better living through chemistry

[15_the_circle]

on a few of the recently exposed loft floorboards I used Murphy's Oil Soap to clean off the surface.  it also loosened paint globules, facilitating their removal with a very light scraping.  better yet, it brought about an immediate and spectacular improvement in their appearance, esp. as compared to the control group. 

though not a substitute for actual refinishing it does make the potential readily visible. 

loft floorboards, before and after

Comments

multipurpose

[15-the-circle.livejournal.com]

interestingly enough on mentioning this to my sister it turned out that she wasn't aware that Murphy's can be used on wood surfaces, nor was I that it can be used on leather (in her case, saddles and tack for the Alaskan equine herd).  it seems the same product is marketed differently for house and horse use. 

Re: multipurpose

[(Anonymous)]

Yet another use not generally known is for cleaning wicker & rattan. Used with water and a toothbrush, it cleans well and keeps fibers from drying out & getting brittle.

[tenaciousdoll.livejournal.com]

Your floorboards look an awful lot like mine. When was your house built? Mine was built in 1901. I cannot figure out what kind of boards my flooring is made out of. I used to think it was pine, but now am not so sure. There is a layer of awful red stain all over parts of it, the parts closest to the wall.

If you know what kind of boards your flooring is made from, let me know, okay? Thanks!!!!

P.S. Thanks for the Murphy's Oil tip. I'll try it. Right now I'm trying to use Formby's to get up that awful stain.

[15-the-circle.livejournal.com]

the cottage was built in the mid-to-late 1870s, certainly by the early 1880s.  the Camp Meeting Association records from that time aren't very helpful, as they were concerned more with ownership of shares than associated lots and the structures were often moved from one location to another within the Grove.  some of these movements were recorded but many were not.  it also seems that "building", esp. on the Circle, was a gradual process in which the structures went from tent to tent-on-a-wooden-floor to tent-with-walls to cottage.  the rustic simplicity of the cottages always seems to come through in the old photos, an effect that's not diminished in the cases where complex decorative elements were applied. 
but none of this helps in attempting to determine date of construction.  as in many other aspects of life, one learns to live with ambiguity. 

I'm not sure what tree species were used for the floorboards.  it's an interesting question, though, and if ever answered I'll be sure to note it in this space. 

sorry to hear about your Awful Red Stain.  Formby's is a pretty aggressive approach to any problem and if you can find a way to obtain good results from something a bit more mild that would be good news indeed.  it does raise one's curiosity, though -- can you post an image of the floor (perhaps including an area with and without the A.W.S.)? 

the farm that later became the Grove was not known to have been the site of any conflicts during the Civil War, but many homes then existing in the area were commandeered by the forces of both sides for use as field hospitals (particularly W. of here, closer to Harper's Ferry, Antietam and Gettysburg).  in these homes it is quite common for the floorboards to have horrific dark red stains which penetrated quite deeply into the wood.  there is actually a craftsman who makes his living turning over old floorboards in these houses so that the current owners can retain the historic material without having to look daily at the ghastly reminder of the bloodshed.  I don't think this is the case in your home which was, after all, built decades after the end of the war (he added in haste), perhaps it's just a discolouration from some other spill, from tree sap having oozed out of the wood, or some other innocuous source.  good luck getting it out. 

[tenaciousdoll.livejournal.com]

Wow. I had no idea that the bloodshed was so bad that it is still around 100+ years later, and that someone can make a living getting rid of the evidence!

The area where you live sounds very interesting! Lots of history there and all...

I've had a little luck using denature alcohol to get rid of the stain in my floorboards, but it's still so prevalent that I'll need a million rags to get through it all. I feel a bit like the children in The Cat in the Hat when they're trying to rid the house of the red stain that won't quit.

I have taken pictures of the Awful Red Stain, and a couple others, and put them on a page to show you: http://www.tenaciousdoll.com/images/1901%20floorboards.htm (http://www.tenaciousdoll.com/images/1901%20floorboards.htm) Any thoughts you have would be appreciated!

re: Awful Red Stain

[15-the-circle.livejournal.com]

I am remiss in not having responded earlier to your comment.  how is your floor coming along? 

it has occurred to me that if you can collect some amount of the Awful Red Stain that it should be possible to get a chemical analysis of it -- perhaps if you have any local contacts in law enforcemnet (forensic lab) or the biotech industry or an environmental test lab they could help.  by learning its composition you might be able to find a better or best method for its removal though plain old stripping and sanding seem to be getting the job done. 

as for the floors here I came to realise that having found a better method the area that already been treated will be needing a second pass.  too bad I hadn't wised up sooner! but the improvement should be worth it, at least that's what I'm telling myself.