Restoring a 150-Year-Old Pine Floor in Hartford, CT
West End Hartford Hardwood Floor Repair & Refinishing
HOOK: Sometimes the imperfections are exactly what make an old hardwood floor worth saving.
In the West End of Hartford, Connecticut, near St. Francis Hospital, we worked on a home more than 150 years old where the homeowner made an interesting discovery after removing carpeting: underneath was an old pine floor filled with the marks, wear and character that can only come from generations of use.
The homeowner didn't want us to make this historic floor look brand new. They wanted us to save it, repair what needed repairing, and preserve the character that told the story of the house.
That made this a particularly enjoyable hardwood floor restoration project for our crew.
Discovering an Old Pine Floor Under the Carpet
Once the carpeting was removed, we could really see what we were dealing with.
This wasn't a modern hardwood floor. The old pine had substantial wear, gaps, nail holes, discoloration and variations that had accumulated over many decades.
There was another unusual part of the project as well. In areas, the old pine had been installed over earlier flooring, and the layout of the rooms and transitions meant that replacement pieces couldn't simply be taken out of a box and installed.
We needed to approach the repairs individually and make pieces that worked with the dimensions and appearance of the existing floor.
Repairing a Floor That Couldn't Simply Be Replaced
One of the things we enjoy about hardwood floor repair is figuring out how to preserve as much of an original floor as possible.
For this Hartford project, that meant making and fitting pine replacement pieces into areas where sections were missing or too damaged to save.
The objective wasn't to make the new boards immediately look 150 years old. That isn't realistic. Instead, we wanted the repairs to become part of the existing floor while allowing the original pine surrounding them to remain intact.
Once the necessary repairs were completed, we could begin preparing and refinishing the old floor.
And we had an important decision to make with the homeowner.
How much of the floor's age should we try to remove?
Their answer was essentially: don't remove its personality.
Preserving 150 Years of Character
This is where refinishing an old floor can be very different from refinishing a relatively modern red oak floor.
The homeowner actually liked the worn areas, old marks, color variations, nail holes and other characteristics that remained visible in the pine.
Some homeowners would want those characteristics minimized as much as possible. This homeowner didn't.
They understood that if you buy a home that's more than 150 years old, part of its beauty is that the materials don't necessarily look new.
Our job was therefore not to erase the history of the floor. It was to restore the floor while respecting its age.
A Traditional Oil-Based Finish for an Old Hartford Home
The homeowner wanted to stay close to the pine's natural appearance while retaining the warmer, more traditional look associated with an oil-based finish.
For the finishing system, we used:
1 coat of commercial sealer + 2 coats of oil-based polyurethane = 3 coats total.
The oil-based polyurethane added warmth and depth to the old pine while allowing its knots, grain patterns, nail holes, darker areas and decades of natural wear to remain visible.
And that's exactly what this homeowner wanted.
Rather than turning a 150-year-old floor into something that looked newly manufactured, the finished floor still looked as though it belonged in this house.
More Than Just Sanding a Floor
Projects like this are also about communication.
Throughout the work, we stayed in contact with the homeowner, arrived when expected and sent photographs showing the progress of the project. With an old floor, unexpected conditions can appear once carpeting is removed or sanding begins, so keeping the homeowner involved is especially important.
Afterward, the homeowner commented on our attention to their needs, communication, punctuality and the daily project photos we provided.
Most importantly, they were extremely satisfied with how the floor turned out.
For us, this was a fun project because we weren't being asked to make an old floor perfect.
We were being asked to make an old floor beautiful again without taking away what made it old.
Hardwood Floor Repair & Refinishing in Hartford, Connecticut
Patrick Daigle Hardwood Flooring provides hardwood floor refinishing, wood floor refinishing, hardwood floor repairs, pine floor restoration, sanding and refinishing, color changes and hardwood flooring installation in Hartford and surrounding Central Connecticut communities.
Our family's hardwood flooring history dates to 1927, and our Connecticut operation has been serving homeowners since approximately 1972. We are a fourth-generation family flooring company and a member of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA).
Historic floors don't always need to be replaced simply because they're worn. Depending on their condition, professional repairs and refinishing may allow homeowners to preserve materials and character that would be extremely difficult to duplicate with a new floor.
Have an older hardwood or pine floor in Hartford that you're considering restoring? Patrick Daigle Hardwood Flooring can evaluate the floor and discuss what can realistically be repaired, preserved and refinished.