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What do you mean "worn out"? Do you mean it's worn down to the point you can see the subfloor?
No, I'm willing to bet a sixpack of fine beer that all it needs is a good cleaning and waxing with a floor wax that contains a color agent and it'll look just fine. Worst case you have it very lightly sanded and refinished and it'll be good to go for another 40 years at least - more if you'll take care of it this time.
There are houses 200+ years old with their original wood floors that still look great.
However why not refinish the floors? Hardwood can look completely worn and you think that they need to be replaced. Getting them refinished makes him look brand new!
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Originally Posted by USNRET04
Is it possible to do area rugs? Maybe refinish floors later?
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Originally Posted by turf3
What do you mean "worn out"? Do you mean it's worn down to the point you can see the subfloor?
My first thought as well, but I decided to take OP as being accurate in his description. Hardwood floors can be sanded and refinished multiple times, but at a certain point multiple standings will expose the tongue and groove connecting the planks. Once that is exposed the planks start to buckle, as there is nothing holding them flat.
My first thought as well, but I decided to take OP as being accurate in his description. Hardwood floors can be sanded and refinished multiple times, but at a certain point multiple standings will expose the tongue and groove connecting the planks. Once that is exposed the planks start to buckle, as there is nothing holding them flat.
This occurs before you get to the subfloor.
Ah, good point.
Why on earth would 43 year old floors have been sanded so many times to be into the tongue and groove?
I can't imagine ripping up hardwood floors to put carpet in. These days people are doing quite the opposite. I would refinish the floors and perhaps put down an area rug before I would rip out good floors but many people put carpet over hardwood. I saw it a lot in older houses in NC. They would even advertise them as "hardwood under carpet".
One more thought for consideration. Ripping out hardwood will reduce floor height by 3/4”, so you will need to address this at threshold transitions. Adding carpet is a minor change in thickness by comparison and easily addressed with transition strips.
The hardwood just has some bad places in it such as from moving furniture or in some places slightly looking like it's cracking or rotting out. But none of this is major by any means. I feel certain it can be refinished and look fine. Refinishing the hardwood is certainly an option. I just haven't gotten a quote for that yet. Baby steps.
I'm just one of those people that prefers carpet in the living room area. I'm not knocking the hardwood, don't get me wrong with this.
I'm just saying it's time to do something in the living room and I might go with carpet over the hardwood. I can always take up the carpet later down the road and refinish the hardwood.
That's one of the major reasons I posted this, because I will not be taking up that hardwood unless there's a very good reason.
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