We have a very banged up wood floor in an 1860 farmhouse. This part of the house might be newer but it’s hard to tell. The floor appears to be some sort of pine. It has a lot of scratches and dings that go through the varnish and stain. We tested the finish with solvents and a paper towel with mineral spirits seemed to dissolve the varnish.
I want to be fairly minimal in refinishing the floor. I don’t want to sand the whole thing. What I want todo is:
1. Go over the floor with a liquid stain to darken the scratches. Wipe of excess. Waterborn ok?.
2. Lightly sand the whole floor with a handheld random orbital just to provide a bit of tooth and take care of any s remaining stain. Maybe 180 grit?
3. Varnish. My favorite varnish is from Vermont Natural Coatings and is an almost odor free. I will experiment on a small section to check bonding.
I put my specific questions in bold but I appreciate any suggestions.