Pro tip: A job in a 1920s bungalow in Pasadena taught me to always check for original hardwood under old padding first.

I spent 4 hours pulling up three layers of carpet and pad before finding pristine oak floors the homeowner decided to restore instead, saving us a full day's work and them a lot of money.

2 comments

2 Comments

claire641mo agoTop Commenter

That's a fantastic find. A lot of older homes hide real gems under decades of bad carpet. It's always worth taking a corner up to check before you start any new floor plan. You can save so much time and money, and the original wood usually looks better than anything new you could put down. People covered it up for trends, but that old growth oak is solid. Good on you for doing the detective work first.

ryan7191mo ago

Yeah, claire64 is right about that old growth oak being solid. I read an article that said the wood in those old houses is way harder and more stable than most new stuff you can buy. It's always a gamble worth taking to peel back a corner.