag dampened with mineral spirits (be careful how to dispose the
> rag). I would rinse the floor well, being careful not to allow the
> floor to remain wet for too long. Water can damage wood if the wood
> is damp for too long. If the rinse water is soapy, rinse again.
> There is a product called BriWax that comes in various colors--it will
> cover light scratches, clean, and wax in one step, but I would still
> clean the floor first using an oil soap. As an alternative to the
> BriWax, you could use the proper color of shoe polish to hide the
> scratches, then follow up with Johnson's Paste Wax (or Butcher's Wax),
> and buff with an old clean terry cotton towel. An electric
> auto-polisher fitted with a terry bonnet may get the luster you want.

Sorry but I missed the original post on this subject.

I'm chiming in only because of the diversity of responses I have seen
to whatever the original question was.

I have also seen a comment or two by those in the wood floor industry
that actually made me cringe when I read them.

There are only two basic types of floor finishes and all finishes fall
under these two categories.

They are, Surface finishes, and Penetrating finishes.

Almost all of the finishes in use today fall under the Surface Finish
category and include everything from wax to the newer polyurethane
finishes. Shellac, Varnish, Lacquer, etc. are all surface finishes.

Surface finishes are just that, a thin film protectant OVER the wood
surface, that will wear off, flake off, peel off, become thin, and
sometimes even crackle or alligator if applied too heavily.

The other type of finish is a penetrant, such as good quality
penetrating oil or tung oil. These types of finishes are absorbed
into the wood and actually make the wood harder.

Back when I was a youngster (and before), most commercial building
with hardwood floors used nothing but penetrating type oils, because
they clean up easily and do not wear off to the point the wood becomes
quickly damaged in high traffic areas.
Oiled floors have a more rustic appearance to them than glossy
finished floors, but oil floors can be buffed to a nice satin finish
if one wants to put that much work into them.

My first two houses used the conventional Surface Finish techniques.
I had to be very careful to protect this wood finish, especially
around my desk and other high use areas. Even polyurethane will wear
off very quickly if you spend much time sitting at a desk in a home
office.
Even with continual monthly waxing, raising 4 kids, 5 dogs and a
managerie of other animals, surface finishes were an expensive
nightmare to keep up.

Before I moved into an older but modern home, the first thing I did
was have that nice new surface finish sanded off and had all of the
floors heavily oiled with tung oil. Then about once every three years
after that, we would deep clean the floors and apply another coat of
tung oil onto them while the kids were away at camp or elsewhere.

After the second treatment of oil, we could then simply mop our floors
like they were linoleum or vinyl without fear of ever hurting them.
An animal may use a throw rug as a waste station and it would go
unnoticed, yet when discovered, there was NEVER a black mark left
behind as evidence of their watering the carpet.

Some times the old ways are better!
I will NEVER have a bothersome surface finished floor again. An oiled
floor is the only way to go, if you want a maintenance free, easy care
floor, that looks great year in and year out. Even at the most used
door in the house!

TTUL
Gary

On 10 Jan 2004 09:30:49 EST, raiar@bbs.galilei.com.nospam (Gary V.
Deutschmann, Sr.) wrote:

>Sorry but I missed the original post on this subject.
>
>I'm chiming in only because of the diversity of responses I have seen
>to whatever the original question was.
>
>I have also seen a comment or two by those in the wood floor industry
>that actually made me cringe when I read them.
>
>There are only two basic types of floor finishes and all finishes fall
>under these two categories.
>
>They are, Surface finishes, and Penetrating finishes.
>
>Almost all of the finishes in use today fall under the Surface Finish
>category and include everything from wax to the newer polyurethane
>finishes. Shellac, Varnish, Lacquer, etc. are all surface finishes.
>
>Surface finishes are just that, a thin film protectant OVER the wood
>surface, that will wear off, flake off, peel off, become thin, and
>sometimes even crackle or alligator if applied too heavily.
>
>The other type of finish is a penetrant, such as good quality
>penetrating oil or tung oil. These types of finishes are absorbed
>into the wood and actually make the wood harder.
>
>Back when I was a youngster (and before), most commercial building
>with hardwood floors used nothing but penetrating type oils, because
>they clean up easily and do not wear off to the point the wood becomes
>quickly damaged in high traffic areas.
>Oiled floors have a more rustic appearance to them than glossy
>finished floors, but oil floors can be buffed to a nice satin finish
>if one wants to put that much work into them.
>
>My first two houses used the conventional Surface Finish techniques.
>I had to be very careful to protect this wood finish, especially
>around my desk and other high use areas. Even polyurethane will wear
>off very quickly if you spend much time sitting at a desk in a home
>office.
>Even with continual monthly waxing, raising 4 kids, 5 dogs and a
>managerie of other animals, surface finishes were an expensive
>nightmare to keep up.
>
>Before I moved into an older but modern home, the first thing I did
>was have that nice new surface finish sanded off and had all of the
>floors heavily oiled with tung oil. Then about once every three years
>after that, we would deep clean the floors and apply another coat of
>tung oil onto them while the kids were away at camp or elsewhere.
>
>After the second treatment of oil, we could then simply mop our floors
>like they were linoleum or vinyl without fear of ever hurting them.
>An animal may use a throw rug as a waste station and it would go
>unnoticed, yet when discovered, there was NEVER a black mark left
>behind as evidence of their watering the carpet.
>
>Some times the old ways are better!
>I will NEVER have a bothersome surface finished floor again. An oiled
>floor is the only way to go, if you want a maintenance free, easy care
>floor, that looks great year in and year out. Even at the most used
>door in the house!
I've never heard of Tung oil. Does it colour or darken the wood?
How do you 'deep clean' a wooden floor?

"Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr." <raiar@bbs.galilei.com.nospam> wrote in message
news:400008c5.326257718@news.galilei.com...
> ...
> The other type of finish is a penetrant, such as good quality
> penetrating oil or tung oil. These types of finishes are absorbed
> into the wood and actually make the wood harder.
> ...

Well written post. Just one quibble. Penetrating finishes do not make
the wood noticeably harder. I'm going by the results of tests by some
nationally recognized experts in the field.

In article <400008c5.326257718@news.galilei.com>,
raiar@bbs.galilei.com.nospam (Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr.) wrote:


> An oiled
> floor is the only way to go, if you want a maintenance free, easy care
> floor, that looks great year in and year out. Even at the most used
> door in the house!
>

Hear hear! Twenty years ago, I house-sat for my sister and her husband
while they vacationed in Europe. I had to keep my motorcycle in the
living room because they forgot to tell me where they kept the
garage-door opener.

When they got back they made a couple of snobby remarks about the oil
spots, but within a year she had oiled the whole carpet. It's been
trouble-free ever since.

--
Best Regards,
Lloyd

I agree with almost everything you have said. We have an old home, and
over the years I have refinished almost all of the hardwood floors, one
or two rooms at a time (a better plan would have been to do the whole
house before moving in). The first room I put polyurethane on, and it
has not held up well at all. That was perhaps 25 years ago and maybe
more modern polyurethanes last better, but still that room will have to
be redone. I did use a waterbased urethane on the stairs, as it was
recommended as lasting and not being slippery, and it has held up well
for about five years. In the remaining rooms I used the Duraseal
penetrating finish, which comes in different hues, and it has worked
really well. I initially got it because the place I rented the sander
also sold this finish. That place is now out of business, and it is
hard to find the Duraseal products (I think they like to sell to the
trade, rather than the public), but if you can find that product it is
really worth the search, and the penetrating finish seems to last and
look good. They do recommend waxing for additional protection and looks.

Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr. wrote:

> Sorry but I missed the original post on this subject.
>
> I'm chiming in only because of the diversity of responses I have seen
> to whatever the original question was.
>
> I have also seen a comment or two by those in the wood floor industry
> that actually made me cringe when I read them.
>
> There are only two basic types of floor finishes and all finishes fall
> under these two categories.
>
> They are, Surface finishes, and Penetrating finishes.
>
> Almost all of the finishes in use today fall under the Surface Finish
> category and include everything from wax to the newer polyurethane
> finishes. Shellac, Varnish, Lacquer, etc. are all surface finishes.
>
> Surface finishes are just that, a thin film protectant OVER the wood
> surface, that will wear off, flake off, peel off, become thin, and
> sometimes even crackle or alligator if applied too heavily.
>
> The other type of finish is a penetrant, such as good quality
> penetrating oil or tung oil. These types of finishes are absorbed
> into the wood and actually make the wood harder.
>
> Back when I was a youngster (and before), most commercial building
> with hardwood floors used nothing but penetrating type oils, because
> they clean up easily and do not wear off to the point the wood becomes
> quickly damaged in high traffic areas.
> Oiled floors have a more rustic appearance to them than glossy
> finished floors, but oil floors can be buffed to a nice satin finish
> if one wants to put that much work into them.
>
> My first two houses used the conventional Surface Finish techniques.
> I had to be very careful to protect this wood finish, especially
> around my desk and other high use areas. Even polyurethane will wear
> off very quickly if you spend much time sitting at a desk in a home
> office.
> Even with continual monthly waxing, raising 4 kids, 5 dogs and a
> managerie of other animals, surface finishes were an expensive
> nightmare to keep up.
>
> Before I moved into an older but modern home, the first thing I did
> was have that nice new surface finish sanded off and had all of the
> floors heavily oiled with tung oil. Then about once every three years
> after that, we would deep clean the floors and apply another coat of
> tung oil onto them while the kids were away at camp or elsewhere.
>
> After the second treatment of oil, we could then simply mop our floors
> like they were linoleum or vinyl without fear of ever hurting them.
> An animal may use a throw rug as a waste station and it would go
> unnoticed, yet when discovered, there was NEVER a black mark left
> behind as evidence of their watering the carpet.
>
> Some times the old ways are better!
> I will NEVER have a bothersome surface finished floor again. An oiled
> floor is the only way to go, if you want a maintenance free, easy care
> floor, that looks great year in and year out. Even at the most used
> door in the house!
>
> TTUL
> Gary
>

--
SPAMBLOCK NOTICE! To reply to me, delete the h from apkh.net, if it is
there.

One more bit of information about the Wood Preen. It comes in light, medium
and dark colors, I think. It also contains naptha (like mineral spirits) as
well as a wax so it might get rid of buildup from previous applications. Our
parents didn't sand and refinish their floors. They cleaned and waxed them.
-Holly

I & H Prees <hiscoop@peoplepc.com> wrote in message
news:vvukcdbt8k5n3d@corp.supernews.com...
> We have a similar floor in our house, about 40 years old and in need of
> refinishing, but that's not very likely. Ours is very dull and scratched,
> but when I want it to brighten it up I use Wood Preen (made by Kiwi Brands
> Inc out of Pennsylvania), which is a wood cleaner/protector/wax. I think
the
> product has been around for a very long time, but it is still available
(if
> you can't find it, let me know!). It has color in it, so it might blend
the
> light and dark areas of the floor and give them some luster. It takes some
> elbow grease, though. Basically you apply it with a mop or soft cloth to
> small areas at a time, rub it in, then buff with a clean cloth or a floor
> buffer. Both my Mom and my Mom-in-law had floor buffers in their basements
> from the 1950s; they look like a small upright vacuum only they have
> removable round brushes and "polishing pads" on the bottom. That has
worked
> fairly well for getting some shine to the floors following the Wood Preen
> application. If you can't find a buffer, you can just use a cloth and
elbow
> grease....).
> I found Murphy's, etc. to make them dull but clean. Someone else suggested
> bowling alley wax but I would think that would make them slippery.
> I also recently tried "Brite" floor cleaner and that cleaned them well and
> seemed to give them a nice shine (it is what I use on my linoleum, too).
But
> it did make them slippery and the luster didn't last very long. Be careful
> that you don't get drops or spray when you squirt it, because it shows up
> when you are done if it is not on there evenly.
> Hope it works. If you find another good solution, let me know!
> -Holly
>
> .
> Turandot <qqqq@pppp.net> wrote in message
> news:MPG.1a68b699d4a812f6989761@News.CIS.DFN.DE...
> > The woman who used to live here never cleaned the floor, she'd just
vacuum
> and
> > apply Murphy's Oil. This 20+ y/o hardwood floor isn't in very good
shape.
> There
> > are marks, scratches and discolorations all over and I made things even
> worse by
> > moping it with a Lysol solution (trying to sanitize it) and now I have
som
> e of the
> > floor with some luster from all those years of Murphy's oil and a very
> visible
> > part of it it's dull and a shade or two lighter because of my bright
Lysol
> idea...
> >
> > Because of its location, I can't hide the mess with an area rug and
> finishing the
> > floor isn't an option right now so I need to know:
> >
> > How do I effectively clean this floor without damaging it?
> >
> > How do hide the discolorations caused by doors rubbing against the
floor?
> >
> > Is there a product I can use on both the part I "treated" with Lysol and
> the rest
> > of the floor so that the whole floor looks the same color and,
hopefully,
> will add
> > some luster as well?
>
>

Hi Dawn

Tung oil as been around for centuries, it is an oil that dries like
Danish Oil or Linseed Oil.
An example of a non-drying oil would be Lemon Oil.
For floor finishing, you only want to use an oil that dries.

Today you can get penetrating oils, like Tung Oil, in almost every
shade imaginable and perfectly clear non-yellowing as well.


New floors require sanding and cleaning before being sealed with a
penetrating oil, TSP is good for this.
But the deep cleaning I was referring to was doing a really bang up
cleaning job on the floor before reoiling, so as not to harded dirt
into the new finish.
I usually use mineral spirits on the whole floor, and sometimes
turpentine or paint thinner in the main walk areas to get them really
clean. Then I follow up with a rinse of hot water and mild dish
detergent like Ivory. In fact, that's what we use for everyday
cleaning of the floors, is dish detergent and hot water.

Because penetrating oils do dry, you can build them up and get a
glossy shine, but it doesn't look as natural as the normal satin
finish.

TTUL
Gary

Hi Baron

Pine and fir, softwoods, were the most common flooring material used
in pre 1900's buildings, warehouses, stores, shops and saloons.

Unfinished pine or fir for that matter will not last very long in a
high traffic area. But oiled wood lasts for centuries without much
wear if it is maintained properly by reoiling every year in these
instances.

Whether it is technically correct to say, it makes the wood harder,
may be a misstatement.

The oil fills the pores of the wood, dries and as such, makes MORE
surface to have to wear away.

So perhaps it literally does not make the wood itself harder, but it
does fill in the pores making the wood less susceptable to wear and
damage.

A sponge soaked in cement and allowed to cure will wear a lot longer
than the original sponge, who's properties never physically changed.
But I would rather be hit with a regular sponge, than one impregnated
with concrete, because the impact would be much harder on my old bean.

TTUL
Gary

Hi Bill

Duraseal is still around, great stuff!
They make an excellent penetrating oil also, which is the brand I used
on my last house, initially for the first two coats, then switched to
Waterlox for the last coat and subsequent touch ups.

TTUL
Gary