Should I sand and restore the hardwood floors in my 1950s house or opt for LVP, considering the unexpected white paint?
Asked by Archer Morris 
6 months ago
Last Updated: May 31, 2024
So, we got this house from the 50s a few months back. I was crossing my fingers for some gorgeous hardwood floors under that carpet in the living room, but guess what? 🤦♀️ It turns out they’re painted white for some reason. Do you think it’s worth a shot to try and sand and restore them, or should I just go with LVP instead? I can’t wrap my head around why someone would paint over those floors. Ugh!
Always test a small area first! You never know, there could be beautiful wood hiding underneath 🙂
The house was constructed in 1950, so there’s a high chance of having some nice hardwood. However, over the years, it might have been damaged or cut up. To check its condition, take a look from underneath. If the subfloor is in good shape, you’re in luck. But if it’s been replaced or damaged, restoring the hardwood might not be feasible. Also, when it comes to sanding for refinishing, the paint won’t pose much of a challenge for a drum sander.
We came across the same issue at home, so we sanded it down and did a quick refinish (thanks to our two active toddlers, we couldn’t do a full finish yet, but it looks good for now).
Oh, and I should mention that we lucked out – most of the damage was along the edges, while the center of the rooms just had some scratches and looked dull. A floor sander took care of that easily.
We encountered a similar issue with our hardwood floor, and it wasn’t worth trying to salvage. We opted to install LVP over it. Our plan in the future is to remove everything and put in new hardwood flooring, but for now, the LVP is doing the job.
Give sanding a shot and see how it turns out. I think it’s worth a try.
Our concrete slab used to have Asbestos 9×9 tiles on it… so we chose to cover everything with vinyl planks. It looks way better than the old carpet.
Make sure to check the paint for lead before you start sanding.
In my old house, I had a similar situation and discovered that a third of the flooring had water damage. You won’t be able to tell until you remove all the carpet.
In 50 years, folks will probably be joking about brick too
I think it might not take 50 years, maybe 5-10.
Yep, that’s the word on the street, Aubrie.
I totally feel you, Aubrie. I’ve been thinking of adding brick panels to my accent wall too, and I prefer the natural brown color over painting it white 🙂
Watching people strip paint and mortar off brick is like an eyesore. I’m from Baltimore and it’s a common sight as homeowners try to restore the original look of their rowhouses.
It might be worth looking into painting wood floors, people do that sometimes.
Many individuals opt to use Kilzs and paint on floors to seal in stains and odors caused by water damage or urine.
Constructed in 1955❤️ The original hardwood floors span the entire house, except for the kitchen and bathroom.
They most likely used an airless sprayer to paint all the walls and ceilings, so they didn’t have to bother with drop cloths to cover the subfloors. That’s the outcome.
Try sanding a small area to determine the type of flooring underneath.
A stain/smell blocking primer could have been used to seal the floor. If there were pet accidents or significant discoloration, it may have been necessary to prevent odors from seeping through the carpet.
If the floor is still in good condition, you can sand it down and stain it with any color you prefer. The paint will likely come off easier than if it had been stained.
In my previous home, my parents decided to have the hardwood floors repainted white with kilz after previous tenants allowed their pets to use the floor as a bathroom for years. Sometimes there’s no other option.
LVP is not worth it. I wouldn’t recommend spending your money on it.
Appreciate the suggestion, but we already have LVP in a different room and it’s doing great.
I installed it in my new construction over a concrete slab. So far, so good. I might switch out the bathroom floors for tile in the near future.
There might be a primer applied to block stains, especially if there were pets or a fire in the home at some point.
Avoid using vinyl plank flooring. Finish removing all the carpet first to assess the condition of the floor. If it’s hardwood and in decent shape, try removing some paint to reveal the surface. If the hardwood is not heavily damaged or filled with holes, consider refinishing it. I once found hardwood flooring under carpet, but it was uneven due to walls being moved and holes filled with plywood. I opted for new carpet since I wasn’t keeping the house long-term, as the cost of properly fixing the hardwood would’ve been around $3000. It just wasn’t worth the investment to me. Best of luck with your project.
My house from 1964 had the original floors fastened with hundreds of flat head screws… I think it was to prevent squeaks but man.😞 I really WISH they had just painted them… we could have easily restored them.
Photo of the bedroom floor that was NOT screwed down so we were able to refinish.
Our chairs are painted gray 🤪😬 The nice thing about paint is that it actually helps protect the wood, so after sanding them down they should be in pretty good condition.