Problems Sanding and Refinishing Heart Pine Wood Floors

We bought a 1910 house with heart pine floors. The person we hired to sand and refinish them said that since the floors had been finished at one time around the area rugs, he could not get rid of the rug image. Is this true? -Patricia

Hi Patricia,

Most stains and differences from previous finishes should come out if the floors are thoroughly sanded, starting with coarse sandpaper and working up to finer grits. This may not be possible, however, if the stains are too deep or the floors have been sanded several times, leaving the wood above the groove too thin.

Also, keep in mind that heart pine can be difficult to sand, since the pine resin in the wood tends to gum up the sandpaper, particularly when using finer grits.

You can find out more in our video on How to Refinish Wood Floors.

Good luck with your project,

Danny

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8 COMMENTS

  1. I HAVE A PROBLEM WE HAVE AN OLDER HOME BUILT 1893 WE HAVE OWNED IT FOR THREE YEARS.IN OUR HALLWAY UPSTAIRS IT HAS YELLOW PINE IN BAD BAD SHAPE.AFTER REMOVING HE NASTY CARPET AND A LAYER OF SOMETHING????IT HAS A LAYER OF MAYBE TAR VERY THICK BLACK STUFF I MEAN TUFF IN SOME PLACES THE WOOD WILL SPLINTER UP BEFORE IT COMES OFF.I DO NOT WANT TO USE A CHEMICAL STRIPPER OR A HEAT GUN CLOGGING UP THE PORES IN THE WOOD.ALSO THE PINE IS LAID SHORT WAYS IN THE HALL WAY ABOUT 48″ IN WIDTH.SANDING WITH A DRUM OR ORBITAL STAND UP SANDER WOULD MEAN GOING AGINST THE GRAIN.WILL THIS HURT THE FLOOR BEFORE FINISHING IT.IT DOES NEED SOME PATHCH WORK IN SOMEPLACES SUCH AS BROKEN,HEAT VENTS(REMOVED)BAD GUMMY SECTIONS.WOULD IT BE BETTER AND CHEAPER TO START OVER.I WOULD LIKE TO KEEP THE OLDER FLOOR BUT I ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AT PRICE I MAY SPEND MORE IN SUPPLYS THAN NEW FLOORING.

  2. My house was built in the early 1920s. I just had my pine hardwood kitchen floor sanded professionally. They did a beautiful job and the kitchen is my last flooring project with this company over the past 7 years! I have three huge areas with water stains that diminishes the floor appearance. A big disappointment for me. My problem, how can the water stain appearance be reduced or removed without replacing the boards which accounts for over half the kitchen floor? The company advised that staining would make the stains more dominant. I can’t afford replacement since all the other flooring is in great condition. By the way, love the flooring on the Kuppersmith Project House!

  3. i have a 1849 house. Upstairs are wide pine floors i am refinishing. Only two coats of finish have been put on these floors. One was the floor paint we put on 35 years ago. The original under that is a black looking finish that i believe is shellac or varnish that has discolored over time. Unfortunately i tested for lead and it came out positive. So instead of sanding i am stripping which is very time consuming. any ideas as the steps i should follow after stripping the floor.. Do i need conditioner or can i just go straight with stain an finish? What is the best type of finish for a house this old? any tips on this whole process with dealing with lead would be much appreciated.

  4. I am redoing a hard wood floor oak it has three water mark stains that won’t come up I have sanded now I am trying h peroxide How long do u leave it on

  5. Hi I recently sanded, stained (medium oak) and varnished (clear, gloss) finish on some oak flooring but the finish has turned white. How do I fix this please? What’s has caused it to do this also? An email back ASAP would be greatly appreciated as I am pressed for time. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
    Kind regards
    Tara

    • Hi, Tara!
      If the varnish was not properly mixed, or you applied too many coats, this could result in a hazy or milky finish. It sounds like the finish has dried; if that’s the case, unfortuantely, you will need to sand or strip the varnish and start over.
      Good luck!

  6. Hello, I’m currently living in an early 1900’s row home and have heart pine wooden floors. My dog peed on a spot of the carpet where I didn’t notice until I pulled it up. The spot is dark brown and raised a little. Please help me…how to I fix this without having to replace the floor boards… I do not own this house

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