painted fir floors

We need advice/suggestions! Our old house has douglas fir floors. We refinished the main level, but the attic floors have been painted with lead-based paint and we don't want to sand them. (Don't want to expose the family to lead dust.)

Any suggestions on what to do with these floors? We don't like carpet (allergies). I thought about painting them, but am worried the lead paint will eventually be exposed by scratches/scuffs. I'm also wondering about the resale value of our home if we go with laminate. Installing new hardwood floors would be too expensive I think... Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

Hi! We were having the same problem. Most of our floors were salvageable except in the kitchen. We put down bamboo hardwood flooring (bought it at Lowe's for a reasonable amount) and it is LOVELY! It installed just like laminate but it is as durable as hardwood.

Since you're replacing in the attic, I don't think it will affect the resale value of your home. But I would definitely go a step above the cheapest laminate--it doesn't seem durable at all. Places like Lowes and Home Despot have very reasonable prices on hardwoods, and we found it relatively easy to install with a nail gun. And it doesn't detract from the molding or character of our old home.