How do I fix a very old floor that is, as my landlord puts it, soft-wood?

Question

I'd like to do a mini makeover in my living room as I am so tired of having wall to wall carpeting (very difficult to keep clean when you're a busy mom). I'd like to put down new flooring but have a very limited budget. My biggest obstacle is the type of wood I have - it's not hardwood & there's tons of cracks & splinters & nails that just won't budge. I know I should have the landlord do it but it's something I want to do as a sort of "therapy" - my own little escape from everyday stress. I know how to put new flooring in but don't know how to prep this old flooring... thanks for all your help in my conquest for what will be a very interesting DIY project!!

Answer 1

Certainly some form of laminate can work, but still needs a decent sub floor and underlayment. I have to agree with number 1 in that I dislike laminate as well, but if it fits both the room and your budget; and since it isn't strictly YOUR place, you might get the landlord to pay, even if you do the work.

Perhaps also, since you have a limited budget, but want to have a therapy session, you might ask if the landlord would at least do a new sub floor. If it's done properly, it can be installed over the existing, leaving you a new surface to experiment with.

Steven Wolf

Answer 2

I live in a 50 year old house with pine floors (a soft wood), and if they're in good shape, there's no reason why you couldn't expose them. Our pine floors haven't splintered so we plan on varnishing them to give them a more smooth appearance. However, we recently put a new floor down in our kitchen. It was carpeted, and when we took the carpet out the floor underneath was shot - covered in glue and what not. So we laid a subfloor and are in the process of installing a vinyl flooring that has the appearance of laminate, but is much easier to work with and cut. It also has a 25 year warranty and is slighly less expensive than laminate.

This is what we're putting down:
TrafficMaster Allure Resilient Flooring
Easy GripStrip™ installation – Lays directly over your old floor; no floor prep or messy glue needed! Looks and feels like real wood… feel the knots! Completely waterproof. Perfect in high moisture areas… basements, kitchens, and bathrooms. Warm comfort and quiet under foot. Install an entire floor cleanly, easily in just a few hours. 25 year residential warranty.

Anyway, I hope that helps! Good luck!

Answer 3

If the floor is flat and you can smack the protruding nails down all the way, and if there is not danger of water getting anywhere near the floor, you can try laminate flooring. I personally hate the stuff because to me it is fake and looks too perfect to pass for real, but it is an easy way to quickly makeover a crappy floor. It comes in "planks, about 8" wide by 3' long or so, and interlocks together and just lays over the existing floor. It costs about $1.50 a sq foot more or less, and is pictures of real wood boards bonded to a synthetic substrate.

You need to be able to use a power saw to cut it, but it is not all that hard to install once you get the hang of it, and is a fast solution to an old beat-up floor. The whole floor goes down by snapping the interlocking pieces together; you need a decent circular saw to cut the edge pieces that go alonmg the walls.

Answer 4

They sell a lot of laminate floors that look like wood, trying to salvage your current floor is hopeless. Talk to your landlord it would be an upgrade to the current mess he might even agree to pay for it it's an upgrade to his property.

Answer 5

If budget is a concern, use linoleum. Install a subfloor surface such as "Luon" first. Spread the glue VERY thin. Cuts and placement need to be near perfect because with most glues you only get 1 shot at proper placement.
Linoleum is a little more difficult to install for a novice, but it's still quicker, and definately cheaper. (Don't skip the underlayment. Linoleum shows everything under it!)