Cat Urine Wood Floors?

[Dan Barman]

Hi all. Just viewed a large, beat up MF in New York's Hudson Valley. Needs a lot of work but could be an amazing property. All hard wood floors, pretty scratched up and a bad smell of what we think is cat or dog urine. If they can be cosmetically saved by sanding and finishing, will they still need to go to get rid of the smell? Will we have to rip out the floor and sub? Thanks!

[Roy N.]

@Dan Barman

If you have Dog urine - or worse, cat spray/urine - soaked down into the hardwood floor, sanding is not going to get rid of it.  In the worst cases, like one we had a few years ago, you may need to replace the subfloor as well as the finish flooring.