History of wood floors: Finishes?

Question

Our house was built in 1897. The original floors are wood--but nothing fancy, as far as I can tell (thanks to damage, some having been painted, etc.). Any time we do something do our house, I wonder about the materials and processes used to build it. Installing a wood floor today means protecting it with a high-quality poly...but how were wood floors treated at the end of the 19th century to protect them?

Answer 1

We have those wood floors too and won't give up the patina. In the old days you oiled them weekly (linseed or lemon oils) and hand paste waxed / buffed them once a year. We mainly use an oiled dust mop for everyday cleaning and then once a year we wash them thoroughly with liquid wood soap then thin coat mop varnish (takes 72hrs to fully dry).

Answer 2

While this doesn't truly answer your question it is just a little interesting aside.

In 1931 my Grandmother purchased a Ben Franklin dime store. (Call it an early Walmart)
It was build in the early 1900's.

The floors were crude planked hardwood of about ten inch boards. No finish.

Daily to clean them they were swept with big push brooms and a fine oily sawdust . They would scoop a long strip across the back of the store and brush with the planking toward the front. Then clean it up and trash it.The store always had this fresh wood smell. The lumber yard was just up the alley, so I'm guessing it was an economical cleaner. It was amazing what a good job it did.

This was in farm and snow country so simple sweeping like you can do in the south wouldn't work.

Even in the 40's when I was little it was still being done the same way. It closed in 1975 and became a Radio Shack.

Happy Holidays.

Answer 3

Home improvement history shows that wood varnishes already exist since 1912 and the water-based resin (paints) replaced the oil-and-lead mixtures in the late 50s. I believe wood preservation in that period used mixtures with oil as a basic component. In fact, until today, some people still coat their wood, usu. exterior, with used oil to protect it from the elements.

Answer 4

They had good quality oil varnishes then, probably better then they have now.