How to Restore Antique Heart Pine Floors

Heart pine comes from the Longleaf pine tree. It covered much of the South East in the 1800's and took 500 years to get to the size used for construction and flooring. By 1900, almost all of the Longleaf pines were gone and the remainder protected. When renovating a century home with existing heart pine, it can be difficult to find replacement pieces to match.

Things You'll Need

• Hammer
• Nails
• Crow bar
• Floor sander
• Buffing machine
• Floor stain brushes
• Tack cloth
• Plastic drop sheets
• Painters tape
• Measuring tape

Instructions

1. Measure the amount of heart pine you will need to replace the damaged areas. Because of the cost of antique heart pine, the best place to start looking is a closet. You can remove the existing heart pine from a closet and any other area that is hidden from view to replace damaged areas in the middle of the floor.

2. Purchase restored heart pine to replace damaged areas of the floor if you have no extra heart pine in the house. Find your local antique restorer in the yellow pages or ask a local antique dealer to point you in the right direction.

3. Gently pry up the damaged sections of heart pine. Using each old section as a template, mark and cut the new replacement pieces. Once the replacement heart pine is in place, nail it into the subfloor (if there is one) or joists.

4. Sand the entire floor with a floor sander. Floor sanders can be rented from most hardware stores. Some sanders have a dust extraction system which captures the dust and stops it from traveling all over your house. If you do not have a dust extraction system on your sander, seal off the room with plastic drop cloths and painters tape. Remember to wear a mask while sanding. Start with a course grit sandpaper and finish with a fine grit paper to give a smooth finish.

5. Vacuum the floor thoroughly between sandings and again after the final sanding. Wipe the entire floor with a tack cloth to pick up any extra dust.

6. Stain the floor, if desired. You may want to darken the natural color of heart pine or stain the new replacement pieces to better match the older sections of the floor. You can use either a regular hardwood stain or a specialty stain meant for antique floors. Both products will provide great results. In order to match to the color of the old heart pine, dampen a cloth and wipe a section of the old wood. Wet wood will be darker than dry. Once the floor is sealed, it will take on the color of the wet wood so this is the color you need to match to. Allow the floor to dry according to the instructions on the stain's container.

7. Seal the floor. You can use either an oil-based or water-based finish. An oil-based finish will give you a long lasting durable coating. A water-based finish has fewer fumes and penetrates better but needs to be applied more often. Follow the directions on the sealant's container, making sure that you use long, smooth strokes to get the best finish. When the floor has dried, buff the new finish for a higher shine.

Tips & Warnings

• If the weather is humid, add extra drying time.