spots on hard wood floors

We just moved into a house that was built in the 50's. The hardwood floors seem to be in decent shape, however, in each room there are some spots where there is no finish, the stain is faded and these spots are very dry.

Any quick fixes to these spots versus refinishing the whole floor? We just moved in and have many other projects and not up for doing the whole floor at this time.

Also, if the finish is polyurethene(sp?), is it best to use stain and then the finish or can you use the products that are stain/finish in one?

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

 

The National Hardwood Org. says that you can do a test to determine if your finish is gone or just dirty. Go to an area where you think the floor is most worn and pour a tablespoon or two of water onto the floor. If the water beads, the floor is properly sealed and just needs cleaning. If the water takes a few minutes to soak in, only darkening the floor is worn slightly. Proceed with caution. If the water soaks right in, leaving a dark spot, the finish is seriously worn and it's probably time to recoat or refinish. If it is time to refinish, it is best to call a professional with the right equipment and years of experience.

You can do a test in an inconspicuous spot to determine if you have a poly finish--poly will bubble when you apply a small amount of paint remover to the surface. A penetrating finish will not. Repairing a poly finish is usually beyond the scope of a DIY. It is not recommended that poly finish floors be waxed.

If you have sealed and waxed floors, the paint remover test will dissolve the sealer and a lighter area will show when wiped away. For minor repairs on sealed and waxed floors spots can be rubbed with No. 1 or No. 2 steel wool and rewaxed with a solvent based paste wax recommended for wood floors. More serious problems can be sanded with fine sandpaper, cleaned with No. 1 or 00 steel wool and mineral spirits, then refinish and wax.

Perhaps you can use rugs in the high traffic areas to cover the most worn areas until you get around to refinishing if your floors need refinished. Best wishes and congratulations on your new home.

 

Thanks for for the information Twelvepole!