The house I am redoing has fairly nice red oak floors. House was built in 1960 and the floors have never been refinished. I bought the house this last January as a foreclosure.
Previous owner had a dog or two that went pee a lot in the house. Two particular areas, in the dining room no less, have been, in the past, quite saturated.
Under the red oak there is 3/4" pine 1X8 shiplap. Under that, joists and beams and piers, and then dirt in the crawlspace.
After we gutted the house, the mold and it's smells have gone away completely, but now that the weather is starting to warm up, when I go into the house in the late afternoon, I can still smell the urine quite well. (House is still down to the studs in the interior, but the plumbing has been completed, along with the HVAC, and the electric and siding will commence shortly.)
I've read on the 'net some about this, and most people seem to be concerned with pet stains on the floor. I really don't care about the stains, since I'll be refinishing anyway, but I do care 100% about the lingering odor.
I know red oak is porous, so I'm certain the urine fully permeated both the red oak and sub floor. I'm cautious to assume that merely refinishing the floors will guarantee the smell will go away (or be locked in).
Anyone ever go through this? If so, what did you do to fully remedy it? One area is probably 3' x 3', while the other might be 5' x 6'. These are both in a dining room (opposite corners) that is 12' x 13.5'.
Thanks, Todd