Light temporary finish for old pine floor

First-time post, so be nice.

I've bought an old 30's weatherboard which we want to make liveable and move into before a more comprehensive renovation. We've pulled up the carpets and lino to reveal pine boards most of which are in orignal condition (complete with 1930's paint splats) and some that have some old stain / finish on them.

The old carpet underlay left a sticky residue on the boards so I've taken to that by skimming a sharp shovel across the top which seemed to work well but with some of the stickiness remaining. I figure sanding over this will just gum up the paper.

So the first question: are there any suggestions for removing the residue. I'm worried solvents / water based cleaners will leech into the old boards and damage them.

Second question: how should I lightly finish the floor so we can move in, but without making the job harder for the pros to do the floor when the full renovation happens. Would a light sand with a belt sander followed by an orbital sander be the go? What would be a good temporary finish to use?

Many thanks for your suggestions.


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