“I’m a sucker for the old crusty restorations,” says Bob Jewell, the owner/operator of Norman Jewell Hardwoods in Valparaiso, Ind., so this job suited him. The client was in a bind: She had peeked under the wall-to-wall carpeting, seen a wood floor and had all the carpeting torn out—only to reveal an old red oak floor that was in horrible shape, with “all kinds of digs and scratches,” Jewell says. She had called other wood floor pros who told her to just cover it back up, but then she called Jewell. “When I walked in, I was pretty shocked at what I saw, but I told her I could turn it into a beautiful work of art if she let me,” Jewell says. He had to sand down to 36-grit before ending his sanding with 100 and staining the floor. Because the tenants had to move in the same day as the floor was being coated, he used a UV-cured finish for an instant move-in. While Jewell says he enjoys the skill involved in sanding an older floor well, what’s most important is “the satisfaction you get when you wow your client—when they walk in after the final coat is down,” he explains. “The reaction is worth more than the paycheck sometimes.”—K.M.W.
SUPPLIERS: Abrasives: Norton | Big machine: Lägler Hummel | Dust Extractor: Oneida Vortex DCS | Edger: Lägler Flip | Finish: Procoat Radcoat RX | Multi-head sander: Bona Power Drive | Orbital sander: Festool ETS150
