A job in a 1920s bungalow in Savannah changed how I feel about tack strips on old wood floors.

3 comments

3 Comments

Honestly I've never understood the fuss about old wood floors. A tack strip is just part of the job, and that old growth pine is tougher than people give it credit for. Trying to save every single board can triple the labor cost for no real gain. Sometimes you just need to get the new carpet in and move on to the next thing.

james_ross2mo ago

We had good luck using a thin plywood underlayment over the old floor. It protects the boards and gives a smooth base for the new carpet pad. Saved us a ton of time and still kept the original wood intact for later.

the_nathan28d ago

Totally feel you on this one, @james_ross. I've seen SO many people rip out perfectly good old floors just to save a day of labor, and it always feels like a mistake later. Matted down carpets and rotted tack strips don't help the wood a bit. We did the same thing on a 1940s bungalow last year and the owners were thrilled they could eventually expose the pine again. @leelewis is right that tack strips are part of the job, but a little extra prep now saves a MASSIVE headache for the next homeowner.