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[mlappin]

So have this old farmhouse that’s been in the family for three generations, has all the old red oak trim in it yet along with like a dozen coats of varnish or shellac on it then about four layers of paint   Tried chemical strippers and even a heat gun, getting the paint off is easy, whatever the original finish was just turns to slime then glue when it dries back up, near impossible to get out of all the little nooks and crannies. I seen once one this old house or something where they used ground corn cobs to strip the old finish, I’ve yet to find anybody in my area that does cob blasting, so I was wonder how baking soda might work? We do have a guy a few towns over that does soda blasting.

I hate to just scrap it and buy all new, right in the abstract it has where they cut down x number of red oaks, took em to the sawmill, brought it back here, stacked it for a few years, then hauled it to town again to be cut into millwork.

[hondaracer2oo4]

Just about anything can be done.....How much is the trim worth to you and how much do you want to spend on it?

[mlappin]

Well like I said, it was cut from the woods on this farm. A lot of it is the wider stuff you just can’t find anymore.

[slimjim]

If you do it right then you will only do it once!!!!!!

[mlappin]

If you do it right then you will only do it once!!!!!!

Yep. Bedroom is done, house only has like a 2/3’s basement under it. Office and our bedroom is over a crawl space, barely a crawl space actually, critters could crawl under it but not me for the last 40 years or so. Anyways, remodeled that a few years ago, knew it had a spongy spot or two as at one time it was the kitchen and the chimney for the wood cook stove had leaked. Ended up tearing the whole floor up, then burnt all the floor joists. Paid the hired mans boys to come out and shovel a lot of dirt out from under it, had a huge stone right in the middle, old joists were actual 2x10’s, new ones are treated 2x12’s. ended up cutting a slight notch in a few as that rock was gonna not  be moved, ever. Laid a course of 3/4 treated tongue and groove plywood down, then a layer of standard 3/4 plywood. All the joists were placed using a laser, pool could be shot on that floor before the carpet was laid.

Office will be next, guaranteed to find questionable joists as well, will do the treated route again except may go with 2x14’s or 2x12’s on 12” centers to support the weight of a rather large gun safe and numerous fireproof filing cabinets. Or I may just build a mini foundation in the middle of the span so the joists are supported mid point.

If you don’t have the time or money to do it right the first time, highly unlikely you will when it needs done again.