Rehabbing old townhouse, how do I get rid of a smell on the orginal hardwood floors?

Question

Bought recently an old 1860's 3 story townhome in Philadelphia and we're gutting it. We ripped up the carpeting, then the subflooring, than a layer of hardwood (1930's) that was incomplete and then another layer of subflooring to find the very original wide 6" planks...whohoo!

One or two spots smell funky, like soaked through cat urine or some kind of mold....any suggestions on how to get rid of the smell other than just letting the planks air out.

We still have to sand down all the floors and stain them.
Thanks

Answer 1

When you sand and stain, this will help. If you seal the floors, you will seal in the odor as well, problem solved.

Answer 2

Sanding may help but if it has soaked too deep, the smell may still be there. Some cleaning companies have a process that they acutally use baking soda like a sandblaster and it cleans and deodorizes the area. This is often used for mold remediation. Sealing should also stop the odor but remember if the stain is deep and unable to remove it will still be visible. Good luck!

Answer 3

Both first two answers have validity, and without actually knowing your floor it might be difficult to define an answer that truly fits.

I'd be more interested in the fact that if the most base floor is original and 100 plus years old, certainly salvaging it and rewstoring it might be the priority,,,and you might check sites such as this old house. Is your house in any historical register? OR in an area where there may be suggestions for houses regarding restorations?

Is there access UNDER that floor? IE: what level is it on? Is there a basement below or is it one of the other, higher levels? Since you state you're Gutting... is it possible this plank flooring is on every level? I assume you'll remove ceiling material as well?

Obviously over the course of it's years, and apparent sub/sub/sub floors laid over it, there will be stain and odor issues.

I also might check with a Historical restorer of houses to determine the TYPE of plank, and perhaps options like steaming, bleaching, etc. that wouldn't further damage the planks and may rid you of the problem.

Steven Wolf

Answer 4

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