Wood Floor Rescue: A Remarkable Reveal in Connecticut

Based in Branford, Conn., Gunneson Flooring Company often handles work dating to the 1800s and projects at Yale University, so for them, this home dating to the late 1800s in New Haven, Conn., “wasn’t crazy historic,” says company vice president Stephen Gunneson. But that doesn’t mean sanding the beautiful top-nailed wood flooring wasn’t rewarding. In fact, “It was like uncovering a treasure,” Gunneson says. “We do this often, and sometimes the inlays can get so worn that it’s hard to sand them out and they don’t come out perfect … but this ended up being pretty remarkable.” In fact, the floor didn’t require a single repair. Sanding the floor was not difficult, as the existing finish—Gunneson suspects it was wax—was so old it came off easily, and they were able to use a standard sanding sequence before coating the floor with shellac to bring out the depth of color and then top-coating with waterborne finish. No matter how many historic floors he works on, restoring the beauty of worn-out wood flooring doesn’t get old. “It’s extremely satisfying,” Gunneson says. “It’s nice at the end of the day to say, ‘This is what I did today.’ Especially on a job like this one, you really feel good about yourself.”—K.M.W. 

SUPPLIERS:

Abrasives: Norton Red Heat | Buffer: American Sanders RS-16 DC | Edger: American Sanders B2 | Finish: Zinsser Bullseye, Loba EZ Satin | Sander (big machine): Lägler Hummel | Sander (multi-disc): Bona | Vacuum: Pro Team