Floor Problems

Okay, now this is where the true horror really begins..... Termite damage!!!!

AAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This view is right next to the back door. It is the corner next to the plumbing chase.

All of that grey stuff along the edges, as well as the wide streak in the center of the pic, is the damage and some of the putty used to fix it in the past.

Also if you look at the door molding (left side of pic) you will see some light brown patches. This is also termite damage and attempts to fix it.

Another view of the same spot.

Over 50% of the wood that makes up the moldings, in this spot, is gone - eaten away. About the only thing holding this molding together is the paint.

The fancy foot molding that the door molding sits on top of is so bad it can not be replaced.

It looks good on the outside, but when I removed it the bottom crumbled away and the part that the paint is adhered to is only about 1/4 of an inch thick. I will be able to repair it - possibly.

Since this is a feature that will be seen every day, we have opted to replace it with an identical one from an upstairs closet (yes, even the closets have all this fancy molding in them).

More of the same.

A close up view of the same spot.

Not only can the damage be seen a little better; but you can also see the black, tar like stuff that holds the floor tile down.

If there is a silver lining at all in this mess it is here.

What you are looking at is the original tile and a couple spots where I have removed a couple pieces.

When we first bought the house we were told that the entire floor, all the way down to the sub-floor, would have to be replaced. The reason we were give was the tar adhesive.

Each company we talked with said this adhesive has destroyed the original wooden floors and could not be fixed without lots of time and money. They said it would be easier, and cheaper, to rip it out and replace it with a whole new floor.

Well, it turns out they were all wrong (the sad thing is is that these companies probably know the truth). One day, while looking at other house restoration blogs, I ran across a couple with the same type floor as ours. They showed some before and after pics of the floor and I was blown away. I figured that they HAD to have spent a ton of money on restoring the original floor.

Boy was I wrong!!!

Turns out, the secret is right in everyone’s house - soap and water!!! Yes, you read that correctly - soap and water. That's all they told me it took. They said to take some soapy water and apply it to the tar adhesive and let it set for a few minutes. Once it had done it's thing all I would have to do is wipe it up. If it didn't get it all off then I needed to redo it and scrub it a little.
Well, the heal of the 'L' is the result of just using the soap and water. Imagine what it will look like when scrubbed!!