Most older South Philly houses can be assumed to have started their lives with wood floors, but their current states, when the house is carpeted, are unknowable. There could be rough historic floors, or more refined floors, or completely ruined or removed floors. Thus, you have to be prepared for either refinishing a floor or laying a new one, if your goal is the polished hardwoods that seem to be universally desired.
So, holding my breath, on the afternoon of closing (as various servicefolks wandered here and there), my contractor and I pulled up a corner of the carpet to see what we had. And the news is good!!
The floors are in great shape (a little paint splatter will sand off in the first second), nice oak, and even have a decorative inlay. I've seen this kind of floor before, but it's so much more than I was hoping for here!
Even the back bedroom, which seems to be a later addition to the house (it's a shed over the kitchen, with siding), has a matching floor, although you can see a worn/damaged spot that will justify the refinishing plan (there's a similar spot that was under the bed in the master bedroom, presumably from a pet accident), and the hallway and stairs are all on board. So a savings and a win as well!
I will admit that I wish I'd seen all this a bit sooner. I tend toward the modern in picking my finish, and somehow that inlaid wood seems to ask for something else. Am considering putting an oiled bronze fixture in the dining room, just to bridge the stair railing and this somewhat historic floor style to the nickel I use everywhere else, but haven't yet decided. You gotta stay flexible in your vision when there are always so many unknowns in a house!
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