"Wood is good" when it comes to floors, says John Lessick of Apex Wood Floors in Downers Grove, Ill. It's beautiful, natural, hypoallergenic and long-lasting, and it's considered a sign of quality in a home. Old hardwood floors offer the extra allure of charm and a little history. But along with the charm may come stains, squeaks and other signs of age. How do you decide whether to try to salvage that 50-year-old hardwood floor or just replace it? The answer usually comes down to preference, not do-ability. Jamie Lupresto of Diamond Flooring of Elizabethtown, Ky., says there's an excellent chance you'll be able to accommodate your client. "Ninety-five percent of the time, if not more, you can refinish a hardwood floor, replace boards, make repairs and have a very nice floor." As with just about everything else in remodeling, the key issue is expectations. Homeowners who have old floors should not expect them to look like brand-new floors, according to Sprigg Lynn of Universal Floors in Washington, D.C.

Over the years Lynn's company has restored or refinished historic or just plain old hardwood floors in buildings ranging from simple homes to the White House. Almost all old floors can be salvaged and refinished by skilled contractors. Termite-damaged planks, insect-infested boards or delaminated strips can be replaced if there aren't too many. Squeaky floors can be tightened and quieted, at least temporarily, with nails or dry lubricant. Holes can be plugged. Damaged floor sections can be patched. Patches that match the species, cut, grain and color of the wood and are feathered in go unnoticed, Lynn says. Pet urine and water marks can be minimized with stain or covered by a rug. "We like to sand the floor down to raw wood and walk it with the customers to let them decide if the stains are acceptable," Lynn says. He applies the desired finish color to the questionable areas and lets the customers decide if they are content. Of course, some old floors are beyond repair. Here are some symptoms that indicate a terminal condition:

Floors with extreme movement between boards are not good candidates for refinishing because "the movement will affect the sanding and finish," Lupresto says. Substantial structural problems — those that require the flooring to be removed so the subfloor can be fixed. And floors that have been sanded too many times may have "no meat left on the wood," Lessick says. The tongue and groove is falling apart and nails may be exposed. "If 30 percent of (a floor like this) is bad, 50 or 60 percent will be bad after sanding." Replacing a wood floor usually is considerably more expensive than refinishing it, once you factor in removing the existing floor, buying the new flooring, and the labor required to install, sand, finish it and cut it to fit at walls and doorways. "Refinishing a wood floor is cheaper than putting in nice $50-$60-a-yard carpeting," Lessick says. Besides, a properly maintained wood floor can go 20 or 30 years or more before needing to be refinished, says Lupresto.

And it can be sanded and refinished "easily six or seven times" over its lifetime, he says. If you still have any doubts, take a look at this list of the characteristics of what today's homeowners want in hardwood floors, and compare them to what you're likely to find in an old floor: Dark stains, including ebonized or black, finishes Hand-scraped boards (factory scraped or scraped on site), often with pillowed or beveled edges Natural characteristics, such as knotholes and mineral streaksPatio Furniture Panama City Beach Wood reclaimed from old buildings. American Standard Tub Grab Bars"All the basic species are available in the U.S.," says Lynn.Used Tire Universe Dallas Texas Virgin wood, such as antique heartpine logs dredged from river bottoms and sold through distributors

Environmentally friendly wood that's certified to be from sustainable forests Water-based finishes (wax or tung oil may be appropriate for antique floors) Oil-based finishes in kitchens or other heavy-traffic areas Special installations, such as parquet and "wood bricks" or cobbles Painted, stained or inlaid patterns and bordersLiving here in the Sunshine State it seems that folks have an unusual penchant for $0.69 sq. ft. 20″ tiles. The most popular colors are blah, boring, and blech. People love to toss these tiles down over red oak, irreplaceable heart pine, and any number of historic floors. And these tile are spreading like a wildfire across the floors of historic homes. Something must be done! Which brings us to our number 2 worst mistake of historic homeowners… Historic houses are having their floors covered up, ripped out, or trashed in any number of ways to make room for newer, inferior products. Only in America would we be ignorant enough to cover what would be a $15 or $20 per sq. ft. floor with a $.50 per sq. ft. floor.

Are we really that shallow? Historic homes have some of the finest flooring available. Have you ever seen a 70 year old vinyl floor? I didn’t think so. How about laminate flooring that has made it even 30 years? Todays floors, even the top quality ones, come with 25 and even 40 year warranties which isn’t too bad, but why would you replace a floor that will last centuries with one that lasts only a third that long? And in today’s real estate market most of us are being ever mindful of home values. The typical buyer of an old or historic home is expecting hardwood floors. “Maintenance-free” tile is not a selling point for these kind of houses. And while a click-lock engineered wood or laminate floor may be considered an upgrade on a new home it is a definite cold shower to your historic home’s market price. Wood floors are prime candidates for refinishing and restoration. If you have pet stains, loose/missing boards, rot, termite damage, or other issues these are simple repairs for a flooring professional.

And if you get someone who says your floors aren’t repairable they are most likely either too lazy to do the work or trying to sell you new floors. I have yet to come across a solid wood floor that couldn’t be repaired. The same is almost never true for tile, laminate, vinyl or even engineered wood floors. Probably one of my favorite jobs restoring a floor was this 1920s heart pine I came across. The home had been used as a business for a time and apparently there had been some damage to the original floors that was patched…well, let’s just say poorly, and then carpeted over. When the new homeowner found the damage she intended to tile over the entire house with the afore mentioned tile. I was referred to her when her tiling was about halfway done and convinced her (read: begged) her to save the remaining floors because they were not beyond repair. A week later after replacement boards were installed and the floors were refinished she had what looked like new floors! You can visit our website for more pictures of wood floors we’ve brought back from near extinction.

Solid wood flooring, like this, found in most historic homes is extremely resilient. It can handle multiple refinishings (done properly) over its life and is easy to repair in a way that is almost certainly unnoticeable. And what’s best, it can last hundreds of years with minimal care! So before you jump to “upgrade” the flooring in your historic home take a minute and think it over. Do you want a different color? You can even paint your wood floor to look like almost anything. The only boundaries are your own imagination. And if you are wondering if your floor can be repaired, the answer is almost always “Yes!” Search around for a hardwood refinishing specialist or restoration company and you will find someone up to the task of rejuvenating your floors. And trust me, it will be worth it! Tired of the same old wood floors? You can make quite a statement with some stain or paint. I’ve included some fun ideas of what others have done with their hardwood floors. You can also learn more about the history of hardwood floors in our post A History of Wood Floors