Yes, I have been offline for some time, but not out of work. I've been working on a nasty rental home that should be set on fire, not sanded. Here are a couple pics if it gives you any idea of what we are dealing with:
Yes, the house is full of pee stains. The renters had pets, and they had a kid they let run around the house without a diaper on. The dark area in the second photo is the trail between the bedroom and the bathroom. I told them I should rip it out, but they said there's no money for a new floor.
So, the week before I was doing the factory finish install and in my last post I left you hanging… I used a 1 3/4 cleat so that I did not have to think about the cleat sticking through the bottom of the subfloor. It is also a thin nail-18-ga vs. a 16-ga-so my concerns about the flooring splitting would go away. Here is the one I used:
I am glad I am done with this job; I had to beat the flooring together, and with a factory finish that is not good. The Primatech gun worked like a dream-I found it to be balanced, plus it will get tight to the walls. I am sold on the guns, and the service is so simple.
The next few weeks will be full. I picked up a small install, sand and finish in Brownsville, Tenn., that I will finish with Monocoat. I like the buff-in oil look, plus it holds up so well. It brings out the true look of the flooring, and it is super tough. I also have a 600-foot pine job coming up in Jackson, Tenn. They also want a wax floor, so that will be simple to make look good. The install was done by the homeowner, but he did a good job.
I am going back to put on a topcoat on a job that was way behind because the paint and kitchen were holding me back. I can go back now and drop in a few vents, spot a few nail holes and then lay the top coat. At that point we can get the last of the funds, and that will be nice.
I did a heart pine floor where the home was half tear-out carpet and half pad-and-coat. The trouble is, the lady wanted clean floors before I came, so she used oil soap to clean … thank you very much! I sanded the half and put on three coats. The other half was a task! I had to get smart: I used the orbital sander 12x18 pad with a 120 screen, vacuumed the floor, tacked with spirits, then hit it with an SPP pad to make sure no deep scratch was left, and then cleaned it with spirits again. At that point it was as clean as it could be! I rolled on the finish with a fear that it was going to jump back in the can—the oil soaps just do not allow finish to stick if over-used, and man, did she over-clean. She cleaned her floor every week with the oil soap ... every week. The floor was ugly from over-cleaning and trying to make them look new with the oil soap.
I had one spot that did not stick, and, yes, it had to be in the way: right in front of the fireplace. So, time for the hand tools and hand-sanding, I took the new finish off after it dried for two days with the scraper, then hand-rubbed the area with 150, 180, and then the SPP pad to make sure the finish would stick. The sad part was the two boards were both 12-foot long, so I had to run the repair from end-to-end so it looked good.
They loved the floor, and truth be told, they look good. The before and after were night and day, I do not have a photo to share with you, but it looks good.
My goal is to get a ton done so I can go to the NWFA Expert class. That is why you have not seen hide nor hair from me much. I want to go real bad—it has been some time for me to get to that class and work with the guys. The class is invitation only, so it makes me happy to know they want me. This is a hard one but a fun one. I was with Bill Costello with Dura Seal Saturday for a bit, and we added up the flooring that I have installed, sanded, recoated or repaired by myself in the past two weeks. Folks, no wonder I am worn out. Our best math is about 4,000 feet. Wow, does time fly when you are working like a madman. My wife had to ask if I belong here... they have been long days for sure. "Half days" is what I told her—12 hours is half the day.
This week I am finishing the rental job and the topcoat, next week is the install, sand and finish in Brownsville and, Lord willing, the job in Jackson. My goal is to get to the class, so look out for a ball of fire in Northwest Tennessee... that will be me.
