Determining old floorboard finish

May 14, 2004 1 Replies

I'm about to move into a circa 1900 tenement flat which has had the hall, living room, and main bedroom floorboards exposed. The floor is in fairly poor condition in places --- there are a few gouges from furniture moving, and there are scuff marks in places. I want to repair this as much as possible without getting the floor completely sanded.



How can I tell what has been used to finish the boards? It's not very shiny anywhere, so I don't think it's varnish. Might it be teak oil or danish oil? If so, can I just clean the floor and reapply more oil on top?



Thanks, Alisdair


Our boards aren't shiny - thank goodness - it shows every speck of dust - but they were varnished. I did it myself, several coats of matt pu.

Mary

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