Parquet flooring restoration

[pilsbury]

Just moved into a new house that has a great oak parquet floor in the hall put down when the house was built (1925).

There are a few loose tiles that I'm gonna scrape the bitumen off and glue back down. What's a good adhesive for this? Some sort of contact adhesive like evostick?

Also the floor needs a bit of attention. Some areas have a nice sheen and some are more worn and matt where the finish is worn. Not sure what route to take.... I like the patina, gives it some age. There are no areas of damage so to speak and I feel sanding the lot may make it look too new. How do I remove the finish without ruining this aged look? I assume this is needed to reseal/refinish?

Also, what finish. I don't think a high gloss varnish would work well. More of a natural polished look. Is hard wax oil what I'm after or is it a lacquer? Not sure what is already on. It has a sheen to it in the unworn places but doesn't look like a coating as such, more of a polished wood look.

 

[vinn]

You could do worse than immerse yourself in the tremendous collection of floor sanding etc. vids on youtube.
First, you should clean the floor.
Next, you could hire a buffer & go over the floor with the various options available.

But you would best be advised to take photos, & call in at a specialist wood flooring shop with your questions - they would probably recommend a site visit from a fitter.
Knowing what is on the floor is half the battle.
Given what you are asking for, dont go off on a DIY binge or you might eventually have to have it sanded anyway.

 

[pilsbury]

Thanks for the reply Vinn. Sanding was something I was hoping to avoid. Not because of the cost or hard work or mess, simply because I like the old look of it. Just want to have a uniform finish pretty much like in the unworn edges. Here are a few pics to show what I'm on about. The bit where it seems the most worn is where a mat was at the bottom of the stairs. Just like it is unfinished. The rest has a decent sheen to it.

 

[vinn]

Actually, the cleanest, least worn area is at the bottom of the stairs (it was protected by the mat) - the remainder of the floor shows traffic patterns, and a light film of ingrained dirt.
There are people out there who solely clean hardwood floors but quite what they do and how they do it I dont know.

The flooring looks to be in great shape so, as above, it would be worth having a site visit.
Just a hunch but it doesn't look as though its ever been sanded, and maybe its coated with a light oil coating? So trying some dedicated cleaner to remove the dirt without disturbing the patina effect coating would be a start - experiment under the stairs etc,

I'm not a flooring guy although I did quite a bit sometime ago - now there are modern chemicals and machines which bring new methods.

 

[pilsbury]

Now you mention it, the sheen surface finish I mention could well be dirt polished up! The whole house was a mess to be honest. Been in 3 days now and have spent that scrubbing! Seen quite a few of the YouTube vids you mention, particularly the sanding, filling with resin and sawdust, resanding then poly eurathane coating. Although the finish is incredible, it's too good for me if that makes sense? I don't want it to look like a new floor.

I may investigate what chemicals would be appropriate and also what machine might help get rid of the dirt. Some sort of buffer I'd guess.

Anyone have any chemical advice or thoughts on a buffer?