Hello - We recently purchased a house built in 1975. The living room floor is a "Rustic Oak" floor. The boards are varying width and are slightly beveled on all four sides. Each one is top nailed at the butt joints with two or three 2" blacksmith nails (for lack of a better name, the heads have an uneven hammered look). Some of the top nails are set below the surface but others bump up slightly.

The floor looks like it has been stained but likely never refinished. It is worn in some areas and lighter in areas where there had once been area rugs. Because of the bevels, the edges are very dark.

My question is - how do I refinish this floor? My first thought was to sand and stain to even the color out and then poly. But I am wondering about the nails ripping up the sander.

FWIW, I had been hoping these were the "decorative tack" type of top nails that could be removed and replaced but they really are 2in cut nails.

Thanks.
Kevin.

Thats a cool look. You simply have to counter sink the nail heads lower and sand an finish.

Hi Kevin,

Cut nails on a varied-width plank oak floor is one of the nicest looking hardwood floors a person can have in their home. It provides a beautiful rustic look, especially with a nice stain.

Before tackling a project of this magnitude, you must first "Nail-Set" every cut nail below the surface of the wood. I would buy a very good nail set and a good pair of knee pads (Troxell are the best kneepads).

You will tear up your big machine sander very quickly and go through way too much paper. If you do hit a cut nail with the paper, you must replace it asap. Once a tear has been made in the paper, the machine will leave lines all the way across the floor.

The bevels will never completely go away with sanding, therefore the darker areas between the boards will be better to match with stain closely resembling the original color.

I would also rent an "edger" to sand the perimeter of the room using the same grit process you do with the big machine. A typical sanding job will be 40-grit for the first pass and then 80-grit, buff with a pad and 120 screen on top, then apply first coat of stain. You may also use 50-grit then 100-grit if 40 seems too aggressive, but I'm assuming 40-grit will be just fine.

To get the stain even throughout the floor, work in sections being sure to apply with a lambskin applicator (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Applicator-and-More-10-in-Lambskin-Pad-with-Block-11001/100585512).

Wipe it clean with cloth rags right way and let the color soak in the floor overnight.

The next day I recommend sealing the floor with BONA Drifast Sealer.
Bona Woodline Oil satin polyurethane after the sealer, and then buff with 180 or 220 screen.

Apply final coat of Woodline Oil poly. I prefer to wait overnight for each coat.

I hope this helps, and best of luck on your project!

Dustin Deslauriers
Everwood Flooring

When setting these cut nails, You may want to purchase a grade 8 hex head bolt.
- grind one face to match the size of the head on the cut nail
- hold the bolt with vise-grips.
- place the head onto the cut nail and strike with your hammer
http://www.flickr.com/photos/procomfort/

scroll down until you find the BIG nail-set