Screwing and Pegging?

Q: My house now 93 yrs. old. I’m finally getting to the floor, 3/4 maple, no sub floor, nailed with what looks like masonry nails- 2 1/4 inch. some gaps are between board lengths. should they be screwed down to prevent movement, recessed, and filled (screw holes/or pegged)? Most knots are still intact. Is it worth considering scrapping by hand to preserve the look? Perhaps machine scrapping?

Is “**** *** ****” a finish that is familiar to you? I think it is a polyurethane. What finish do you recommend?

A: I’ve seen a few floors nailed directly to the joists. For the life of me, I don’t know why people did that. Screwing and Pegging might not be a bad idea. How you sand and finish this floor is determined, at least in part, by the look you are trying to achieve. If they have been covered for years, it is likely only wax coated. You must absolutely remove all wax and old finish before coating.

“**** *** ****” is made by ******** ********. I’ve not used it. But I will tell you what I know. I was recently sent 4 gallons of Primero from Poloplaz to try. I was so impressed with this product, I purchased and had shipped 120 gallons. www.poloplaz.com

In every way, this is the absolute best, nicest product I have ever worked with. And I’ve been applying coatings for more than 34 years. The closest term I can think of to describe it is “velvet”. And, it cures to a tough, high solids film.