Some weeks do you feel like you have been running full out? We are wilder than 13 yard dogs-just running all over.
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Some weeks do you feel like you have been running full out? We are wilder than 13 yard dogs-just running all over.
The past few weeks we had lots of stuff acclimating from job to job, and nothing close together. We did a floating subfloor and the only reason we got the job was that we knew how to make it work without shooting the plywood down. We cut the plywood into 16"-wide strips so that it can lay down better with no need to shoot it down. You need to make sure the subfloor is flat and then you're good to go… 6-mil plastic overlapped, lay in the plywood, then bang up the flooring. The hard part is getting started straight, but we use backer boards with short screws, and then it is just like any other job. They loved the floor when we got done, and the real key was the finish. They wanted no shine, plus it had to look like it had been there for years. We did Monocoat again and it works like a dream.
It was 1,000 feet of install, sand & finish, and I had to work alone on this job. It was very close to Memphis, and Clifford was not able to be away from home for the nights it took to get done. So I was lucky to get it done in seven days. I got the subfloor and install down in four days, then sand & finish in three days. I was working like a cat trying to cover poo on a tin roof; I did not have time to waste nor really enjoy the job.
The one thing that struck a cord with me was at the end of the job, the homeowner said, "You have not missed your calling-the floors look great." You have got to love it when a job done well is expressed in such a way. This is not just a job; it is a calling for me. The way most folks get this done is work on jobs for years, then try to work for a manufacturer the back half. I am doing it backwards so to speak, but boy, the best part in life does not always come in a plan; it just comes.
From that we installed a hickory factory-finish floor and needed to match the stairs with unfinished. Clifford did the install, sand & finish on the stairs while I worked on a stage area that was 2 1/2" out of square. Talk about making the bullnose look good with a floor that far out of whack… it was rough but it looks good now. The second floor overall was a mess: The walls were not right and the drywall looked like a washboard. Now, they may have thought they were slick when they framed it, but they ain't slick enough to slide down that barbwire. Like always, the floor man made the room look good.
I'll catch up on our other jobs soon… One more quick thing before I go for now: Frank Kroupa and I are going to do a class on machine repairs on the job at the NWFA in St Louis. Bring your unit so we can make it a 100% hands on class. Let us know if you can make it June 16, 2012.