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.
Not long after, I was requested to go out and take a look because the finish began chipping and peeling over those several thousand square feet! The home was beautiful; it was in the suburbs outside Boston and the home was extremely high-end. The finish had created the proper film, and we had sold many gallons with no complaints. I was careful to inspect everything, and I was looking for contamination.
What had been used to maintain this floor that prevented the chemical and mechanical bond of the new finish? It had to be wax, oils, silica … I think, without naming names, we all know the “usual suspects!" The finish had done its job, so it had to be what was between the existing floor and the new finish.
I almost always find that “aha!” moment when I casually open the cabinet under the kitchen sink and—boom!—99 percent of the time I find wax sprays (furniture polish), oil soaps, wax-based cleaning products and silica-based surface coatings. So I yanked open the cabinet doors under the sink … whaaaaaaat, nope, nothing. I have acrylic and wax test kits and a few other tricks up my sleeve, but I had not brought them with me; I had just swung by to take a "peek" at the situation.
I was certain I knew what caused this and, yet, the evidence was not where the "usual suspects" hide out.
I was certain I knew what caused this and, yet, the evidence was not where the "usual suspects" hide out. How many people have I asked, “Do you have a cleaning person?" The answer is always the same: “We just vacuum; we don’t have a maid or anything.” And then, I open the doors under the sink and—kapow!—every chemical that would mess up a hardwood floor is there at my fingertips. I get my “Aha!” moment and then the confession: “Well, they only come in once a week, but it’s not like we have a maid or anything. It's a service.”
Well, when the finish peels in a circular fashion where a table was, or in the shape of a dresser or nightstand and glows purple under UV light, you know there is contamination from furniture polish or floor cleaners and, yes, my fellow floor guys, air fresheners! I have found plug-in air fresheners that spray scented silica-based mist over hardwood flooring that later caused recoat failure!
I was about to leave the inspection when it struck me … I was not in a million-dollar home, I was in a multi-million-dollar home. I said to the contractor, “This is practically a mansion. There’s nothing under that sink because the owners are NOT cleaning this home!” He said, “Oh, yeah, they have a cleaning person. She has a room in the back laundry.”
I kid you not, floor guys! Look at the photo I took.
It looks like I set it up, but the photo is authentic. (I did not include the closet with almost a dozen hardwood floor kits, including steam-jet floor mops!) There are aisles at local supermarkets with fewer floor-care products.
Look at the Orange Glo Hardwood Floor 4-in-1! Let's make this clear: I do not blame any manufacturer in the photos, but clearly the person doing the cleaning was only reading the front label, as the manufacturers made any warnings clear on the back of their products. The Orange Glo 4-In-1 Monthly Polish clearly states:
Ammonia?! If that stuff gets to the raw wood or gaps, it might as well be animal urine! It’s likely to turn the flooring black—permanently! Many products like these work beautifully on vinyl or other floor covering, but only a wood floor professional know what happens when you try to recoat a floor and this stuff is present. It makes the chances of a successful bond nearly impossible. And homeowners have a tendency to be tight-lipped and let the chips fall ... on the floor guy!
Here is what ended up happening: The entire first floor began to peel, and the contractor had to sand and finish, luckily, just that floor. There was much less traffic on the second floor, so there was less wear and probably fewer or no cleaning products, so there were no issues there. The homeowner was also trying to be as fair and reasonable as possible; they just wanted the floors to look and perform as well as possible. This was supposed to be a simple buff/coat—an easy moneymaker—but it could have put the contractor out of business. Who can afford a $10,000 loss or a $30,000 lawsuit?!
In the end, these homeowners agreed that the methods used to maintain the floor may have led to the failure or the recoat. The flooring contractor agreed to refund what he was paid for the recoat, but he deducted that amount from a full re-sand and finish of the first floor. Both agreed to leave the second floor “as-is.” Excellent, amicable, fair negotiations led to a reasonable, aesthetically pleasing resolution.
The moral? Test! Test the flooring before taking on any recoat!
The final work was done after-hours to avoid cutting into profitability. The result was several years with no complaints or issues. The moral? Test! Test the flooring before taking on any recoat! There are many ways to do this: mild abrasion, drops of water that will fog over wax, and kits that will detect contaminants. You can also wipe the floor with peroxide or mineral spirits with a rag, lightly sand and apply finish in an inconspicuous area, or use a commercial cleaning solution and even possibly a bonding agent before doing anything! We all know: Once you put your tools and labor onto a floor, the original floor person is off the hook. You own it!
The contractor on this job and I still share projects, consulting, and information (as I do with all my customers), and all of us have extensive and reputable portfolios. Hardwood floor contractors, men and women alike, are a brotherhood. We help each other, we understand each other, we speak the same language and we have each other’s backs. I am here for you as I know you are for me. You are all, at any level, greatly appreciated. Stay well!
