I watch the Hardwood Floors forum occasionally and what I notice is that people love to discuss installation specs and product a lot, but sometimes there is less activity on the finishing side. One area in which we need a lot more discussion and education in the wood floor industry is floor finishes-their compatibility and what finishes are a good fit for which species of wood.
I watch the Hardwood Floors forum occasionally and what I notice is that people love to discuss installation specs and product a lot, but sometimes there is less activity on the finishing side. One area in which we need a lot more discussion and education in the wood floor industry is floor finishes-their compatibility and what finishes are a good fit for which species of wood.
One of my friends called me recently because some weird stuff was happening with a floor he installed and sanded. The finish crawled back and the job needed to be resanded. There were five coats applied by three different manufacturers, with sufficient dry time between coats. I have also mixed products from different manufacturers, so I'm guilty occasionally, too. It's all a matter of preference, and you have to do what works best for your floors and keeps your company running smoothly.
A manufacturers rep I know very well always says the phrase, "Chemicals don't care," and it sums up a big problem I've seen: pressure on the flooring contractor to finish jobs sooner and sooner. When a problem happens with a floor because you stepped out of line regarding manufacturer instructions, then you are going to find out how lonely it can be in the business. Homeowners and GCs are rarely going to be sympathetic when flooring contractors have a problem, and I've seen some finish manufacturers wash their hands of problems at the drop of a dime. If you're doing a floor that's not your normal floor, then call a finish rep and ask for a referral to a contractor who's been down that road before to save time and problems. Better yet, post it on the forum before you do the floor.
You get where I'm heading with this post, I think. If you are going to test a new system or mix product lines, then do it on a small floor first. Re-sanding 200 feet is easier than 2,000 feet. My other thought is to always give realistic timelines for finish to dry prior to applying the next coat. Most of the times when I've pushed a little too much on dry time between coats, it has come back on me in a bad way. My thought is that even though this stuff may not be covered in a class, the real golden nuggets are in the relationships with the really good finish reps from schools and conventions. I've called reps from "competing" companies to discuss problems and they have helped. Those are the guys you want to know. Come to the NWFA convention in Orlando next April, and I will introduce you to them, because they're really genuine and a great resource.
