128-Year-Old Wood Floor Rediscovered Under Vinyl in Civil War Museum

The late-19^th century building that houses the New England Civil War Museum apparently still has a few surprises up its sleeve—or rather, under its vinyl.

The museum, located in Vernon, Conn., was in the process of renovating its second-floor kitchen into a library when it happened upon the room’s original wood floor hidden beneath a vinyl floor.

“We ripped up the old vinyl floor (put in during the 1980s or 1990s) and in the process discovered the original 1890 hardwood floor,” the museum posted on its Facebook page.

The museum hired Abramo Hardwood Flooring to refinish the floor, and Owner Rich Abramo determined the floor was 95-98 percent maple, with some patches of different species, including Douglass fir in the corner.

The historic wood floor pictured peeking through the glue after the vinyl floor that had hidden it was removed.

“It was hard as a rock,” Abramo said of the floor. “I had a hard time just getting it flat.”

Abramo said he started out buffing off the glue left over from the vinyl, then hit the floors with a 36-grit.

“I don’t like to start out with the 36, but for that one I had to,” he said. “I think I went through three pieces of paper, and [the floor] was only 200-something feet.”

He triple-cut the floor and then added a coat of Loba EasyPrime and then two topcoats of 2K Loba Supra.

“It came out pretty stinkin’ nice,” he said.

The building is a former Grand Army of the Republic Hall, built in 1889. The rest of the renovations to the room are expected to wrap up before the end of summer.