Our original house was built in the early sixties and hardwood floors were throuout. Unfortunately, our home burned and all that remained were the foundation and the flooring. We did build back on the foundation and the contractor kept the floors, carpeting over the hardwood. They did have an exposure to the elements until the new house was under roof. Now, we looking to retire and want to sell our home and it is important to spend as little as possible redecorating it. We pulled the carpet up to see what we have. The boards are intact, albeit spattered with paint and staple holes. There are some gaps between boards, none over 1/8 inch. Plus, the walls are not precisely where the original ones were and there are gaps. Is it possible these floors can be recycled? We wondered if we could pull up some of edges and install parquet as a border, then sand all to be uniform. Either way, the old carpet has to go. Installing new flooring is beyond our budget. Any advise or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Your life sounds like mine except that all of the hardwood flooring was lost in my fire. Yes you can sand and refinish all of the hardwood flooring. This is a major and time consuming undertaking even with rented equipment. You could try and find an inexpensive floor refinisher or you are going to be stuck with purchasing inexpensive carpeting. Get prices and go the route that you can afford.