Old wooden floors can look terrible but with a bit of work they can look great. Maybe for years your wooden floors have been covered over by carpet and you were unaware of the potential greatness below your feet. To bring life back into them will involve some back breaking sanding and polishing or painting but it will be well 
worth in the end.
When restored these old style floors can be an asset as people do appreciate this type of interior finish. The client’s initial thinking was to rip them out and replace them with modern wooden floors as they were not aware that they could be restored and save a fortune.
How to restore old wooden floor boards
If you are lucky them may not require sanding but that will depend on the condition of the floorboards. If not they will defiantly need cleaning to remove the years of dust build up. The most effective way to do this is give the boards a thorough scrubbing and a final wash down with white spirits or a mixture of two parts water to one part vinegar. Make sure it’s thoroughly dry before applying the finish.
If the floor needs sanding, you can do it yourself. Sanders can be hired on daily basis. You will need two types of sanders. One for sanding the main floor i.e. the central area of the floor to within 100 mm (4”) or so of the walls. A second is edge sander for sanding close up to the walls or skirting boards. Make sure you get plenty of sanding sheets form the hire shop. Make a deal with the shop that unused can be returned. Before you start check the floor for protruding nails and hammer them home as they will rip the sanding sheets. It will be quite dusty so make sure you wear protective clothing and a face mask.
Once the sanding is complete clean off all the dust using a vacuum cleaner. It’s imperative that all the dust is removed before applying the finish. There will be parts of the floor especially around nails that will still be dirty after the sanding which cannot be removed by the sander. Don’t worry about these as it will add to the character of the floor. There may also be some minor damage to the boards as well but again it adds to the character and gives an aged appearance. The finish can be clear varnish such as polyurethane suitable for floors. Some wood dye could be applied to the floor surface if you want to darken it down a bit before applying the polyurethane. Another possibility is to apply a solid colour, white for example is quite popular. The finish can be applied with a roller which gives an even surface finish. The first coat will act as a sealing coat. When thoroughly dry you will note that some of the wood fibers will stick up a bit making the floor feel rough. Some light sanding will be necessary to make sure the floor surface is smooth again ready for another coat. Leave plenty of time between coats and do not to walk on the floor until it’s dry and you’re ready to apply the next coat.
The end result is a great looking floor.