Wood Floor Trick of the Trade: A Low-Cost and Readily Available Finish Pouring Contraption

Sep 21, 2020

Ooc 1020 Wfb On20 Otj Opener Tot Cutting Med

Ooc 1020 Wfb On20 Otj Opener Tot Cutting Med

This issue's trick is from Chris Bauer at Bauer Hardwood Flooring in Sacramento, Calif.:

I finally found a solution for combining and pouring finish. It seems I never have a flower watering can handy, and many times those watering cans don't hold enough finish for a big job. One day I came up with an option that is working perfectly so far: the big 2.5-gallon plastic water jugs! I simply cut a large access on top where I can reach in and dry the container out with a terry towel. Then I can use that hole to pour in the finish with no funnel needed. The built-in pour valve works great—I didn't even see it drip each time I closed it after opening for a pour. (I'd still keep an extra rag handy, though, just in case.)

Tannin pull—noticeable as what looks like darker stop marks on this floor—can be avoided with the right products and precautions.

Why Tannin Pull Is a Thing of the Past for Me

May 16, 2025

Frank Nagy uses his double Power Drive.

New Jersey Pro’s Creative Hacks Cut Sanding, Staining Time in Half

Tannin pull—noticeable as what looks like darker stop marks on this floor—can be avoided with the right products and precautions.

Why Tannin Pull Is a Thing of the Past for Me

‘Match Existing Wood Flooring’: Is It a Fool's Errand?

Am25 Tot Glued Vents

Trick of the Trade: Getting Those Glued Wood Vents to Pop Right Out

New Jersey Pro’s Creative Hacks Cut Sanding, Staining Time in Half

When Frank Nagy, owner of Highland Park, N.J.-based European Quality Hardwood and Tile Flooring, is presented with issues on the jobsite, he utilizes his DIY ingenuity to solve them.

Frank Nagy uses his double Power Drive.

Why Tannin Pull Is a Thing of the Past for Me

I thought it would be a good idea to revisit the problem of tannin pull and share what I’ve learned about how to prevent it when coating wood floors.

Tannin pull—noticeable as what looks like darker stop marks on this floor—can be avoided with the right products and precautions.

‘Match Existing Wood Flooring’: Is It a Fool's Errand?

When using an architect’s or designer’s plans for interior remodeling work, you will sometimes see the term “match existing” when repairing or replacing a portion of the existing wood floor. Here is my advice.

Tricks of the Trade

Trick of the Trade: Getting Those Glued Wood Vents to Pop Right Out

Here’s an easy solution from wood floor pro Lorie Davidson 'for the times when some moron has glued a wood vent into a floor with water-based finish.'

Am25 Tot Glued Vents

How We Did This Floor: Edge-Grain in the Portland International Airport

Approximately 57,000 square feet of the Portland International Airport now has local edge-grain white oak wood flooring with an oil finish—a massive undertaking, even for a company like Pure Floors Inc. This is how they did it.

Screenshot 2025 01 20 At 10 44 04 Am

Domestic Species for Wood Flooring 101: What Pros Should Know

Lifelong wood flooring pro Bob Goldstein discusses helpful advice for installing, sanding and finishing the most common domestic wood flooring species.

Photo credits clockwise from top left: Rift-and-quartered select red oak from Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring and installed by Ron Doran, hickory/pecan by Robert Welp, white oak by Aaron Hall, cherry refinished by Alex Ramirez, maple by Adrian Molitor, ash by Chris Hodges. Center: Walnut by Jamie Espinoza.

Tricks of the Trade

Trick of the Trade: Keeping Track of Your Finish Made Easier

Aussie wood floor pro Troy Stanfield at Plankd Flooring in Mt. Barker, Australia, has a couple handy tips for helping keep track of wood floor finish.

3 I 1024 Wfb On24 Otj Opener Tot 2

Stain/Custom Color

Your Customer Asks for a White Floor. How Do You Do It?

We asked our readers on the WFB Facebook and Instagram pages how they create white wood floors. Here are some of their responses.

2 A 824 Wfb As24 Talking Shop Flooring Contracts Limited

Wood Floor Rescue

Wood Floor Rescue: A Heart Attack of a Heart Pine Job

Lorie Davidson bid this heart pine job off of real estate photos. When he actually arrived at the farmhouse and saw its original floors, circa 1873, “I had to go back out to the truck and say the Lord’s Prayer," he says.

Screenshot 2024 07 18 At 1 00 42 Pm

A Formidable Challenge: Introducing Waterborne Coatings

The early 1980’s were an interesting time in the wood floor finish business. Oil-modified urethane (OMU) was king. While there were a few other types of finishes being used, almost every contractor used OMU. However, that was going to change very quickly.

Stephen Gunneson of Branford, Conn.-based Gunneson Flooring Company shared these two artifacts from the early days of water-based coatings: a vintage gallon of Basic Coatings Street Shoe water-based finish found at a customer’s home, and a casette tape of a seminar on “Water Based Floors” from 1995.

Wood Floor Rescue

Wood Floor Rescue: A Remarkable Reveal in Connecticut

Stephen Gunneson of Gunneson Flooring Company says sanding this wood flooring at a Connecticut home "was like uncovering a treasure."

Screenshot 2024 03 19 At 3 40 04 Pm

Veneer Floors: A Common Phenomenon in Historic Wide Plank

Wood floor restoration expert Michael Purser of Rosebud Company discusses the high-end veneer flooring that was commonplace in expensive homes in the early 20th century.

Mp Blog 3 15 24

Page 1 of 6

Resource Book

Looking for a specific product or a company? Wood Floor Business has the only comprehensive database of the industry.

Podcasts

All Things Wood Floor, created by Wood Floor Business magazine, talks to interesting wood flooring pros to share knowledge, stories and tips on everything to do with wood flooring, from installation, sanding and finishing to business management.