Recoating

This Simple Buff & Coat Becomes an Absolute Nightmare!

It was thousands of square feet of Brazilian cherry, and all it needed was an abrade/coat (buff and coat, screen and coat, recoat…) with one or two coats of a two-component water-based finish to refresh the floor and provide durability. It all seemed simple.I was certain I knew what caused this and, yet, the evidence was not where the "usual suspects" hide out.The moral? Test! Test the flooring before taking on any recoat!

April 4, 2017

Finishing

Top of the Tower: Lugging A 120-Pound Sander Up Three Flights

May 28, 2014

Finishing

Improve Your Jobs by Understanding the Stages of Finish Curing

"Is it dry yet"? and "How much longer"? are common questions asked when finish is curing.

March 24, 2014

Troubleshooting

Finish Flaws: Avoid Common Wood Floor Finish Failures

Explanations of the most common problems that happen with wood floor finish, including peeling, chipping, bubbles, and more; plus how to fix them.

May 29, 2013

Green Issues

Historic LEED-er

North Carolina appears to be the state where the unimaginable becomes reality. It was the setting for the first seconds of manned flight, and it was the state where a historical renovation achieved the elusive Platinum certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Commercial Interiors, despite the fact that very few points are awarded for reusing existing structures, and there are only a handful of historic renovations in the world to have earned this certification. The Heilig Levine complex in downtown Raleigh, so named for the furniture store that occupied the space in 1936, posed several challenges to the architects and contractors: It was a historical building that needed to be preserved, it was a renovation project and the future tenants had high hopes for the highest of LEED ratings. However, one unifying piece made all three challenges easier to handle: the 100-year-old heart pine flooring.Architect: Tise-Kiester Architects (Chapel Hill, N.C.)

March 6, 2013

Sanding

Beware the Swirls: Take Your Buffer Technique to the Next Level

Perfectly finishing a hardwood floor without any swirl marks is a challenge. The dreaded swirl marks happen when we are buffing; they are scratches that appear in a circular pattern in the wood or finish. Sometimes they are only visible with intense light, such as under can (sometimes called "high hat") lights or in front of patio doors. Once the stain and finish are applied, removing swirl marks in the wood is impossible without removing everything down to bare wood and starting over. If the swirl marks are in the finish topcoats, the finish can be scuffed and recoated. Either way, re-doing tasks is never on a project to-do list, and it wastes precious time and money, so it's well worth it to make sure you avoid swirl marks in the first place by taking the time to do it correctly.

November 28, 2012

Finishing

Why Won't This Wood Floor Finish Adhere to the Previous Coat?

A contractor was attempting to recoat a gym floor at a college facility but could not get the finish to stick on a portion of the recoated floor.

November 28, 2012

Troubleshooting

Q&As: Damage in Customers' Homes, Refinishing Acrylic Impregnated & Streaks in Finish

I have a customer blaming me for nicks in her wall that had an expensive faux finish on it. Now she wants me to pay for repairs, even though I think the damage was already there. Do I have to pay for this?

March 26, 2012

Finishing

Dirty Poly Beads Appear in This Trouble-Plagued Gym Floor

March 26, 2012

Recoating

Gaps Appear in this Wood Floor After a Fire Restoration

I was called to do an inspection on a 3-inch solid prefinished Brazilian cherry wood floor installed over OSB. The homeowner said there were gaps left all over her floor.

February 1, 2012

Finishing

For Restoration Job, Landlubbers Get Their Feet Wet

Rough waters and a salty sea boat captain: These were the major obstacles the crew at Winterport, Maine-based Don Dickel Floors encountered during a wood floor restoration job at the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse last fall. Dickel and his crew were asked to restore the lighthouse's Doug fir wood flooring, which hadn't seen any maintenance since the structure was automated in 1965. Because tools couldn't be hauled over the dilapidated breakwater, getting them to the job site was the first obstacle. So Don Dickel Floors crew-member Abbie Thompson turned to George "Two Toots" Marks, a curmudgeonly Rockland sea captain. While negotiating with Marks on the phone before starting the job, "He said 'I'll be there,' and then I went over the details again," Thompson recalls. "He stopped me mid-sentence and said, 'Didn't I just tell you I'd be there!?' … Just like an old salty." Turns out, though, Marks is actually the best, most reliable captain in all Rockland Harbor, Thompson says. After Marks helped the crew ferry their equipment across the rough water, they next worked at sanding through the tar, old paint and crusty seawater on the floor. After that came an application of tung oil and, last, a helping of butcher's wax for durability. Helping to preserve Rockland's maritime roots, Dickel and his team surely pulled off a job even a salty sea captain could appreciate.

November 30, 2011

Prefinished

Q&As: Is an End-Match Necessary?; Recoating Over Prefinished; Acclimation

I don't usually install pine, but I had a customer request it. When the flooring was delivered I saw that it didn't have an end-match. Isn't an end-match required on all wood flooring today?When installing prefinished wood flooring, any topnails are filled with color-matching wood filler, but the dullness of the filler compared with the floor finish can catch the customer's eye. Perry Wright of Austin, Texas-based Floorcoverings Done Wright has a convenient way to match the sheen: "I use my wife's fingernail polish bottles, filled with several finishes, to spot-touch the filled areas. It works like a charm once you get the hang of it."

November 29, 2011

Finishing

A Look at the Dying Craft of Sanding & Finishing Bowling Alleys

Growing up in the bowling alley business as a young boy was an experience I still cherish to this day. My grandfather owned a bowling establishment, and my father worked for Brunswick Corporation early in his career, sanding and finishing the alleys in the 1950s. My father advanced and became a service representative; later in the early 1960s, Brunswick stopped contracting the sanding and finishing of existing lanes and only did sanding and finishing of new lanes when installing. In the summer at the age of 15, my father would send me out to work in the bowling alleys. When working with the older mechanics, I learned no matter how young you are, you had to work hard, or you would be sent home.RELATED: Wood Floor Finish 101: The Low-Down on Today’s Finishes

August 1, 2011

Installation

Q&As: Matching Existing Flooring, Avoiding Chatter & Resanding Engineered Wood Floors

My customer had a red oak floor installed in his dining room five years ago. Now he wants the same flooring in the adjacent living room. There's a 4-foot-wide case opening dividing the rooms. Can I get the floors to match?Joshua Crossman, owner at Yelm, Wash.-based contracting company P.T.L. Hardwoods, wanted an inexpensive way to stack his extra bundles of wood lying around so they would be separated and organized. He came up with this setup for around only $30. Just lag-bolt 4-by-4s to your wall, drill 1-inch holes and insert 2-foot-long 34-inch steel pipe. Use three to four evenly spaced.

August 24, 2010

Finishing

Q&As: Recognizing Shake, Dealing with Dance Wax, Sheen vs. Gloss

I have been having an unusual amount of wind shake showing up lately after I install my floors. Is there a way to find it before I install it?

July 21, 2010

Sanding

Tips on Sanding Wood Floors With an Aluminum Oxide Finish

Advice on how to successfully sand wood floors that have an aluminum oxide finish.

July 31, 2007

Moisture

Extreme Moisture Leads to Cupped Red Oak Wood Floor

May 31, 2007

Page 1 of 2

Saws 101: What You Should Have as a Wood Floor Pro

Wood floor pro Kyle Neuroh explains which saws wood flooring pros really need, what to know when buying, and how to square up miter and table saws.

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Bolstered for Success: See the Winners of the 2021 WFB Outstanding Retailer Awards

Demand for chevron is on the rise, so it's important to be familiar with specifics for ordering and installation. (Photo courtesy of State of the Art Wood Flooring Gallery (New York))

Know These Facts When Ordering Chevron Flooring

Breaking down my machines to carry them into job sites by myself sounds like it might be a pain, but it gives me an opportunity to inspect every machine every time I use it.

Why I Love Running a Single-Person Wood Flooring Business

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Antique End Grain Blocks Meet ‘Redneck Grout’

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