Preserving 1920s Hardwood Floors in Minneapolis

The homeowner, a first-time buyer in Minneapolis’s Hiawatha neighborhood, removed heavily worn carpet and discovered original hardwood floors underneath. They reached out to New Glow with hopes of preserving the hardwood floors.

Once the carpet was removed, it was clear the home still had its original maple floors in the bedrooms and hallways and red oak floors in the main living areas. While the floors were intact, they were coated with an older floor finish that required extra preparation before refinishing. The home was built in 1925, and the floors showed the effects of nearly a century of use and past finishing methods.

Since the original hardwood floors were still structurally sound, refinishing made more sense than reinstalling carpet or replacing the floors entirely. This allowed the homeowner to preserve the original materials already in place.

The refinishing work restored the original maple and red oak floors from this 1920s home, returning them to everyday use as durable, hard-surface flooring throughout the space.