keep343er

Ever since our upstairs washer broke midcycle and we had to remodel the living room, the rest of the house absolutely HAS to get remodeled too Next up is the dining room which connects the living room through a wide archway. Since the house was appraised as from the 1890s, we want to keep the wide plank flooring (right now and for the past 25 years there is carpet). When we pulled up the same carpet in the living room, there was a yellowish dust which must have been the carpet cushion stuff which fell apart. The problem: we had a sick cat a few months ago and we discovered she was urinating on the dining room floor. We didn't notice a stain (dark brown carpet) or witness her in the act (behind the furniture) so it was left untreated. Now, the dining room was rearranged and we discovered it. The carpet was damp and when we pulled it up, the yellowish dust that should have been there was clumped together and the three affected wide plank boards were moist/damp. We cut out the section of carpet to let the borads air out, but after three days there has been no change. What should we do? Replacing the three boards would look strange next to the old ones, and we are not really prepared (spacially and financially)to replace the entire floor. Is there a product to clean the floor with temporarily (it does stink). Should we place a dehumidifier next to the area? Any help, suggestion or advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Sara

Phatboy

You could try to sand and refinish the floor, but the stain may be too deep to sand out. I know it may not be the prefered solution, but I have spoken to someone at work that was a professional grain and stain restoration specialist. He can take a piece of grainless composite, and paint, stain, seal, clear it to match perfectly to any preexisting floor. Additionally Ive been hearing of a chemical you can get that will remove pet stains in wood. It supposedly attaches to the stain on a molecular level and evaporates it out, but I dont know what its called.

Maybe you could find someone like that in your area. I also saw that done on the TVshow ''This old house.'' Its possible you could get some information from thier website or email them for matching the old floor, and I mean ''old'' in a good way. 1890 is deffinitly something to try and preserve...

best wishes

Logan

glennjanie

Hello Sara and Welcome to the Forum:
A deck cleaning solution or the caustic coil cleaners used by A/C men will bleach a lot out. Beyond that, a floor from 1890 is supposed to have the distressed look; this is just part of it.
Glenn