Q. I have been removing carpet in this circa-1972 four-bedroom Colonial in Milford. It went up the middle of the staircases like a runner, with exposed hardwood on each side. The bedrooms were wall-to-wall carpeting. All of the hardwood appears to be oak. Some of the floors look pretty good — like I might be able to sand them lightly and put down a fresh coat of polyurethane. Questions:
1. If the floors are finished with an oil-based product, can I cover them with polyurethane?
2. What do I do with the hundreds of nail holes? Is there a product I can use to fill them that will blend in (the wood is not stained and is a lighter shade of oak).
3. There is a small area (about 12 inches square) where the floor is dark, possibly from a spill or animal urine. Do I bleach this area, sand it, or both?
4. There are three or four burn marks (cigarettes?). They are in an inconspicuous spot, but I still want to deal with them. What should I do?
5. If we decide to have some of the flooring sanded and refinished, is there a ballpark price per square foot for this kind of work?
BILL JOHNSON, Milford
A. Let’s assume you have oak throughout. You can fill the nail holes with oak-wood putty and then sand and finish the floors. The urine stain and burn marks might sand out. If they don’t, replace the boards. Use a minimum of three coats of polyurethane.
Figure on $2 to $3 a square foot for the sanding and application of polyurethane and $50 to $75 per hour plus materials for the patch work. In my experience, you won’t really know how nice the floor will look until it has been sanded.
Q. Longtime fan of the column — very concise and helpful information. I am a landlord and am considering whether to replace water heaters. These are a basic gas-water model. They’re near or past warranty, and I want to be ahead of the game.
I was thinking about changing them myself, because it’s only three connections. And with the new SharkBite hot-water tank flex connections on the market, I can avoid soldering. Likewise, I can replace the black-iron gas connections with a flex pipe and call it a day.
What do you think of this plan? Will I scald myself or blow myself up? Any tips or advice on what to watch out for?
ALEXANDER K.
A. Thanks for your e-mail and kind words. I highly advise you to have a licensed plumber perform the replacements. Too many things can go wrong, and you need to remember that you’re dealing with natural gas, a flue, carbon monoxide, electricity, and hot water. You have a responsibility to your tenants to have this done properly and could be held liable if you don’t. Only licensed plumbers can legally work with gas pipe.
Rob Robillard is a general contractor, carpenter, editor of AConcordCarpenter.com, and principal of a carpentry and renovation business. Send your questions to homerepair@globe.com or tweet them to @globeaddress or @robertrobillard.
