Howdy,
Lots of experts here; never seen anyone here as neophyte as I am, so this ought to be an easy one
Love woodworking, but I'm disabled so most of my work is done while I'm on my butt or one one of the occasional "good" days I get.
My problem: Our LR floor looks like an old school gymnasium floor that's been ignored for a century and a half while the neighborhood kids and wildlife used it for their playtimes. Oh, and the occasional spill & cat, uh, "stuff".
I know HOW and WHATto do. Well, almost, anyway. My main problem is that it takes a -long- time for me to do things. Since I would like to refinish the floor as opposed to painting it, I get the problem of having it lying in mid-conditioned/stained/poly'd/waxed states for relatively long periods of time. Most areas I can put a sofa or something over to protect for the durations, but ... well, that won't work for the whole area. DW just won't allow it, plus occasionally I need to pass a wheelchair thru the room. The specific question:
Is there a way to cover/protect the floor while it's "in process"? Particularly pre-stain and post-stain. People would have to be able to walk over it. There is no other passage in the house to use, so the LR must be crossed. The only thing I can think of is to put down one of those big blue tarps sold everywhere for a few bucks, but I don't know what damage they might cause to stained areas after a few days of traffic - if damage is an issue, which I feel sure it must be. Do those tarps mark or distress a bare wood or wood stains? All stains, finishes etc. would be oil - no water base.
Before anyone asks, yes, I know the pitfalls of lap marks, aging effects and shade issues of differing drying durations, etc.. The boards are 2 1/2" wide so I should be able to use board edges and a little 6-day masking tape for transitions. The wood itself is actually in good shape, so I think as long as I want a dark stain, sanding will be rather easy to accomplish, and maybe a little work on some small-area discolorations. It had carpet over it for about a hundred years.
Any & all polite or humorous ideas accepted with cheer and/or gratitude.
Thanks
Pop Rivet