question about hardwood floors

[tammy88]

i just threw away a big carpet remant and under it looks like it was really wet..the dog had some accidents more than i thought i guess..anything i can do frugally to fix the floor?

thanks

[Palooka]

i just threw away a big carpet remant and under it looks like it was really wet..the dog had some accidents more than i thought i guess..anything i can do frugally to fix the floor?

thanks

We have hardwood floors in the kitchen. The dishwasher caused a little damage. Just a couple of warped boards but not really that bad. I mean you can't really tell unless you look close or walk across it. It's been a couple years now and it still looks the same, so not worse.

I am not sure how much damage you are seeing though. Like is the boards warped? If it's too bad you will just have to replace the wood as I understand it. My dh layed our floors, so I could always ask him since he is the big handy man and get back to you.

Sorry, not much help.

[Ceashels]

We found a spot where kitty peed. We are trying a paper towel soaked with Natures Miracle (enzyme that removes biological stains and odors). We figure it needs to soak into the wood where the pee soaked in then slowly dry out. We may repeat the process if we need to.

[FrugalMomof3]

I guess it would depend on how bad it is, such as warped boards or just a stench... If anything you can just refinish the floors or replace the boards in that area itself.

We redid our hardwood floors after we took up the carpet but we did the entire floor, we did however have someone come in and sand it down and fix one part where the boards were messed up, it cost us $600 but that was 5 years ago.

[Frugal Nurse]

Can you tell us if your floor is a finished wood floor? or if there is an odor your trying to get rid of?

If it is a deep stain- the most frugal thing is to sand it down.... and restain/poly the floor.

Can't do much more than that.

[Missy]

As a hardwood flooring installer, my hubby has some expertise, as do I.

If you tell me what the end result you want, I can tell you how to do it...

[tammy88]

hi thanks!

we rent and the LL redid the floors before we moved in im not sure if she always does this when someone moves in or not. but after 3 years they furniture and chairs have scraped up a bit much..especially in this one room..the floor that im talking about looks wet but i dont think it is anymore..and realyl dull..i wanted to bring it back to life if ppossible a frugal way..if not i have 1 of two things we can do i guess if we moved let her keep the deposit or 2 my husband once said we the floors first got scraped up he knew people that could sand it and redo it..but we still got to pay them and its been a long time since we talked about this..

do you need a electric sander? could you just sand and polyeurthaine that one spot? but then i guess that spot would be much prettier then the rest and you would have to redo it all..i just hate to let her think or know that our dog ruined her floor she has redone about 3 years ago..

i hate hardwood floor..its so soft even when we were moving it it was scrapping the floors up

[Frugal Nurse]

in the area of the stain- you'll need to sand it and polyurethane it.
You can use a block sander and some elbow grease.

For the scratches... not to worry!!
a VERY FINE grit of sandpaper will smooth out the scratches.

the scratches are probably just into the poly layer. It's an expected part of living. LL expects that too.

For the scratches ....sand it down with fine grit sandpaper... just until smooth... wipe with a tack cloth.... and lightly poly the spot... you won't notice the difference.

To clean the floor, use vinegar and water. Although I have used Orange glow (think Billy Mays) and had success with that. But I know there are other more frugal tips on getting the entire floor looking new again.

All is not lost. it will take some work though

[Missy]

I would advise against the block sander. Unless you can consistently use exactly the same amount of pressure each time. At this point, if your "fix" would make it worse or if the damage is no worse than average wear and tear, I'd let the landlord hire in someone to sand and refinish. The reason the floor looks dull by where it got wet is becasue the water got down into the wood itself.

If you do tackle this yourself, get a sander. At the very least a palm sander. Mind you, I am advising against it, just because doing it ourselves often makes a bigger problem than what we started with. If you do though, start with a rougher grit, end with a finer grit. Get a foam brush to apply the poly. Be sure it's the same as is already there. Meaning, is the finish there already water or oil based? Is it acrylic? Will you have to stain match? If it's off from the rest of the floor can you live with it? Will the landlord have kittens about it?Tack it clean after sanding. Apply poly with long even strokes, Be confident about your strokes. Feather it in to the rest of the floor.

My suggestion though is going to be call the landlord first and see what she wants done. You never know, she might have plans.

[tammy88]

thanks everyone!! very helpful!

yeah i really dont want to call the landlord..lol shes very nice but i dont know how she would feel

[heartofmine]

Your best bet would be to let the landlord know. If you tackle this yourself and make it worse thats going to open a whole new can of worms. She could actually sue you for the damage above and beyond the deposit you put down.

[Missy]

Your best bet would be to let the landlord know. If you tackle this yourself and make it worse thats going to open a whole new can of worms. She could actually sue you for the damage above and beyond the deposit you put down.

That's what I would be concerned about too.

[tammy88]

wow..i didnt know that..i figured it was basic wear and tear really not something i could be sued for?!