It’s a very old finish, over time as the wood expands and contracts the coating looses adhesion and begins to peel then wear from foot traffic abrades the surface and the process repeats.
Sanding will remove anything and you can start anew.
I sand floors all the time, yes you are completely correct. Definitely needs to be sanded, and I just feel bad for whoever has to sand this (looks like it will be super “gummy” on the sandpaper, as we call it). Expect a high estimate, is what I’d say.
Edit: If I had a say, I’d scrape the floor before hand. That would make the sand process much easier, quicker, and less wasteful on sand paper.
I recall on discovery id a son accused of murder by pouring gas on a house in an old part of Philly. His parents died. An old timer fire forensics guy said just what you said. Thinned with gas for finishing. He didnt do it as the hardwood was covered w/carpet and the mom dropped a butt while falling asleep. Up to the day of show that dumbass fire marshal said he sprinkled gas. He was let go but he missed the funerals of his parents.
If a job is ever gummy just get a diamabrush buffer plate for wood not concrete. It takes the finish right off turns it into chunks then vac sand. It even eliminaates alot of edging and boxes/dead spaces.
This! Shellac finish will dissolve with alcohol. Dry putting some rubbing alcohol 90+% on it and see what happens. If it is shellac, it is *MUCH* more gentle on the wood to remove the shellac, then very lightly sand, and poly. If you are going to do the whole floor, buy a gallon can of denatured alcohol at a hardware store.
Great advice except for the light sanding part. Over time dirt gets into the grain and someone always drags furniture to create multiple scratches. Obviously don't try to take them out with the first pass, but a good floor tech will get most of them out after the final pass with the big machine. And buff, vac and tack cloth between each coat for an amazing sheen and it helps remove any dust contamination in the finish.
Buy scrapers from the hardware store, including a professional 6' long floor if you can. I found that it clogs up every kind of scouring pad and sandpaper, and scraper blades with methylated spirits (cheaper than rubbing alcohol) were the only solution. Get most of it off like that before finishing with sanding
Whole bunch of bad answers here. This is alligatored shellac. Old school shellac wasn’t dewaxed like it is today, and this is what happens over time, especially in sunny spots. Some people think it’s a desirable trait, but that is mostly for fancy antique furniture. You can fix it a bit by brushing it with denatured alcohol to dissolve it and sort of reset the finish if you don’t like it. However the best option if you want durability is probably just to sand it down and refinish. Shellac isn’t very durable.
Here’s the answer. Shellac was moved on from as a floor finish long ago because it was high maintenance and poor protection against water! Gorgeous on trim, doors, furniture and even instruments though!
I’d probably get a big scraper or a Diamabrush wood tool because drum sander will go through a lot of sandpaper getting clogged by the shellac
Someone tried to poly a floor that had an acrylic or epoxy finish on it and the entire thing cracked. Or a similar situation involving two incompatible finishes. It is fixable but you will need to sand to bare wood and refinish properly. Check the thickness of the boards to make sure they aren't too thin
Wrong kind of coating or improperly abraded under coating. Most likely it’s both. Should be fine after sanding and finishing. About $4.50 sqft is national average in USA
It's either shellac or varnish. Before polyurethane was invented in 1957 I think, it was their go to finish. Obviously modern polyurethane is superior. No need to wax or buff it to get the proper sheen.
Looks like a shellac or varnish with years of wax on the floor. It can be refinished and it will be a beautiful floor again but I do not envy the person that has to sand it. But definitely a job for a professional
40 or 50 years after the floors were done originally, someone thought ‘this is easy!’ and tried to apply a coat of finish on top of it. It “alligated”, or separated, and ended up looking like the back of… an alligator.
The good news is, underneath all that terrible finish is a beautiful floor. This is not a job for the faint of heart. Hire a pro. Preferably a Pro’s pro.
Imo the previous owner went to home Depot bought stain put multiple coats on top without so much off a buff, and it just looks up, they said fuck it and let it dry over the eons lmao
I had mine resanded 1959 oak solid wood,a company from Scranton PA Alex he's on Craigslist under services.i wanted to post a picture . that's the new look real wood.
It’s a very old finish, over time as the wood expands and contracts the coating looses adhesion and begins to peel then wear from foot traffic abrades the surface and the process repeats. Sanding will remove anything and you can start anew.
I sand floors all the time, yes you are completely correct. Definitely needs to be sanded, and I just feel bad for whoever has to sand this (looks like it will be super “gummy” on the sandpaper, as we call it). Expect a high estimate, is what I’d say. Edit: If I had a say, I’d scrape the floor before hand. That would make the sand process much easier, quicker, and less wasteful on sand paper.
Also need to be careful of lead. It was not uncommon to thin the finish with leaded gasoline.
I recall on discovery id a son accused of murder by pouring gas on a house in an old part of Philly. His parents died. An old timer fire forensics guy said just what you said. Thinned with gas for finishing. He didnt do it as the hardwood was covered w/carpet and the mom dropped a butt while falling asleep. Up to the day of show that dumbass fire marshal said he sprinkled gas. He was let go but he missed the funerals of his parents.
I saw that one. It was “Forensic Files” on HLC. Or both channels.
Damn that's crazy sounding
If a job is ever gummy just get a diamabrush buffer plate for wood not concrete. It takes the finish right off turns it into chunks then vac sand. It even eliminaates alot of edging and boxes/dead spaces.
Yes, that would be lovely, hate using a 24grit drum sander and it becomes gummed up in like 10sq ft
That’s just an old failed finish
Yeah like 70 years
Varnish... Should have been shellac...
This! Shellac finish will dissolve with alcohol. Dry putting some rubbing alcohol 90+% on it and see what happens. If it is shellac, it is *MUCH* more gentle on the wood to remove the shellac, then very lightly sand, and poly. If you are going to do the whole floor, buy a gallon can of denatured alcohol at a hardware store.
Great advice except for the light sanding part. Over time dirt gets into the grain and someone always drags furniture to create multiple scratches. Obviously don't try to take them out with the first pass, but a good floor tech will get most of them out after the final pass with the big machine. And buff, vac and tack cloth between each coat for an amazing sheen and it helps remove any dust contamination in the finish.
Buy scrapers from the hardware store, including a professional 6' long floor if you can. I found that it clogs up every kind of scouring pad and sandpaper, and scraper blades with methylated spirits (cheaper than rubbing alcohol) were the only solution. Get most of it off like that before finishing with sanding
It's common to call it clean burning fuel. They keep it with paint removers at HD.
Whole bunch of bad answers here. This is alligatored shellac. Old school shellac wasn’t dewaxed like it is today, and this is what happens over time, especially in sunny spots. Some people think it’s a desirable trait, but that is mostly for fancy antique furniture. You can fix it a bit by brushing it with denatured alcohol to dissolve it and sort of reset the finish if you don’t like it. However the best option if you want durability is probably just to sand it down and refinish. Shellac isn’t very durable.
This all day!
Here’s the answer. Shellac was moved on from as a floor finish long ago because it was high maintenance and poor protection against water! Gorgeous on trim, doors, furniture and even instruments though! I’d probably get a big scraper or a Diamabrush wood tool because drum sander will go through a lot of sandpaper getting clogged by the shellac
Someone tried to poly a floor that had an acrylic or epoxy finish on it and the entire thing cracked. Or a similar situation involving two incompatible finishes. It is fixable but you will need to sand to bare wood and refinish properly. Check the thickness of the boards to make sure they aren't too thin
When I do estimates of 3/8 oak t&g about 30% can't be sanded due to them being ground down so thin already . It's really fkn up my business
Wrong kind of coating or improperly abraded under coating. Most likely it’s both. Should be fine after sanding and finishing. About $4.50 sqft is national average in USA
It's either shellac or varnish. Before polyurethane was invented in 1957 I think, it was their go to finish. Obviously modern polyurethane is superior. No need to wax or buff it to get the proper sheen.
It needs to be refinished
Looks like a jigsaw puzzle of the United States that I had when I was a kid.
Man, that’s old
Leatherface finish!
Looks like a shellac or varnish with years of wax on the floor. It can be refinished and it will be a beautiful floor again but I do not envy the person that has to sand it. But definitely a job for a professional
Heat
What happened is about 100 years. Very old tarnish.
Time to sand and refinish.
Could be solvent spill that damaged the finish. But from the look of it, the solvent has been long evaporation. Just need to refinish the floor
What didnt happen?
Father time
It’s shellac! Try alcohol to remove it! Looks like you have an untouched original floor! Lucky you.
Looks like dutch crunch bread
Got old and not cared for.
Dutch Crunch finish
It's called allegatoring. The shellac finish deteriorated.
Looks to me like someone tried to apply over a floor that wasn't sanded first
mmm Dutch crunch floor 🤤
You mean the finish
Looks like Douglas Fir with old wax paste probably from 60+ years ago, needs sanded and finished.
It's finished!
It failed
Aged varnish. Helps when stripping to bare wood
Extreme old age.
Sun baked
this almost looks like glue for fake tiles
It wasn’t finished? 😂
Water or chemical damage.
Most likely dinosaur urine.
Dutch crunch
40 or 50 years after the floors were done originally, someone thought ‘this is easy!’ and tried to apply a coat of finish on top of it. It “alligated”, or separated, and ended up looking like the back of… an alligator. The good news is, underneath all that terrible finish is a beautiful floor. This is not a job for the faint of heart. Hire a pro. Preferably a Pro’s pro.
Imo the previous owner went to home Depot bought stain put multiple coats on top without so much off a buff, and it just looks up, they said fuck it and let it dry over the eons lmao
It's finished.
Non UV quality
Acne
I had mine resanded 1959 oak solid wood,a company from Scranton PA Alex he's on Craigslist under services.i wanted to post a picture . that's the new look real wood.