Refinishing a small section of old tongue & groove oak floor

Old house, original solid oak flooring. Had it sanded and refinished 13 years ago when we bought the house. Most is in decent condition.

But, there's a full length mirror on the back of a closet door that has ruined the floor in that area.

Can you guess?

I have a teenage daughter. She is often found in front of that mirror, often with wet feet, dripping hair and assorted sprayable toxins in hand.

So anyway ... how best to fix it?

There was a more extreme (but thankfully limited) accident involving nail polish remover earlier this year. It left a few square inches nearly bare of finish and rough to the touch. I sanded it with a detail sander and put a couple of coats of poly over it (steel wool in-between), the same poly that was originally used. While the spot was visible on close inspection right after the repair (it was newer-looking and glossier, naturally), it has grown even less conspicuous since then as people wear it down.

The area I want to repair now is much bigger, maybe 2 square feet. And rather than a "clean" spot that had a chemical dropped on it all at once, this area looks dirty as well as worn down.

I have access to a belt sander (hand-held, old), which seems like my best option, if I can keep it from becoming a Go-Kart. But what grit, kind of "paper", etc? I also have a half-sheet orbital, which seems like too much finesse and not enough beef. Are there any other good options (chemicals? scrapers?)

Tips greatly appreciated.

Reply to
Greg Guarino
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Bingo! A card scraper will make short work of stripping off the old finish and getting down to fresh wood. After you apply the poly and let it set up for a while so it's fully cured, you can use some very fine steel wool to lightly scuff the finish so it will blend it better.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

---------------------------- That's the best place to keep a belt sander.

IMHO, they are a disaster waiting to happen in most applications.

BTW, have a P/C "Choo-Choo" F/S, if anybody is interested.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Maybe you should use the same "chemical" to clean, then repeat the treatment as before :-)

Nail varnish remover is largely Acetone.

Reply to
Stuart

I had actually considered that, using the quart can from the garage rather than the bottle from the medicine cabinet. I think the dirt, or discoloration, may require some mechanical abrasion anyway, so that may be me first route.

Reply to
Greg Guarino

If the area is only 2 sq ft, sand it by hand.... that's your best option. After sanding, re-evaluate the dirtiness and/or any stain (water type blackness or such??). I wouldn't think you can reasonably assess your refinishing procedure until after you remove the dirtiness (and/or discoloration, if applicable) and the other damaged "crud" from the affected surface.

If your first coat of refinish result is too light of color, in appearance, compared to the older undamaged areas, you might consider putting a tint/toner in your subsequent top coats, to match the older coloration. A ScotchBrite pad will knock down any excess shine of the newly refinish area, also.

Sonny

Reply to
Sonny

Figure out what works, then make said teenager do the work. Should greatly increase the longevity of said repair.

Reply to
Larry Blanchard

and teach the kid that his hands can be used for more things than clicking on keyboard keys.

Reply to
willshak

Finishes are tough on edges. A filed scraper will work better than burnished.

Reply to
Father Haskell

The OP is only going to be scraping ~2 SF. Filed or burnished won't make a big difference in this instance. He's also on the verge of coming over to the Bright Side - hand tools. He needs to use the card scraper to access the Force.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

We have implemented that strategy on several occasions already. We'll see about this time.

Reply to
Greg Guarino

Of all the tips I got in the plane threads, I find the card scrapers the most seductive. I intend to try them out soon...

"Do or do not. There is no try"

... but I wonder if a more prosaic scraper would be more suitable for this particular job. You know the type, a handle with a slight crook in it, a reversible scraper blade?

Reply to
Greg Guarino

Sure, but I want you to get a card scraper soon so you can write a post that says, "God, I love this thing!" I'm getting impatient. ;)

There are a whole host of scrapers that would work. Stanley made a bunch or different scrapers and scraper planes. Take a look at Stanley models 80, 81, 12, 12 1/2, 82, 282, 112, 212. There are others, but those come to mind.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

Yes, you could have her use one of those while you wait for your cabinet scrapers to come in the mail. Just make sure she holds it flat to the surface. They will certainly gouge deeper than a card scraper can. Amazon/LVT sourcing below, for your convenience:

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angled set,
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rectangular set.
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angles,
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hard milled rect. I tend to like the middle & thicker sizes the best.

Heads up for LVT, guys: FREE SHIPPING On orders $40 or more placed Sept 16 to Sept 26, 2011*

I found a scraper file holder, plane blade holder, and saw set in a $2 box of garage sale hardware once, so I lucked out. I seldom pull a burr on a scraper, either. If I do, I use a hardened screwdriver shank. I don't own a real burnisher. Filed and honed scrapers are just fine for me in terms of aggressiveness.

-- Self-development is a higher duty than self-sacrifice. -- Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Or just score and break up an old hand saw into scraper size pieces and use that. Should be around 0.040 thick which ought to be a medium I think. I have a chunk of one in my 80 and it works fine. Should also make a good card scraper, especially if you make a scraper holder to get a bow on the blade with no effort. It's a little softer than a Sandvik but it doesn't take much to sharpen one, and even less to return the burr.

I have a Two Cherries burnisher, but only because I got it for 60% off when the Cutting Edge went out of business. I too used a screwdriver shank for several years before I got the burnisher. I can't say I see any improvement over the screwdriver.

Reply to
Roy

If you pretend you never said that, I'll pretend you aren't one of those saw painters, either. Harrumpf!

-- Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear. -- Thomas Jefferson

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Another possibility - go old school and use a piece of broken glass to scrape off the finish.

Never throw anything out.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

Nah. I rarely paint anything except cherry, and even then only paint cherry when I can't get the stain to take right.

I have a fairly recent Great Neck I picked up in a group of saws that have a more desirable lineage. The GN is earmarked for scraper blades. It came pre rusted, dull and with a plastic handle. I don't lay awake at night worrying about its fate.

It served as the sacrificial blade in my first attempts at sharpening a handsaw. My next plan was originally to break it up for scraper blades, but now thanks to your input, I think I'll paint some sort of pastoral scene on it.

I know! I'll paint it green like a meadow, and all those pointy teeth will look like blades of grass sticking up out of the field. Maybe I'll even paint a cow and a chicken out in the field. Then I'll cut it up. I hear green scraper blades, specially if they have a cow and a chicken on them, cut better than regular ones.

Thanks for the advice, Larry! I'll take pictures.

Roy

Reply to
Roy

Ayieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

OK, I'll give you that one.

Egad, what have I done? But most pasture-droppings are on circular or

2-man saws.

Keep 'em to yourself, y' HEATHEN.

-- A sound mind in a sound body is a short but full description of a happy state in this world. -- John Locke

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Screwdrivers might, or might not, be hard enough to use for burnishers. Most will need polishing before they'll turn a smooth burr. My favorite homemade burnisher is a crank spindle from an old ten speed, alloy is probably 10100 with a pinch of boron for extra hardening.

Reply to
Father Haskell

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