This photo shows the floor with a dark, matted old finish.
This floor is old 1/4 sawn pine. It is old growth as the grain is very narrow and tight.
Paint stripper is liberally applied to an area. I usually go in sections of 10 boards as it is easy to reach over. For what it is worth, I use Strypeeze Orange Semi Paste remover. It is the same stuff I have used for 50 years stripping paint. It is "old school" with all the fancy stuff out now, but it works for me.
The first coat is scraped away. Don't be stingy on the stripper, let it do the work for you! Apply another coat and scrape that away. I use a wide drywall tool to scoop the sludge into plastic bags.
By the third stripper application, most of the old finish has been removed. This third application is removed with coarse steel wool. The secret here is to sprinkle sawdust upon the wet stripper before "steel wooling" it off. The sawdust soaks up the excess stripper and makes the steel wool go much further.
With the steel wool process I work on two boards at a time.
This is an idea of the initial removal.
The end result will show some the wear and tear from 90+ years. But, there has not been any wood removed and the patina is preserved. The uneven colours from sun and some stains are to be expected. Hope to have this stripping finished up in a week so. I'm just putting this forward as an alternative to sanding down an old floor. It has worked for me for decades. Will post pictures of the finished project. Now to get back to finish up this first area.
