Monday, October 13, 2014

beer and pry bars

As soon as the piano left the premises, I got busy ripping up the last of the oak.  The hammer and pry bar were helpful, but I think it was the chai beer from Brew Gentleman, a local microbrewery that helped the process along....


The floor overall was in good shape, the only unpleasant surprise was how potent decades-old urine can be on a humid fall day (all those stains were there for a reason).  It meant that none of those oak boards could be saved, but it seems the enzyme cleaner (and the original paint finish on the pine) should minimize the residual stench.



The bad news is that about 50% of the building paper was fused to the shellac and paint on the floor.  My fingertips are worn to the bone after trying to scrub the paper off (hot water and a green scrubbie), but despite generating many pounds of snot like soggy paper, it's not enough to save the original faux bois finish, so I guess doing a true "restoration" is out.



And despite my best attempts at complete denial, fall is in full swing...


4 comments:

  1. Normally I like fall. But in this new world of major renovations, I look at those pretty colors and say ugh. Even though I just tackled what really needed to be done.

    It's a pity the finish isn't restorable. Could you try scrubbing it with a buffer? But on the bright side, the wood itself is still amazing stuff.

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    1. I know, it feels sacrilegious to dread my favorite season.
      Floor-wise, even a light sanding removed enough of the finish that it would have to be recoated from scratch, so that's what we're doing I guess...

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  2. But you can save the original floor, right? Seems like there's nothing you can do about the finish, so try not to be too sad (easier said than done).

    Also, EW? Someone put floor over urine stains? Did they think that would stop the smell? Aren't renovations fun?

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    1. The stains were in the oak, not the original pine - but several decades is more than enough time for urine to make it through half an inch of crummy 1925 prefinished oak lol....

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