The Floor from Hell (Contruction 2020 Part II)

After months of hibernating and isolating in my house, I decided the living room needed to be less dark and more cheerful. I thought one can of low-voc brightly colored paint would do the trick and not cost too much. The dilemma was the dark green floor. How to match it? Or should I eliminate it? Old photo:

I failed miserably at assessing the work and the cost...then it snowballed into the project from hell! 

When I first moved into this house, the rug was so smelly and toxic I ripped it out. I thought this was a good idea spying a corner of the floor - Oh, antique fir floors! They are beautiful. The first rip of carpeting I realized beyond the one foot perimeter, the rest of the floor was covered in 1920s thick, black, hairy glue on top of petrified wax. 

Long ago people used real wax to varnish their wood floors. Rugs were held in place with mohair pads and they were glued right to the floor. One hundred years later and it was an ugly mess! I couldn't figure out how to remove the hair and the glue let alone the wax so instead of hiring someone at $1800 which I could not afford, I sanded the whole room (which did little but gum and clog the sand paper) and then painted over the whole thing with porch and floor paint. A can of paint cost $36.00 and at the time it was a good, temporary solution. This painted floor has lasted fifteen years and would have lasted longer if I hadn't decided stripping it was a sane idea. I loved the dark green floor and earthy, woodsy tones (see photo above). For a while anyway....then my couch was set on fire which changed my attitude.

So the floor...is stripping it even possible? Would refinishing it poison me? It's always been my dream and with all my free pandemic time, I felt brave. I started with a half can of Jasco Paint and Varnish Stripper. This stuff is nasty. A drop on your skin and it feels like it's burning down to the bone. But the stink. I didn't think I could use this inside my living space. I tried a sample just to see:

I meant to strip just a square FOOT section as a test, but I couldn't stop. Oh, lord, the floors are so gorgeous even with the glue discoloration! It was like discovering buried treasure. The stripper removed not only the paint, but most of the glue. But stink was asphyxiating! I can tolerate Jasco if used outside with protective gear, but inside it's nasty. My lungs hurt and it stunk up every inch of my house for hours even with the rooms sealed and all windows open and fans on full blast. Then I read on the label Jasco can spontaneously combust and it shouldn't be used on large surfaces...such as floors. Damn. What to do?

I searched online. I found some non-toxic, absolutely safe paint and varnish stripper. Wow! It's even half the price of Jasco! When I saw the demonstrators in the videos spreading it around with their hands I nearly jumped out of my skin and screamed! But it's really safe! It's called MAX Strip.

It still has a faint smell so I wore all my protective gear. Sometimes non-toxic products don't work as well as their toxic cousins, but I was really amazed. Much more efficient than Jasco as it annihilated the glue. 

I compulsively stripped, working long and hard, and then I was hit with exhaustion and full body pain. I totally overestimated my energy levels and ability to scrub on my hands and knees. I slowed down and was able to only do little bit at a time in between resting for days. It took about three weeks to get it all stripped: 

Then to sand it. I tried my little hand sander but it would have taken me months. I tried my friend's belt sander which ate my floor removing chunks of wood in the process.  Because I had such a difficult time sanding the last time, I sought professional advice. I was told the wax will clog a sander and to wash the floor with mineral spirits. Water should never be used on wood anyway. It stinks so I wore gloves, mask, and goggles. It dries in about thirty minutes.

I rented a large random orbit which is the only kind to use on fir which is too soft and splinters easily. It was five hours of hell wrestling to control an exceptionally heavy machine that seemed to have a mind of its own. My lungs, sinuses, and eyes burned for days from the dust. Dust on every thing covering the walls, window ledges and floor. Never mind the cost of renting a professional sander which was about $91 for 24-hour rental including all fees and taxes, and another $100 for three different grits of sandpaper. It goes through a lot of sandpaper!

Oddly enough sanding seemed to accentuate all the problems. The floor sanded almost to white, but the damage was dark. Everyone kept telling me, "It's OK! "Stressed" floors are popular now!" People actually install brand new floors and take heavy chains and beat them to get the look I have. Hmmm...I do like the history of the house is in the floor. I can see where one owner dragged heavy furniture across, another burnt the floor with a wood stove, along with nicks, scratches, gouges, and bruises from a century of heavy use. Did you know fir floors "bruise"? Amazing, like a human. But after five hours, I was done. No more sanding no matter what the floor looked like. In the words of one hardware salesperson, "It's a good thing "stressed" is in." LOL.

Patching holes was problematic. I wanted some kind of clear resin or epoxy, but was told the finish would not adhere to it. I've seen where people use wood filler and it dries an ugly off white so the floors look like they have ugly white stains all over. I hate that. It was suggested to take wood filler and mix some of the wood's sawdust in it so the color almost matches. I tried this and it was still too light so I dug it out all but one hole. I probably should have dug it out of this one, too, but it doesn't matter much. Someone at one point filled in two little holes with I think wood putty which is startling white. I tried digging that out and it was hard as rock so I left it. I considered getting one of those color pens or painting it, but I wasn't sure how to match since the floor wasn't finished yet and I knew it would darken. Finally I just figured it's part of the floor's history and left it all. 

Two white dots of wood putty and top right
is the wood filler/sawdust example.
Better but still too light. Thankfully they are
along the edge of the floor.

Now for the finish. I was told fir doesn't need stain as it has its own color so I was happy to avoid that poison. I found several "nontoxic" floor finishes online. Water-based Varathane by Rustoleum, which is normally really toxic, has produced an "odorless" floor finish. Odorless doesn't necessarily mean safe for a chemically sensitive person. It means they added extra chemicals that turn your brain off so you can't smell the toxins. 

A friend just used it on her rental house floors so I went for a visit a few days after she applied it and...no smell! Then I went to check again while she was applying it to her stairs, and yeah, there is a little smell. I felt my head spin and pinch with one breath and I quickly readjusted my mask. 

While I applied it on my living room floor, I wore protective gear, of course, and after four coats of glossy, I was thrilled! It brought out the amber of the wood and evened out so much of the floor's "wounds." I kept getting up all night and gazing upon the beauty and shine! It took about 9 days for the offgassing. It says on the can normal use after three days, but I waited a week to walk on it and tiptoed gingerly in stocking feet. I wanted to dance vigorously!! So beautiful.

Daytime with Sunlight

Night with Light

Now on to the walls. I can see a bright and happy living room in my future....to be continued.