I pulled up the rug in this house I just bought and it has tack strips but also someone heavly stapled the carpet in the middle area. how do I start to fix this floor, it's a beautiful oak floor.
thanks,lillian :(

You will need to pull each and every staple and nail the carpet layers have been driving into the floors. Everyone has their favorite tool. I just use pliers and for staples where the tops are driven flush, I wedge a small bladed screwdriver under the staple to pry it up. If you are not going to have the floors professionally restored, you can buy a small jar of "Color Putty" in a color that matches the floor. Then go around and fill the holes. THen clean the floors as well as possible. You need to determine if your floors have been waxed because that determines which cleaning products to use.

I agree with Gary each of us have a favorite tool for this job. My question would be as Gary touched on are the floors going to be refinished. If they are I have had great success using a3in stiif putty knife and running flat on the floor knocking the stapels out . i wouldnt totally feel comfortable recomending someone do this that dosent do it often for 2 reasons one slight chace of maring the wood , if one took there time not a big concern really but 2 is . It can quickly cause a blister in the palm of your hand that I dont even care to recall. I also have done the knocking out of the stapels using a flat blade on the end of a pole and stood up. Beleive it or not even a staple thats almost flush can be knocked out. The other tool I use is on the same line as the pliers accept I prefer a pair of side cutting dikes they have a pointed tip and can be worked underneath the stapel to help get the stubborn ones. Mine are nice and dull so I dont cut the stapel in 2 peices. Which if one does one can always set and fill instead of go digging for the part left in the floor

THE MAN WE WAS PAID TO REHAB THE HOUSE WAS SUPPOSE TO DO THE FLOORS BUT DOSEN'T WANT TO OR MAYBE HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW THE FLOORS ARE BEUTIFUL, HE SEEMED TO THINK BECAUSE OF THE STAPLE HOLES HE WOULD HAVE TO DO SANDING MAYBE ALOT OF SANDING, I BELIEVE THE COLORED PUTTY SOLUTION SOUNDS GREAT, BUT AFTER THAT SHOULD HE SAND THEM A BIT, AND THEN VARNISH OR CAN HE JUST VARNISH:?

No, with older floors, it's hard for the DIYer to determine what kind of finish has been used. If you are not going to hire a professional hardwood flooring contractor (which I recommend if you want those floors done correctly), then just putty the holes and use a good quality floor paste wax like Trewax. You'll need to use a buffer to buff them after waxing. Restoring floors is not a job for handymen. IMO. You can probably get a experienced flooring contractor to do it for very little, a couple to three hundred depending on the size. It's not hard if you know how.