Recapturing a bit of history …. Restoring hardwood floors becoming a trend

By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    Laminate floors may be the rave of today because of ease and cost, but when early homes were built, it was the hardwood floor that was not only practical, but durable. Colonists were able to leave behind the earthen floor for the warmth and resiliency of wood.
    By the early 19th century more parquet patterns were showing up, but only in the richest of rooms, according to “The Elements of Style” encyclopedia. Wooden plank floors remained the norm and were treated with paint, and in the better homes laid in a tongue-and-groove configuration.
    Today, many homeowners are finding when they pull carpet from their aged homes, voila, hardwood floors. But, those floors are in need of repair.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE – Paul Prosser has up-to-date tools of the hardwood floor industry that he uses on each of his jobs.
    Paul Prosser, a custodian for SAD 29, has been refinishing hardwood floors for more than 20 years. With his experience, he’s stepped into a sideline career of redoing residential and commercial hardwood floors.
    “This is a pretty good business,” he said. “It’s dirty. It’s hard work, but I’m not scared of a little hard work.”
    Many homeowners are pulling up carpet and looking to reinstate their hardwood floors because of allergies.
    “Many people don’t realize what they have underneath until they pull the carpet,” said Prosser. “Than, it’s can the floor be done. I’ve only turned down two jobs because I didn’t think I could do the floor to its potential. I know I wouldn’t have liked it, so I know the homeowner wouldn’t have either.”
    Many floors are blemished with gouges or wide gaps, making the floor not as presentable as hoped by the homeowner.
    According to Prosser, most hardwood floors just need refinishing touches.
    “Wood is refinishable,” he said. “Sanding a floor doesn’t remove a lot of wood. Hardwood floors last up to 100 years.”
    Before resurfacing the floor, Prosser uses elbow grease and muscle to take the stains and scratches out.
    “The hardest floors to complete are those where the carpet had been glued to the hardwood,” he explained. “I have to scrape up all the glue by hand before I can even attempt to sand.”
    After the floors are prepped, sanding begins for the resurfacing. Once that is done, the floor is coated with several coats of a clear polyurethane for a shine.
    This summer, Prosser will be finishing one of his biggest flooring projects, as he will sand the floor and then complete it by painting a design into the floor and adding a clear coat to make it stand out.
    “It will be an eye-opener,” he said. “It will be a big surprise. I think it’s going to turn out really nice.”
    Prosser has refinished plank flooring to flooring with designs; tongue and groove to board flooring. But, each floor takes time.
    “I need time to do the floor right,” he said. “I don’t hurry, I take my time. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right or not at all.”
    For a homeowner to know if the floor can be refinished, Prosser can come to look at the floor ahead of time and provide a free estimate. There will be no hidden costs.
    “The estimate is the price,” he said. “It doesn’t go up.”
    Prosser will block out one job a week because the floor may take longer to refinish than what is expected.
    “Most homeowners can afford to redo the floors,” Prosser said. “I can work out a payment plan with most anyone. I will work with people.”
    Prosser can be reached at 532-0578.