Hello,

Just purchased a new home built in 1915 with what I believe is original flooring (photo below). I also have two dogs which I know will cause a good amount of scratching, so was planning to screen and do an oil-penetrating refinish. However, in the course of my research, I'm having second thoughts because based on the bits of information I could find, a sanded and refinished floor requires a lot of ongoing maintenance. If I'm going to have to clear the furniture and reapply the oil finish every few years, I believe that I might prefer just installing new flooring and get the benefit of the aluminum oxide coating that comes with new floor planks (which means not having to recoat for a very long time).

Can someone definitively tell me what type of periodic recoating I will have to do if I decide to go with the screening and refinishing route?

Thanks!

It looks like you have a beautiful old growth white oak floor. Old growth has more growth rings per inch across the face of the boards and is just a little softer than the faster growing trees that are harvested today. Youe dogs will dent the surface not necessarily scratch it because of the claws that cannot retract like a cat. Cats scratch the finish with sharper claws when they want to move quickly. oil the floor, but you don't really need to move all the furniture out
Even new flooring finished with a tough aluminum-oxide poly-urethane will dent depending on the stress applied.
The penetrating oil finish with wax to keep it sealed may be the best for frisky dogs. You will need to keep some wax on the floor to help maintain the finish, or periodically oil the floor, but you don't really need to move all the furniture out like when re-coating a varnished floor. Area rugs will help with trouble spots where the finish can get worn quickly.
If you add a layer or new flooring you may make your stairs "not up to code". The code says that each tread height needs to be within three-eighths of an inch in height. The first step would be where you have trouble.

Thanks for the reply. Further research has led me to discover than traditional oil-based poly is no longer compliance in CA. Since I am in Los Angeles, I guess it'll have to be the water-based poly or the "oil-modified" stuff.

There are water-based amber seal coats that have the look of the oil-modified poly-urethane, if you have trouble getting the original formula. The finish coats are not" ambering" type coatings, so they look better when re-coated when they start to show wear.
We have a house built in 1906 and after cleaning and hand sanding the floor I coated it twice with water-based poly, It looks fine. It was never waxed, which can prevent coats of finish from adhering. It has never been sanded with a machine. The painters only scraped it to keep edges from splintering, and then sanded by hand before the varnish. You may be able to re-coat your floors if they are in good shape with a water-based poly-urethane, after making sure the new finish will stick.