Hardwood florr...with paint on it but not on the perimeter???

[Lisoula]

OK - so this house we're in has carpet in the living room but it's so stained that it HAS to go. I pulled back a corner of it and saw this gorgeous hardwood flooring!!! : (Not surprising, since it was built in the '50s)

Anyway - as I pulled the carpet back further, there is this white ?paint? stuff all over the floor, but not around the perimeter! It's totally white except for about 3 inches from the baseboards!!!! What could that be? I was thinking maybe it was some type of water sealant & maybe there had been water damage in the past? What else could it be? And even better.....how can I remove it?

[dachshundqueen]

Sander.

I've run a drum sander and it's not easy work, but there is another sander that looks like it has a flat square on the bottom that finely sands. Available at your favorite big box rental Do-It-Yourself place.

They both have vacuums and suck the dust as you go.

Liz

[Ola_]

Do you think it could be remnants of an old carpet pad stuck to it or something like that?

I think refinishing involves sanding down the surface of the floor, so I'd try that and see if it's just in the top layer and you can clean it off. You'd probably want to refinish the floors anyway. Worst case scenario look into a large area rug to cover most of the floor (except the borders)?

[cristeen]

It may be glue. Some flooring used to get glued down - linoleum and even sometimes carpet. I agree with the sanding. Just be sure to wear a dust mask/ventilator.

Do you have permission to redo the floors (wasn't clear whether you rent or own)? You can rent a floor sander - it takes a little practice to prevent gouging, but it goes much quicker for large pieces of floor. Or you could just hire the job out to have the floor refinished - should only take about 2 days (maybe 1/2 a day to strip and sand, 1/2 a day to finish and a day to dry for a single room).

[gurumama]

careful--old varnishes often have lead in them, just like oil-based paint used to.

test the varnish and white stuff with a lead test before doing any removal.

[mom0810]

I think I know why they did this... because I've done it, too. :

I think it's kilz or some other paint. We did this because our dogs had peed on the floor so much... we had an old dog that could not help it.

As for how to get rid of it, you can sand it off. I would ask for advice on this from a flooring person, but you can do it. Get estimates on having the floor redone, too. It might be worth having a pro do it.