Are my hardwood floors unfinished?

Question

I have hardwood floors in 3 rooms of my home, they appear to be finished, although not slick or shiny how do i make them this way without staining them. They have a very thin coat of finish, but they feel rough to the bare foot touch like sand paper, and if you walk on them in bare socks you sort of stick like walking on bare wood, are they unfinished? How do I clean them, can I just use Murpyhs Oil Soap and a sponge mop to clean. I want to maintain the color they are now, what is the cheapest and safest way to make them shine and smoother?

The floors were already installed when we moved into the house. There is not enough finish on them if there is any at all. I would rather use a clear coat I don't want to change the color. They are not manufactured plank flooring, it appears to be real wood, it's just rough.

Is it possible to just at a clear coat to the floor that's all I want to do. Put sometinh gon it to ease the roughness. The floor is smooth to the touch but there appears to only have been a thin layer of finish put on it.

Answer 1

Although it's hard to answer your primary question ("Are my hardwood floors unfinished?") without seeing the actual floor itself, it sounds like your floors have a coat of Aluminum Oxide finish. This is a low-gloss finish often used nowadays to add scratch resistance to the floor. If you would like to make it shiny, you would need to re-sand the floors and apply something like polyurethane, which is clear/colorless and leaves a shiny coat.

Answer 2

Hi . When I moved into my house I did not like the finish either thus I sanded lightly in all the area waited a day for the dust to settle and then applied 3 coats of Varathane/ Urathane. Both of these are very good quality. I find that Varnish actually yellows with time.
This can be done in Satin, or Shine finish which ever you prefer.
From what I understand you wish to have a shiny finish. Satin is probably what is on the floor at the mometn but possibly not enough of a finish for your liking

Vacume the whole area thoroughly if possible but a drop sheet as a door, plastic to block the room from other areas of the house this will keep the dust down to a minimum. Ensure not to have shaken the can at least 4 hours before applying as it will have bubbles in it. For a good adhesion with a dull floor you need not sand first you can apply the varathane or urathane directly. ensure to purchase a really good quality Urathane or Varathane. Ask before you purchase there are many associates that actually know what they are talking about.
Good luck I hope it works for you

Answer 3

it appears to me that they were given only one coat of finish then left alone. the first coat raises the grain of the wood, causing that sticky sensation. if you look real close with good light and maybe a magnifying glass, you will probably see tiny wood fibers sticking up. the first thing to do, is get some FINE or VERY FINE steel wool and go over the entire floor. just lightly, you just want to remove the little fibers, not what finish there is. the steel wool should be at leas 000 or 0000 fine. once you do this, vacuum thoroughly and just before you put down the new finish, use tack cloths on them. you can buy these ready made or ake your own, but that is another story. then choose a finish. this can be a chore in itself, there are so many to choose from. the catalyzed polyurethanes will give the best results, but can be daunting to use since you have a time limit on how long it stays usuable. even the clearest of clears will darken it just a bit, so expect that.

Another choice, once you sand the fibers off with the steel wool, is simply to wax it. get furniture wax, not car wax, (car wax will work if you find the kind that does NOT contain silicone.) and wax the floor until it is to your liking, the drawback here, is it has to be waxed again and again.

similarly, you can oil the floor. peanut oil is best, but a high grade of mineral oil will work. this will have to be repeated from time to time, but not as often as waxing

Answer 4

This is a tough one without seeing your floor or knowing more about them. How Long ago were they installed? Were you able to see them installed or do you have any information on the flooring at all? Number one, if your not sure yet I wouldn't recommend using Murphy's oil soap yet. If there is a "Factory" finish already on the floor it will most likely cause the floor to become dangerously slick. Newer factory finished floors not only have the stain and polyurethane on them, most have an additional protectective coating to further help protect the finish. Applying Murphy's soap, etc. will just sit on top of the finish and cause you to slip and fall. There are some newer floors that have a "Hand Scraped" finish and sometimes have a duller look to them. And then, there are the older floors that are just worn out and need sanded down, restained, and refinished.

Answer 5

You should have at least 2 different contractors come out and look at your floors. Without seeing them, or knowing the age or what the finish coat is, makes it a tough call from here. It actually sounds like they didn't get a final "screen" coat, and the final coat of finish. You shouldn't feel excessive amounts of rough spots on a properly finished floor. This does make them likely to be wood as opposed to pre-finished. DO NOT use Murphy's on your floor, the best product is Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner. Where I live it's available at most supermarkets. Try Bona-Chemi.com if no luck.

Answer 6

I'm sure they were finished at one time but, never kept up, as with many places. People just don't keep up with this sort of thing. Don't use anything that might inhabit the wood like an oil. If you want to refinish some day this will be restricting you.
If your going to refinish then you have to go to a store like Home Depot and get all the facts. It takes more then what I can tell you here on "how to" in a few paragraphs. It's not that hard but takes initiative and hard work, time and some expense. You'll enjoy the end product and what you've accomplished. Your task will be admired by everyone.

Answer 7

IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THEY ARE FINISHED, BUT THE ROUGHNESS MAY BE THAT IT NEEDS ANOTHER COAT,
U FEEL BUBBLES WHITH IS NORMAL FOR FINISHING COATS. SAND LIGHTLY AND RECOAT.
THE PROBLEM I SEE IS DO U KNOW WHAT IS ON IT NOW TO CREATE THE SAME LOOK AGAIN.
THERE IS A CLEAR COAT THAT IS AVAILBLE AT PAINT, HARDWARE AND FLOORING STORES.

Answer 8

Linseed oil but it takes a long time to dry and it really stinks