Anyone with knowledge of Victorian-era (and earlier) floor finishing techniques?

[IrishAyes]

2. My new best friend! Thank you.

I found a good handyman who works construction during the summer but gets laid off seasonally and then does little pickup jobs dirt cheap the rest of the time. This is such a remote area that I feel very blessed; he can do anything in a house but doesn't mind small jobs for little old ladies and doesn't charge a fortune. Best of all, he's already been in my house to install the new dishwasher, and he didn't blink an eye at my pictures of, shall we say, various Democratic icons in the living room. Around here, that really makes him a rare pearl - I had to have a dying, rotten oak tree taken down and it took me almost a year to find anyone willing to do the job for any amount of $. Several guys told me the reason outright; well, at least they didn't lie about it. They hadn't been in the house, of course, but they'd seen my outdoor political sign during campaign season.