Q: I have very dark, distressed oak Cherokee Cabin Strip Flooring. We put it in 30 years ago and it still looks good. The distressed finish was great. I was able to easily fix gouges (kids, dragging furniture, etc.) However, after all these years, I would like to clean and refinish them. They don’t need total refinishing, just sprucing up a bit.
I’ve always used DuraFinish colored liquid wax on them. Any suggestions as to how to do this project?
A: Dura Seal also has another product called Renovator which one of my customers used on her old waxed strip floors that couldn’t tolerate another sanding. It cleaned the floors up well. www.duraseal.com
Follow-up Q: I have an empty can of the Renovator, and I used it to put the DuraFinish in, so now I don’t remember if the Renovator had color to it.
A: No, the renovator is not tinted. I think the renovator is a product with solvents that will remove excess wax and dirt and grime and deposit a thin coating of resin which can be waxed after when needed.
Similar Q: I am purchasing an 1840 Greek Revival Farmhouse in Southeastern Massachusetts and there is a lot to do. One issue is the old maple floors in the dining and living room. The floor has water staining where plants were kept, some nails poking out, cracks and buckling. I have a had a floor refinishing company out to look at them and they suggest that they are at the end of their life in terms of refinishing and should be pulled up and a new floor put in. They are not pretty, but I hate to give up on antique maple. Is there an alternative to this? Any surefire way of cleaning and preserving them without refinishing? Thanks for your help. Cheers.
A: Not much can be done with respect to the stains, cracks and buckling. If the floor is waxed, Dura Seal has a product that will strip it off and leave a resin layer called Renovator. www.duraseal.com. That’s all I can think of at the moment, especially not seeing the floors. The guys who looked at the floor probably gave you an honest assessment.