I am taking care of some small stuff. Someone said, "Don't sweat the small stuff," but but if you let a bunch of small stuff build, then together it all becomes big stuff.
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I am taking care of some small stuff. Someone said, "Don't sweat the small stuff," but but if you let a bunch of small stuff build, then together it all becomes big stuff.
We installed a ¾ x 2 1/4 hickory factory-finish glue-down over a year ago, and somehow four spots became loose. They had the tin popping sound when you would step on them. Taking my finger, tapping on the spot you could hear the void...that dead sound you get when you thump it. Reminds me of a watermelon. My granddaddy could tell you all about that melon with a thump, just like we can find the bad spot in the floor.
I wanted to use the same glue to do the repair, and Stauf has a repair kit, so here we go:
I made sure to drill in a seam or corner of the flooring; it was easy to hide the hole. Take some tape and cover the place where you are going to drill for two reasons:1. It prevents the wood from chipping2. It keeps the glue off the finish as you inject it in the hole.
One thing you can do to help is drill at an angle, this will help keep the tip from bottoming out. I drilled mine straight because it was a small spot; so it was easy to drill in the endmatch to get right on the void. Then it may look simple, but for pushing the glue into that little tip, slow and smooth is the best advice I can give. After you fill the void, thump it like granddaddy ... you can hear the tin sound go away. Pull back on the tip slow so you will not drip on the flooring. I took small dowel rods to fill the hole. They come with this kit, but I wanted hickory, so I made my own. Tap the rod into the hole, snap the rod off and use a small amount of filler.
I did four spots in about an hour. It was simple to do, and it worked. We do a few glue-down jobs, but most of our work is on a crawl space. We got the job because too many contractors told the homeowner that you cannot glue down 3/4 to a slab. We all know that is not true, my only concern is that we pick flooring that is straight so we can pull it tight and keep it tight. The glues we have today sure hold and have next to no smell.
Next week is looking good: two sand & finish jobs with 3,000 feet between the two. And, I did an estimate last night for an install they need done the last week of June. I am glad to get the calls and the work. Doing the small stuff is needed, but I like the big check at the end of the job.
