AlohaJen
first timer
Reged: 03/27/05
Posts: 1
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Aloha! I am new here and hope someone can help. We have just moved into a house built in 1926, that has (had?) beautiful hardwood floors. The problem, besides normal wear and tear and neglect, is that it appears they probably have not been cleaned since 1926! I have been mopping (and mopping, and mopping...) with warm water and Simple Green. I have done some areas 4 or 5 times and still come away with a bucket of disgusting, black water... I accept that it may be that I just have to keep mopping, but am curious if anyone has any ideas of other methods/materials that I should be using or should stay away from, etc. With 2304 square feet there are a lot of floors to do and if there is any way to save time I would love to know about it  Thanks in advance!
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Dansterb
fanatic
Reged: 03/04/05
Posts: 547
Loc: NJ
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Is there a finish on them ? I think your best bet may be to have them sanded and refinished if the finish is gone. Water is sure not helping if there is no finish.
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Just my opinion !
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Nestor_Kelebay
Specializing in Non-Fiction
Reged: 09/13/03
Posts: 8522
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What I expect you need is something called a "floor machine" or floor polisher. Basically, these machines are used to do just about everything when it comes to maintaining floors.
Go here:
http://www.centaurmachines.com
On that page you'll see pictures of someone using a floor machine to clean carpet, sheet vinyl and ceramic tile, respectively. (or at least that middle one is either sheet vinyl or another ceramic tile)
If you click on the "Floor Machines" link, you'll see different kinds of floor machines. That third picture down shows a guy sanding down a hardwood gymasium floor using a floor machine and a "sanding disk" that you can't see. This particular floor machine has a vaccuum accessory that allows you to vaccuum up the dust at the same time, but you can sand hardwood with any floor machine using a sanding disc along with a high productivity (I think) pad to hold the sanding disk in place.
In your case, I'd suggest you just use a blue nylon pad like the kind shown here:
http://www.vacuumcleaners.net/vacuum_cleaners/categories/floor_machine_burnisher_pads_com.html
These pads come in different sizes and different "aggressiveness" with the lightest colors being the least aggressive and the darkest colors being the most aggressive.
Phone around to see if you can rent a floor machine (aka: floor polisher) at any of the tool rental places in town.
But, be advised, it takes a bit of practice to operate one of these machines, so you should start in the middle of a room so that if the machine takes off on you, you can let go of the handle and it stops by itself.
Basically, just spray your cleaning solution down, scrub with the floor machine, and then just use a wet/dry vaccuum cleaner to suck the dirty water off the floor.
Alternatively, maybe find out what any of the janitorial service companies in town would charge to machine scrub your floor with their floor machine.
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Drywall_Guy
Handyman
Reged: 01/07/05
Posts: 664
Loc: WI, USA
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The reason the floors are so dirty is the lack of finish. The dirt soaks in rather than staying on the surface. You can do one of two things: Clean them up and cover them with area rugs or refinish them (or hire to have them refinished). If you refinish yourself you will need rental equipment. I always used a drum sander and edger (with caution!) although there are newer floor sanders that are less likely than the drum sander to gouge out your floor. Try a HD store if you have one near - I believe they rent out equipment. You may wish to also get an estimate or two from a pro to see if it is worth it to do yourself.
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