DIYbanter - View Single Post - Removing gummy carpet padding from wood floors.

wrote:
I have an old (1912) house with pine or fir wood floors
and I think shellac finish over stain. We just removed
some ~20 year old carpet and padding, and the floor doesn't
look too horrible, so we would like to preserve as much
of the original finish as possible.

We are using mineral spirits to remove the gummy pad stains,
but it is not coming off too easily. We have about a 1x4' area
completed in 3 hours, and you can still see some of the spots.
They even seem to look grey or white (dried out) instead of
looking like the surrounding finish.

IF the surface is shellac, white stains could be from water. Try very
fine steel wool on those. Some waxes will turn white with food stains
on them, as well.

I tested the finish with water, and in the corners it will
bead up with no white spots, so I do not think there is much
if any wax buildup. The high traffic areas do not bead, but
will soak in and darken the wood.

Don't use water.

We have tried plastic scrapers to no avail. Fingernails seem
to do the best job. Acetone removes the finish and lightens the wood.

Blue 3M scrubber might work. May want to start with less abrasive one,
if there is one. I don't recall how many varieties there are.

Eventually we would like to apply a coat of paste wax to add
some protection and shine to the floor.

Any ideas or suggestions?
Jay and Kelli

An old book on finishing pianos tells of using multiple coats of shellac
to build a glassy coating, with varnish on top for protection from water
and alcohol, both of which will leave rings on shellac. If you get down
to the old coating, a couple of coats of real varnish might be good.
Mineral spririts to remove all wax, first. Fine steel wool with mineral
spirits may dull the shellac finish, but a final finish of whatever
gloss you like should even it out. Be sure to wipe up all steel wool
particles, and let ms dry well.