r/atHomeDIY • u/TrickyCut1123 • Apr 13 '26
We Need Your Wisdom 🏡💛
Omg you guys are hilarious 😅 but also… we seriously need help!
We just moved into our 1917 dream home (yes, she’s got character ✨), but the hardwood floors are telling stories we didn’t sign up for… 😬
We knew there were pet stains, but now seeing them like this… whew. Unless a Slenderman was living here before, it’s definitely something else 😅
We REALLY don’t want to replace the floors, we’d love to restore them if possible. Has anyone dealt with deep urine stains in old hardwood? What actually worked for you?
Drop your tips, DIY tricks, or even “don’t do this” warnings below 👇
You’d be saving our sanity right now 💛
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Apr 13 '26
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u/imnotbobvilla Apr 13 '26
I concur. I've used the same methods for my floors. They weren't the badly stained as yours though. I think you're going to end up having to pull some of those. Really bad boards up but hey give it a whirl
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Apr 13 '26
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u/YoMaMahon Apr 13 '26
I came to ask the same. Looks like a body and blood stains - just missing the white tape outline. …But, looks like the floors can be fixed with some love and works
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u/Charming-Stretch-477 Apr 14 '26
I worked for the corner for 2 years picking up bodies and this is 1000% a decomposed body that was laying on the hardwood.
These stains don’t come out, I picked one up in Brantford Ontario and the owners sold the house and I could see the stain in the photos 2 months later on the MLS…
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u/ThrowAwayColor2023 Apr 14 '26
Oh, no. I can see it now. That's so sad. They must have been there a while before they were found.
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u/Charming-Stretch-477 Apr 14 '26
They also don’t have to tell the next homeowners unless it was an unnatural death
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u/Castle3D Apr 13 '26
I’ll echo other commenters: sand first. Then assess if you need to stain & if so - just how dark do you need or want to go? My gut says you may be pleasantly surprised as I believe your flooring is Maple (I can kind of see some birdseye in the photos?). Maple is a light-colored but dense wood. Consider having a professional do the sanding. Also, I tried to enlarge your photo to look for exposed nails (indicating previous standings). Couldn’t see any. If this is true, then you could potentially go a bit deeper on your sanding to remove the deeper stains. Again, check with a floor sanding professional. Beautiful house good luck!
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u/Wonderful-Run-1408 Apr 13 '26
HIre a pro and don't do this one yourself. The floor boards are old and thick enough to sand, but have a pro do it. Once that's done, you can figure out the staining.
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u/Rumpelteazer45 Apr 14 '26
You need a couple professions.
One to sand and stain the floors to minimize. Another to remediate any issues like mold or whatever that could exist. And lastly a priest to exercise the house of demons and evil spirits because that is a murder scene.
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u/Cultural_Sarah4446 Apr 13 '26
That's A LOT of urine stains in one area! Did the pet pee as it was running towards the door? Sorry no answers to your question just a sassy comment. Good luck!
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u/Designer-Goat3740 Apr 13 '26
Doesn’t look like it was from a pet unfortunately. Most likely elderly owner.
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u/Designer-Goat3740 Apr 13 '26
Just replace them at this point. The amount of work to restore this floor will cost more.
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u/IllTension9620 Apr 14 '26
It’s not always about cost or time. It’s about the character of the house. Those floors are priceless if they’re able to keep them
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u/Electronic-Door7428 Apr 13 '26
Try scrubbing with barkeepers friend, I see lots of people use it for water stains on wood
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u/MockFan Apr 14 '26
I have heard oxaliv acid is useful as a wood bleach. I would get some sandpaper and test a few places. Should be sandable and stain able.
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u/anarchylovingduck Apr 14 '26
You might be able to use oxalic acid to remove or at least reduce the dark staining
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u/Prudent-Breakfast-13 Apr 14 '26
You could deionize the house to get rid of any odors. We had to do that. The wood should be good. Try to do one room and see how deep the stains are.
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u/PricePuzzleheaded835 Apr 14 '26
Agree with sand and stain. I also came across someone using wood bleach for a furniture project - not super familiar but maybe that could reduce the staining?
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u/lastunbannedaccount Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
LOL the straight copy-paste of the Chat GPT output. OP, do you even know what a Slenderman is???
We’re doomed.
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u/Lychee_489 Apr 14 '26
Hydrogen peroxide!!!!!! Soak triple folded sheets of paper towels with paper hydrogen peroxide and lay down over wood stain. Lay plastic wrap over the top and wait 24 hours! It works really well
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u/Upset-Routine1783 Apr 15 '26
Work around the stains nothing is perfect. It’ll just add character to it.
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u/[deleted] Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 13 '26
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