What workarounds did people try for "How to know if old hardwood floors can actually be refinished"?

Community members documented 35 workarounds: 1. using a large rug to add contrast and texture instead of painting the floors 2. doing paint samples on the wall while hesitating on the floor 3. Leave the floor alone and deal with the scratches 4. Put LVP directly on top of the existing parquet 5. Scrap the floor entirely 6. Thinking about using a pin nailer and filling in the holes 7. Ignoring squeaking under carpet 8. using an oscillating tool to cut it level 9. renting an edger to sand it down 10. replace the paper with mesh 11. Refinishing the entire floor so the old and new wood match 12. Taking matching boards out of a closet to patch the visible area and putting the new wood in the closet 13. Exposing the new boards to sunlight to accelerate the darkening process 14. Applying wooden floor cream or coconut oil to mask the spot 15. Using 0000 steel wool to remove residue 16. Applying goo gone on a rag to remove remaining adhesive 17. Applying a new thin coat of matching floor finish 18. Using wood furniture markers to blend and layer colors 19. Sanding the floors down extensively 20. Refinishing the entire floor instead of spot sanding 21. Using wood bleach to remove deep pet stains 22. Using an oil-finished or ultra-matte finish instead of shiny lacquer 23. Changing the surrounding room elements like cabinetry lighting 24. Checking if the floor has a thick enough wear layer or is solid hardwood 25. Pulling a floor register to check feasibility 26. Using an oak species test kit to check for red or white oak 27. Hiring a professional for an estimate and refinishing instead of DIY 28. Using water-based finishes for a natural/white look instead of oil-based finishes 29. Using normal cleaning options like clorox wipes, baking soda solutions, and scrubbing 30. Putting down a thin cloth and trying to dry iron out any moisture 31. Using dawn dish soap and water with a brush 32. Applying hydrogen peroxide for mold 33. Using a microfiber cloth with a ph-balanced wood floor cleaner 34. Using petroleum jelly to pull moisture out from the wood 35. Sanding, wood bleaching with oxalic acid, and refinishing the floor

How to know if old hardwood floors can actually be refinished

Fear of ruining the wood and uncertainty over whether deeply worn or scratched floors are even salvageable stops people from attempting DIY refinishing. Instead, homeowners spend time weighing whether to scrap the floor entirely, cover it with luxury vinyl plank, or attempt the sanding process themselves.

Overview

Last updated Oct 4, 2026

People affected13 accounts across 2 forums

Workarounds found35 items attempted

Community agreement44 total upvotes

What the numbers show

Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count

The most recent one is from October 2026.
This comes up 48.8× more often in r/Flooring than across the site as a whole.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

35 items+ Contribute

Found another way around this?

Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.

1
using a large rug to add contrast and texture instead of painting the floors
Did this help you?
2
doing paint samples on the wall while hesitating on the floor
Did this help you?
3
Leave the floor alone and deal with the scratches
Did this help you?
4
Put LVP directly on top of the existing parquet
Did this help you?
5
Scrap the floor entirely
Did this help you?
6
Thinking about using a pin nailer and filling in the holes
Did this help you?
7
Ignoring squeaking under carpet
Did this help you?
8
using an oscillating tool to cut it level
Did this help you?
9
renting an edger to sand it down
Did this help you?
10
replace the paper with mesh
Did this help you?
11
Refinishing the entire floor so the old and new wood match
Did this help you?
12
Taking matching boards out of a closet to patch the visible area and putting the new wood in the closet
Did this help you?
13
Exposing the new boards to sunlight to accelerate the darkening process
Did this help you?
14
Applying wooden floor cream or coconut oil to mask the spot
Did this help you?
15
Using 0000 steel wool to remove residue
Did this help you?
16
Applying goo gone on a rag to remove remaining adhesive
Did this help you?
17
Applying a new thin coat of matching floor finish
Did this help you?
18
Using wood furniture markers to blend and layer colors
Did this help you?
19
Sanding the floors down extensively
Did this help you?
20
Refinishing the entire floor instead of spot sanding
Did this help you?
21
Using wood bleach to remove deep pet stains
Did this help you?
22
Using an oil-finished or ultra-matte finish instead of shiny lacquer
Did this help you?
23
Changing the surrounding room elements like cabinetry lighting
Did this help you?
24
Checking if the floor has a thick enough wear layer or is solid hardwood
Did this help you?
25
Pulling a floor register to check feasibility
Did this help you?
26
Using an oak species test kit to check for red or white oak
Did this help you?
27
Hiring a professional for an estimate and refinishing instead of DIY
Did this help you?
28
Using water-based finishes for a natural/white look instead of oil-based finishes
Did this help you?
29
Using normal cleaning options like clorox wipes, baking soda solutions, and scrubbing
Did this help you?
30
Putting down a thin cloth and trying to dry iron out any moisture
Did this help you?
31
Using dawn dish soap and water with a brush
Did this help you?
32
Applying hydrogen peroxide for mold
Did this help you?
33
Using a microfiber cloth with a ph-balanced wood floor cleaner
Did this help you?
34
Using petroleum jelly to pull moisture out from the wood
Did this help you?
35
Sanding, wood bleaching with oxalic acid, and refinishing the floor
Did this help you?

Tried another approach not listed above?+ Share your workaround ↑

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/Flooring10 people · September 2026

“First time home buyer, just bought a 1908 home and pulled up carpet to find this gross wood. Painted and covered in adhesive. Splinters would catch our feet with shoes on.”source ↗

Flaky-Mode · r/Flooring · 22 upvotes

“Sick of sanding. Shit gums up like this every 20 seconds. Feel I'm making no progress.”source ↗

calvin_koolaid · r/Flooring · 8 upvotes

“I'm just not sure if this floor could get there.”source ↗

“I would like to hear thoughts on whether you'd refinish this floor or scrap it entirely, or put LVP directly on top of it, or just deal with scratches and leave as is.”source ↗

RevolutionaryShoe321 · r/Flooring · 3 upvotes

“Renting a house where the landlord is going to demo it in the next few years so he's not going to fix anything but also doesn't care what we do to it. I know ZERO about hardwood floors.”source ↗

“We have squeaking floors: What's the easiest way to fix this?”source ↗

“There's a patch of flooring (like 3x3) that was clearly messed up by a chair or something. It's rough and splintering. The extra issue is that it's like... indented.”source ↗

“I just want it to be livable/better without spending a lot of money on it.”source ↗

Legitimate-Tap2772 · r/Flooring · 2 upvotes

“I want to refinish these floors, and there’s this weird raised wood lip around the perimeter of all the wood in the room.”source ↗

DracoAdamantus · r/Flooring · 2 upvotes

“neighbors borrowed us their sanders, just intimidated by the work - not how long or hard it will be, but whether i can get it to look nice, i dont want to ruin it.”source ↗

Affectionate-Pay3450 · r/Flooring · 1 upvotes

“I’ve never sanded a floor before and I was wondering if I could spot sand it or would the entire floor have to be done?”source ↗

loverules1221 · r/Flooring · 1 upvotes

“Spot refinishing never comes out properly unless you have a lot of experience refinishing wood.”source ↗

gamephreak · r/Flooring · 1 upvotes

“They are beautiful floors in great condition but they always look orange to me. Hoping to make them look more natural/blonde if possible.”source ↗

lesagen · r/Flooring · 1 upvotes

“I needed a new bit of hardwood to replace a section of existing, went to my local shop and matched the best we could. Waited 2 weeks for delivery, here's what I got.”source ↗

“The wood is Maine Traditions brand maple, and as you see it sure doesn't match. It also doesn't match the sample they had in the store, it is much lighter.”source ↗

“I'd hate to install this, endure the mismatch for a long time, and then have to tear it out again.”source ↗

tnmconsulting1 · r/Flooring

r/CleaningTips3 people · September 2026 – October 2026

“That’s the wood without the varnish as it came off with the adhesive. So it’s a rough patch.”source ↗

SendMeAvocados · r/CleaningTips · 1 upvotes

“friend put down a sweaty workout shirt and it stained the hardwood. I've tried some of the 'normal' cleaning options (clorox wipes, baking soda solutions, scrubbing like hell, etc) - any ideas on how to get rid of it?”source ↗

CHERUBIMB0 · r/CleaningTips · 1 upvotes

“The dark stains make me think the sweat is deep rooted into the wood now, and the only way to get it out would be sanding, wood bleaching and refinishing it.”source ↗

Purple-Plan1785 · r/CleaningTips · 1 upvotes

“Messed up by placing adhesive tape on my old, varnished wooden floor. Trying to rectify my mistake before I get an earful.”source ↗

“What’s the fastest way I can blend it with the rest of the floor without having to varnish, or is there no other way?”source ↗

“I’ve tried a wooden floor cream and coconut oil. While they sorta helped, under certain angles of light it’s visible.”source ↗

SendMeAvocados · r/CleaningTips

Where this came up

r/CleaningTips r/Flooring cleaning tips diy diy repair diy repairs flooring hardwood floors home improvement home maintenance interior design rental living stain removal wood maintenance wood refinishing woodworking