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

X-Posted from 'DIY & Home Improvement':

Even though it will be awhile before I can actually get my downstairs wood floors worked on, I need to ramp up my research efforts now. I'm really grateful for all the encouragement received from DUers not that long ago about the future potential for saving these floors, which some previous resident had topped with a lot of glue to hold down cheap, hideous carpeting. I had the carpet ripped off but a lot of the glue had soaked into the unsealed wood floor.

Anyway, I remember reading somewhere several years ago about a heritage technique which involved a homemade mixture of something with something else like linseed oil(?) and it was supposed to create an extremely tough finish. Unfortunately that's all I remember, and I can't seem to find information anymore that rings a bell.

I follow apartmenttherapy.com and have been reminded that people way back when used to paint their floors more often than not. I might go that route but it would remain my second choice. A recent stroke of luck: the local hardware store has plans to offer floor sanders for rent this year. I dreaded having to buy one of my own, because the nearest place to rent one before was almost 100 miles away. Yes, if you haven't heard already, I retired wayyyy out in the sticks.