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Back in Black
One of my customers wants a black floor. Do you have any tips?
Brian Flynn, president at Spring Grove, Ill.-based Cottages & Castles Home Inspection Inc., answers:
Black floors were a fad on Chicago’s North Shore for awhile; here’s what I learned from the trend. First, make sure the customer is aware of the maintenance required for a black floor. You have no idea how white typical household dust is until you see it on a black floor. Normal scratches and surface wear stand out like a sore thumb, and when the floor shrinks during the contraction season, board edges will appear as white lines unless you stain the sides and end matches on all the boards.
Black floors have a tendency to absorb and reflect the predominant color in that area. A room with red tones will make the floor look burgundy; one with yellow walls will cast a golden color on the floor. Because of this, I have even had clients believe I used the wrong stain. On red oak, particularly Southern oak, the stain can have a slightly reddish undertone.
Because the floor will show every little thing, you must do an exceptional sand job, so price accordingly. To get the stain as dark as possible, water-pop the floor. Be aware that the stain will discolor adjacent painted or improperly sealed trim work, and that the stain may need extended dry time—I’ve had it take up to three days in humid, stagnant situations. Check the manufacturer for compatability with the finish you plan on using (I’ve always used sable black stain and three to four coats of conversion varnish, but of course other types of finish would work). In my experience (different types of products may react differently), I’ve found I can’t cut in the edges first because the field may not blend, leaving a halo. Also, I take care when applying the first coat of finish, as the stain can be easy to damage; I will walk on it only with clean, dry socks. Also, I won’t drag anything across it until it’s sealed. And, keep in mind that excessive applications of finish can give the floor a hazy appearance. Once it’s done, it’s a gorgeous floor—as long as it has constant maintenance.
Growing With the Grain?
I’ve heard that wood expands more across the grain than with the grain. Is that true?
Grete Heimerdinger, vice president at Portland, Ore.-based moisture meter manufacturer Lignomat, answers:
Yes, it is. Wood is structured by year rings, which form a series of more or less concentric cylinders. These cylinders are irregular tubes that transport nutrients and support the tree. After the tree is cut, as the wood absorbs or loses moisture below the fiber saturation point (28 to 35 percent), the tubes expand or contract, causing wood to swell or shrink. Shrinking does not occur lengthwise along the tubes, so the expansion in a wood floor occurs across the width of the boards rather than across the length.
Some boards are more stable than others across their width. The most stable boards are quartersawn boards, which have straight year rings parallel to their edges. When changes in moisture occur, these boards swell or shrink the least and do not warp. But because trees grow crooked, year rings are often distorted. In addition, only a small number of quartersawn boards can be cut out of a tree. Therefore, quartersawn boards are rare and expensive.
Going Over the Top
Can I lay wood flooring over existing vinyl flooring?
Frank Kroupa, technical advisor at the NWFA, answers:
The first question is what is underneath the vinyl? If it’s plywood or OSB and the linoleum is sound and secure, the answer is yes. In fact, you can nail right through it and the vinyl acts as a vapor retarder. Usually you can tell if the vinyl is secure on the subfloor just by walking around the floor and tapping it. Of course you need to make sure there aren’t any areas where it’s chipping, peeling up or deteriorating.
However, if you see vinyl or linoleum flooring, oftentimes it will have particleboard underneath it. If particleboard is the subfloor, then the only wood floor option directly over the vinyl is a floating floor.
People sometimes try to glue wood flooring over vinyl, but I highly suggest not attempting it. First of all, you’ll void any warranty on the product you’re installing. There are many different types of finishes on vinyl and linoleum floors, and they get contaminated over the years, so adhesion can be a major problem. Some contractors try to improve adhesion by roughing up the vinyl with an abrasive on the buffer, but that’s problematic: With some products you can end up just peeling off layers of the vinyl. More importantly, some older vinyl flooring has asbestos in it. The asbestos isn’t a problem if it’s left undisturbed, but sanding it creates a major health hazard. To be sure if a product has asbestos or not, you have to take a scraping of the flooring and send it to a lab.
Trick of the Trade: Pouring it On
Traditional paint-can-style finish and stain containers aren’t always the most user-friendly: The contents are difficult to pour, and the finish or stain sits in the lip of the can, making it a sticky mess when you put the cover on and take it off. These contraptions make life easier. The Fits-All paint can spout makes pouring a breeze, and the Paint Plow pushes the remaining finish or stain out of the lip and back into the can. Both are from FoamPro Mfg. Inc. (www.foampromfg.com).