techbiker Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 Hello all, I recently purchased a small bungalow that was built in 1913. Sadly, most of the interior was gutted and replaced in 2009. On the bright side, the majority of the original wood floors appear to be intact and in reasonable shape. Given there are no exposed nail heads, I am guessing the boards are tongue and groove like my porch. Like my porch boards, the faces of the interior floor boards measure 3-1/4" wide. What are your thoughts on species and cut given the grain pattern? If this wood is pine, is it heart pine or soft pine? Please see attached pictures. If I can identify the characteristics, I will be able to replace the few damaged boards with proper pieces. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 Considering the age, your location might also help. doesn't have to be a specific location, just a general area. Would also make things easier to see a sanded board. These have stain I'm assuming. Welcome to the forums! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techbiker Posted October 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 Thank you Kev! My house is located in Denison, TX. The city has a rich history- I think the earliest homes were built in the 1870s. I believe this home was built according to a plan and slightly resembles a Gordon-Van Tine 502, however I do not believe it was a true "kit home". Probably built with relatively local lumber. One of the attic collar ties is labeled "Sherman, TX"- a city just south of me. The boards have been stained. Unfortunately I do not have any sanded boards. I could pull up a damaged board and sand it if necessary though. Thank you very much 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 Seeing the natural wood would be the most accurate but, I'm sure there are folks here much better than I am to ID this for you. Being in Texas, there are certainly some hard wood options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 The grain looks very much like an old growth pine, to me. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techbiker Posted October 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 wtnhighlander, interesting! I was leaning against the floors being new growth soft pine since they are hard and do not scratch easily. If the floors are old growth pine, I'm sure glad the owners did not toss them in 2009. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 It's definitely old growth , probably long leaf pine if it's that old. You can still get flooring made from salvaged timbers but it costs dearly. If knots and bolt/nail holes are acceptable it's more reasonably priced. But the pristine boards bring top dollar. Long leaf pine = heart pine (usually) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 With limited info it might have been Douglas Fir. Could not be local if fir.Might have come on a train. Unfinished would reduce the guessing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 It's not a Pine that I know, but you have some down there that we don't have here. Being that size, and that late, it definitely came out of a mill. Looks like it's been refinished since originally put down, so maybe even stained on top of old finish, with multiple layers on top of that. If you don't leave it like that, it will need to be sanded all the way down to bare wood by a pro. Softwood flooring is very easy to mess up without experience running a flooring machine. The worst thing that could be done is to go rent a drum sander. Rental drum sanders don't have a hand control to ease the drum up, and down, but depend on pushing on the handle. Pros these days will use a very fancy belt sander that no rental place rents. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spanky Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 The best I can tell, it looks to be quarter sawn. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techbiker Posted October 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 Thank you for the insight. The floor has definitely been sanded in the past- there are dark marks in the corners of the rooms where the sander missed. I believe the floors were refinished as recently as 2008-2009. A couple of the boards in the den are "popping up" at a joint and the foundation (pier and beam) needs help so I've got a ways to go before considering floor sanding. There is also a 1"x6" gouge in a board- you can see the dirt crawlspace floor underneath. Will probably just properly repair the damaged areas of the floor for now. In general, the polyurethane appears to be in reasonable condition. I will grab a picture of the gouge but it appears the boards are at least 3/4" thick. Are there any special issues to consider to protect the wood floors when leveling the foundation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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