Real Estate Community Forum

My house currently has carpeting through out the living room, dining room and in the three bedrooms. I would like to pull up the rug and resurface the hard wood floors underneath. I realize pulling up the old carpet will be difficult. Is there any advice on how to properly pull off the carpet? Do I need any special tools to do this?

Also, when I pull up the carpet, the hardwood floors will be dull and dirty. What do you recommend to make the floor shine? Do I need to rent any special equipment? Or purchase any special floor waxes?

If only you knew how useless I am with anything that looks like a tool

Personally, I'd hire professional help. But I'm sure others on the forum who are more knowledgeable will chime in

I recently resurfaced my mother's hard wood floors. The first thing I did was purchase a gallon of wood stain removal. Put this on the floor for about 20 minutes and scrape off the old finish. Next, buy a can of wood conditioning and cover the entire floor. This will open the wood pores. Once this dries add wood stain onto the wood. This will take a few days to dry so you may want to be away somewhere while its drying. Lastly, add a can of polyurethane on the stained wood. There are two different types of polyurethane. One is a gloss, which gives the floor a shinny look. The other is satin, which gives a soft coating over the finish. Either one is nice, it all depends on your preference. When the polyurethane dries, just wipe the floor with a damp cloth and your done. Hope this helps.

Good points on the general steps, but there are usually a few issues between carpet and polished hardwood that weren’t covered. First is the removal of the carpet. If there’s a pad, grab a “box cutter” knife. Make sure it is not one that has a retractable blade; those are an accident waiting to happen. Then pick where you want to take out the first three-foot section of carpet. With the knife path safely to one side of your body, kneel down on the floor (or a pad if your knees aren’t equipped for the work like mine) and poke the knife point through the carpet near the wall or baseboard. The knife will want to follow the “grain” of the carpet backing, so don’t worry too much about a straight line. Push down far enough to cut through the backing, but not as hard as you can – the pad should not be sliced through. Check that you have cut all the way through the carpet, back up and reach forward to make another long, smooth cut. If there is a base board, you may have to wiggle the carpet off the nail strip. Nail strips are thin strips of wood with upholstery tacks that point up. These are hooked into the carpet backing and hold the carpet stretched out on the pad. Be careful of these, as they are needle sharp. Lay a piece of string out on the floor about six feet long. Roll the removed carpet into a tube over this string and tie it together so it won’t uncurl. Now take it to the dumpster or recycling bin. Some companies take these used carpet pieces and re-make them into new carpet. It depends on the materials in the carpet.

Continue slicing off strips until the carpet is removed completely. If you haven’t noticed how much dust there is under the carpet, you will when you are taking up the pad. It all filters through and you are going to be kicking it up. A paper dust mask is the minimum. I use a damp bandanna tied over my nose. It seems to let me work without suffocating. Carpet pad is easier for me if I pull it loose from any staples and then cut with a pair of large scissors. I tie it up just like the carpet strips, but depending on how heavy it is, I might cut wider strips. All those little bits of pad stapled to the floor will have to be removed. Some times a staple removing tool will be the best, but for old and corroded staples, I use a pair of wire cutters. With one thumb on the joint of the cutter jaws, I open the handles and squeeze closed on both sides of the staple and pad scrap. The thumb keeps the right amount of pressure to grab both without letting the tip of the wire cutters scar the floor. Usually the staple and pad scrap come up as one.

The nail strips come up most easy for me with a nail pulling bar. One end is bent and flat at right angles to the handle, and the other is in line with it. By shoving the in line end under a loose part of the nail strip, I push down on the bar, and the slight bend does the work, raising the strip. Working from there in both directions, I can lift the nails out of the hardwood easily. I tie the old nail strips in bundles, too. It makes them easier to bag up and carry to the trash without scratching me and everything in my path. If you don’t have any rot or pet stains on the hardwood, you are ready to use either sandpaper or chemicals to get the old finish off and condition the wood. The other posts were pretty clear on that, but I always ask at the home improvement center or hardware store for any new products that are less corrosive or dangerous.

Not to long ago, I tried to polish my hardwood floors. I decided to purchase a container of finish removal for my hardwood floors. The directions said to place the liquid over the floor and let it sit for 10-15 minutes depending on the stain. Once the chemical was finished lifting the old finish, there would be a change in the color of the solution.

I thought this was a great idea because I didn't have to constantly watch the clock. So I tried it, but it didn't work! The finish removal hardly made a dent in the floor. I decided to use my scrapper to help get the old finish off, but that didn't help either. I was so disappointed. As you may guess, my floors are still undone. Maybe on day I'll try it again, but for now I cover my floors with a rug.