One of the easiest ways to bring out the character in an older home is simply to turn back the carpet.

Wall-to-wall carpeting gained in popularity in the 60's and 70's, so many beautiful hard wood floors in older houses and apartment buildings were covered up so that the domicile looked "modern." How do you know what's underneath that orange and brown raggedy looking shag that makes you sneeze, anyhow? There's only one way.

Tear that carpet up.

To do so, you'll need a pair of pliers and some determination. Start at the corner of the room, and pull. Let's hope you are dealing with the ‘laid-in' type of carpet, and not anything that was glued or stapled down. Unfortunately, you may encounter this. If so, it will take more work, but all is not lost.

Removing carpet staples can be difficult, but it is not impossible. You will need some strong pliers and some sort of lever, like a screwdriver or the edge of a small hammer. Using the lever, lift the staples from the floor.

This can take quite a bit of time, but usually, the exposed hardwood beneath all that old carpeting is worth it. The staples may leave small holes in the wood floor, but you can usually take care of this when you refinish or paint the floor.

Another common issue you may encounter is that the old carpet has been glued down. If you find this was the case, you will have no choice but the damage the floor, especially with strong glues.

Those unfortunate enough to encounter glue can remove it using a glue solvent and a strong scraper. This process will be messy and time consuming, and really shouldn't be attempted by one person, as it will take much work and an extensive time period to complete.

Get someone to help, ventilate your rooms well, or consider having this job done by a handyman or contractor who is familiar with what needs to be done.

You may also find yourself choking on lots and lots of nasty dirt! No getting around this. If the room you are concentrating on is on an upper floor, consider throwing the ripped up carpet remnants out the window so you don't have to drag the old dirty carpet through the house.

One more issue that you may encounter is old linoleum beneath the carpet. This was actually popular prior to the 60's, so turn-of-the-century homes are likely to have had this installed as well. This usually comes up easier, although you might find damaged floors beneath the linoleum.

After the laborious process of removing the old floor coverings is finished, you need to make sure that any nails are either nailed down into the floor completely, or removed. They can cause a safety issue if not. Rough boards will need to be sanded down, holes filled.

You may have to find a wood plank of the same wood or similar in order to fill any seriously gaping hole. Other imperfections can be lived with, even celebrated, as a unique feature of your home's beautiful wood floor.

And now comes the fun part! Deciding which paint or stain will be used on the hard wood that will most enhance your room. Good luck!