[claraclownie]

We are residential general contractors who are fixing up our own home to sell. The house was built in 1910 which we renovated in 1999. In that remodel, we took down walls so there in some undulation in the hardwood flooring and we maintained the 2" oak original strip (I think it is called depression wood.. We patched in some of the strip and had the floors refinished.

In the current remodel to sell. floors need to be redone. But we are just not sure that a sand and finish will give us the cosmetic appeal for a new buyer, The strips have a lot of gaps. Even filled, the hardwood will never justfy the rest of the house. Two inch flooring is not very appealing.

Our vendor sourced some Bruce engineered 5" maple that is affordable as the stain color was not quite up to their usual standard. Bruce tech support gave the seal of approval of overlaying the 5" engineered over the existing plywood/oak strip. So no need to remove existing hardwood

Wondering what you suggest about the slight undulation where the old walls use to be. I mentioned using a floor leveler but darling husband didn't agree. He has more technical/carpentry skills that I do. But I thought I would ask for other professional opinions. Thanks

 

[Robie]

Leveling compound would be my first thought but then again, I don't do many floors.

 

[hdavis]

No way to tell what you're trying to correct, or how bad it is. I try to avoid leveling compound, but it can make sense, depending on the situation.

 

[G&Co.]

I would talk to a real estate agent and also to a competent floor installer. I see many problems with what you propose:
1. If this is a nice 1910 house, engineered 5" maple would likely be historically inappropriate, i.e. it would decrease the value of the house.
2. While technically putting the new floor on top of old may be ok from the manufacturer's viewpoint, what are you going to do about transitions, baseboard, door casing, etc.?
3. Floor levelers come in many flavors. What floor leveler does the husband object to specifically, why, and what does he propose to do instead?

 

[sparehair]

Sand any humps flat with an edger. Engineered floors typically call for flatness of 3/16 over 4ft span. Sometimes 8ft. If you do a full trowel glue you can skip most fasteners except where you need to bend a board into compliance. The adhesive you use is critical. Bona quantum is a good non etching adhesive. Glue usually costs about 1$ a foot. It will make the floor virtually noiseless (ie no squeaks). Glue MUST BE CLEANED OFF THE FLOOR AT THE END OF EACH WORKING DAY. A rag dampened with spirits (not laquer) should do the trick.

A site sanded oak floor with provincial or jacobean with an extra matte topcoat might make for a pretty nice floor if you go the sand and finish route.

 

[claraclownie]

Sparehare, thanks for your knowledgeable suggestions. I will ask our floor finish guy show me what your provincial/jacobean matte might look like. He is actually a long time sub we have a close personal friendship. The gaps are pretty bad, and floor is tired. See picture. As a real estate broker, I know the younger professional buyers want the 5" planks over the 2" strips.

Your information is helpful and I appreciate a professional response

 

[Half-fast Eddie]

Looks nice. Classic. Vintage. Leave it.

 

[avenge]

Just cover it with OSB.

 

[theromantrs]

I would also leave it as it is. Might need some leveling and general polishing but I like the color and pattern. If you're interested you can do some extra floor refinishing and repairing ex https://bcfloors.ca/hardwood-flooring/hardwoоd-floor-refinishing/ I guess it might help you to recover and renovate the floor from your picture. Let me know if you need any support with this process.