The Proper Finishing of Hardwood Floors 
THE VARIOUS METHODS IN USE FOR THE TREATMENT OF HARDWOOD FLOORS—SUGGESTIONS 
ENABLING ONE TO BEGIN PROPERLY AND TO KEEP THE FLOOR IN GOOD CONDITION 
T HE subject of 
finishing and 
caring for hardwood 
floors is one that is 
a little difficult to 
put in condensed and 
concrete form, be¬ 
cause of the many 
different methods of 
finishing and the 
different conditions 
under which people 
have floors that need 
attention of this 
kind. 
Beginning w i t h 
new floors, the mat¬ 
ter is comparatively 
simple and resolves 
itself into a choice 
of two or three dif¬ 
ferent finishing 
methods and a variety of stains and 
color schemes. 
The first essential in finishing off 
a new floor is to use what is termed 
a filler, and fill up the pores of the wood. There are several 
recipes for making fillers at home out of cornstarch, linseed oil, 
and things of that kind, but usually it is cheaper, simpler, and 
more economical to buy from a paint supply house a wood filler 
in paste form. To thin this filler for application to the floor one 
has the choice of using turpentine, benzine or gasoline. Really 
the benzine or gasoline serves best and is cheapest. Moreover, 
there is no practical difference between benzine and gasoline ex¬ 
cept the difference in the flashing point. You dissolve the filler 
in this until it assumes the consistency of an ordinary liquid 
paint, apply it to the floor, and then rub off the surplus filler as 
soon as it gets dry. 
The best plan to handle this is with two at work, because 
benzine or gasoline exaporates rapidly and you must work swiftly. 
One spreads the filler and the other follows after with some cot¬ 
ton waste, rags, or excelsior, and just as soon as the liquid begins 
to dry, but before it gets hard, rub it well into the pores of the 
wood and scrub the surplus that is not absorbed. 
There should be included in this filler whatever stain is wanted 
for the floor. Ordinarily, on an oak floor, not much stain is re¬ 
quired. One can get some of the light oak stains that are fur¬ 
nished by the paint houses and add enough of them to the filler 
while it is in liquid form to give the stain required. Any stain 
may be added in the same manner ; that is, any liquid stain, or 
one can take the dry powdered stains and add them to the liquid 
and get whatever color is desired. 
After the filler and the stain is on the floor let it dry 12 or 24 
hours, then begin the finishing process. 
Here we come to the point where there is a choice of several 
finishes. If it is a floor that has been scraped on the surface and 
is intended for the parlor or dining-room, or for dancing, the best 
finish is to use two Or three coats of shellac as a foundation on 
the wood and then finish with floor wax. 
To do this, apply the first coat of shellac 12 to 24 hours after 
the filler has been put on. Then, let this stand for 6 to 12 hours, 
go over it with o 
grade sand paper, 
smoothing it off 
nicely, but not cut- 
t i n g it through. 
Then apply a sec¬ 
ond coat and treat 
it in the same man¬ 
ner. 
If you have used 
your shellac rather 
thick and heavy, 
two coats will give 
body enough. If, 
however, your 
shellac has been 
thinned it may 
need three coats. 
Where one desires 
to avoid spotting 
with the shellac it 
is easier to make a 
good job of it by thinning it with 
wood alcohol and applying three 
coats. 
After the top coat of shellac has 
dried thoroughly, and it is a good idea to wait two or three days 
for this so that the entire body may harden up well, go over it 
with sand paper as the others were and smooth it up nicely, using 
old rags or cloths, clean it off thoroughly and you are ready to wax. 
There are a number of floor waxes on the market and you may 
use that which pleases you. The main point is to get one with 
“body.” Pqrhaps the best method for applying floor wax is to 
take cheesecloth and double it to get a little more thickness, then 
make it into a sort of bag. Put a handful of wax inside of this 
and with it go over the floor thoroughly. You will find that you 
can work enough wax through the meshes of the cheesecloth to 
give a coating evenly all over the floor, and this prevents getting 
too much wax on in spots and unnecessarily wasting the wax. It 
should not require a lump of wax larger than an ordinary hen's 
egg to wax the floor of one good sized room thoroughly. If you 
think it is too light you can go over it again in a few days. 
After the floor has been gone over with the wax and allowed 
to dry (some wax will dry enough in a few minutes and other 
wax takes 10 or 12 hours), it is ready to polish. For polish¬ 
ing one should use a weighted brush. There are two sizes of 
regular floor brushes for this purpose — one of 15 pounds and 
one of 25 pounds. The 15 pound brush is heavy enough and it is 
easier to use. Moreover, in case there is not a brush available of 
the regulation type, one can take soft flannel rags and by patient 
and persistent rubbing bring out an excellent polish. 
The method described above is acknowledged today as being 
the most approved for finishing a hardwood floor, and to care for 
it afterward all that is necessary is to go over the spots where 
there is the most wear every week or two. Places near the 
doors and near the stairs need special care. Occasionally one 
can go over the whole floor. After a dance or reception renew 
the wax or is put on just before and only rub it a little. The idea 
is to keep just a thin coat of wax and renew it when it wears 
through. Never permit the shellac to wear. Bv keeping this up 
you can retain the beauty of your floor indefinitely. Perhaps 
The irregular, uneven appearance of this floor surface might have been obviated by the use of 
a good wood filler, treated with a suitable stain 
BY J. C R O W T A Y L O R 
Photograph by Jessie Tarbox Beals 
