Our last two jobs have been a task, both of them were covered with carpet. The first job was a pine 2 1/4 with an old oil just pushed deep into the wood.
Log in to view the full article
Our last two jobs have been a task, both of them were covered with carpet. The first job was a pine 2 1/4 with an old oil just pushed deep into the wood.
When the homeowner pulled the carpet up, they got a gift: the heart pine flooring is sweet. So, they called the floor store and told them they will not be ordering carpet! They called us the next day, and at first look I thought it was 2 1/4 red oak-that is how much dirt and old oil was on this floor:
Walking into the next room from the hall, I said this is not oak. I took my pocket knife and did a little digging, and what do we see but a wonderful pine floor. The main floor was easy, but the edge was a task. Here it was after we cleaned it but before sanding:
In order to get the finish off we started with rocks on paper and finished with 60 grit:
The 3DS and the shake-and-bake did the fine finish work, along with a bunch of hand work along the jambs and walls. The finish we went with was Monocoat because they wanted a no-shine look with a true color coming through. It was a small job, but because we had to hit it so hard it still took four days to sand and finish 700 feet. They love the floor and are so glad they were able to stop the carpet order without any stress from the store.
The job we are on now is just as bad, but it is a 2 1/4 red oak with bunch of pet stains. We did four cuts with the edger and three cuts with the big machine, but we will not be able to use the 3DS because the floor is like a washboard. It is an old home, and the subfloor is so uneven that the unit will just jump on the flooring. The nice thing is the old-school skills kicked in with the hard-plate and soft-plate.
We used the hard-plate to get the floor flat and then the soft-plate to remove imperfections from the hard-plate. I am so glad we still have the skills and tools to go old-school. It is nice to have the 3DS, because I forgot how much work it is to buff all day … keep looking for imperfection ... oh, here is a mark ... oh, we missed one. The tools sure take a worry out of it, and the best way to make sure you have not missed an imperfection is having tons of sun through the windows and, if needed, a 300-watt bulb to light up the room. I like the heat from the lamps in the winter, but wow, does it get hot in the summer.
This is going to be short and sweet because I need to get back to work. I took some time today to get this out, and the job is waiting. I also have to go look at a house that was installed years ago but never finished. It's a guest house that the wildlife have made into a condo ... The remodel job is now going forward, but the overwood and underwood are ¼ inch in some areas. We are going to talk about a rustic oil or wax floor. I am not sure how this one will work out, but it will be a fun job.
