Photo and blog post by John HoffEver since I first toured my home on Bryant Ave. N. in North Minneapolis, (NoMi) I have been preoccupied with a nagging question about the floors in the living room, dining room, and entryway. And, I think it's fair to say, many "house buffs" who have visited my place have been preoccupied (at least momentarily) with the same question:
Is there a hardwood floor under that tacky veneer which the previous slumlord owner installed? And, if so...
Is the hardwood floor capable of being salvaged and made beautiful? Or did some idiotic slumlord cover the flooring with glue before slapping boards over it?
A couple days ago, in a frenzy of activity aimed in the general direction of making my house more like a welcoming home, and less like a place where a platoon of soldiers might rest after a grueling firefight, I started ripping up the tacky veneer in the corner, where there was, as it turned out, a board no bigger than a dinner plate. It was nailed down, not screwed, which meant my claw hammer would work just fine, which was good, it was the only tool I had handy at the moment.
I pulled up the small piece of wood and (oh, be still my foolish heart!) there it was.
Oak flooring. And it wasn't full of glue.
Is there anything better than owning your own home? Well, maybe having my son over for visitation.
Johnny,
ReplyDeleteI think you are probably better off that the slum lord covered the oak floors. The creeps would have ruined them for sure. I ripped up my old carpet a couple of years ago to find beautiful varnished wood floors. They have character without being sanded yet.
MCullen NE