We have finally got to spend some time in our new house. (Had to wait thirty days for the previous owners to move out). We are in love with the house and are ready to start putting our own mark on the house. The previous owners had the upstairs carpeted; this must have been the plan from the beginning because we pulled up the carpet to get an idea of what was underneath. We believe it is a straight grain fir about 3 inches wide, unfortunately it is covered with paint splatters and other post rehab materials. The part that concerns me the most is that the floor has these staples driven in the wood that I have to assume was to stop or at least limit the amount of squeak in the floor. The staples are not very deep and I would think would make sanding more difficult. So now we are considering re-carpeting the upstairs. Questions include what kind of carpet would be best? What kind of period correct (1920's) options are out there? Should we go ahead with the sanding and refinishing? And as an absolute last resort should we replace the floor?

Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated thanks, Nick and Holly.

Your house is super cute. I just love it.

As for the floor upstairs. If you want a 1920s accurate floor, have you considered linoleum (aka Marmoleum)? It was probably the most popular flooring during the 1920s for middle-class homes. It's easy to maintain, comes in a variety of colors, and is a sustainable material.

Armstrong, Blabon, and W. S. Sloan showed a number of attic rooms that were finished with linoleum flooring. (You can see my collection of images on Flicker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/a...s/72157606542320982/) Many of the images in that collection show Armstrong flooring.

It's not hard to install tile and small pieces but large seamed installations should probably be handled professionally.

Best,
R.

We have decided to have the floor professionally sanded and then will refinish. Thanks for the Marmoleum suggestion we are considering a more period correct kitchen floor covering and this was of great help. Nick and Holly