Bringing old, damaged wood floors back to life is one of the most rewarding parts of being a wood floor pro, and this project from Tacoma, Wash.-based Innovative Hardwood Flooring Inc. is a good example. "The floor, a mix of red oak and white oak, was covered in wax, paint and construction debris," says Estimator Tara Cresswell, adding that it also required adding 80 square feet of flooring to disguise where walls had been removed. Then the crew sanded with a Hummel using 36-, 50- and 100-grit and edged with 36-, 60- and 120-grit. That was followed by buffing with a Hydrasand multidisc with 120 before the floor was stained with DuraSeal English Chestnut. It was then coated with waterborne finish: one coat of Pall-X Color and two coats of Pall-X Power in satin. "The customer was very thrilled that we were able to return the floors back to a good condition and is so happy with the result," Cresswell says.
