22Jul

Finish Problems and Solutions – BUMPS

BUMPS CAUSE Drips and dirt are two causes of bumps in the finish. Another likely cause is using unstrained finish from a partially filled can. In such cases, it's common for the finish to have partially skinned over and bits of the skin can be mixed into the finish. Two-component finishes can become lumpy if not properly mixed, as can water-borne finishes that have been frozen. Sometimes oil-based finishes develop bubbles that pop but don't fully level out. FIX A few bumps can be scraped...

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22Jul

Finish Problems and Solutions – BUBBLES

BUBBLES CAUSE Contaminants such as soap on the surface of the floor can cause bubbles. Other causes are overworking the finish with the applicator or not allowing bubbles from mixing to escape before applying the finish. Applying a hot finish to a cold floor causes a condition where the top of the finish skins over quickly, trapping expanding air from the wood pores that creates bubbles. Excessive air movement can have a similar effect. FIX Bubbles are hollow and can be distinguished from...

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22Jul

Finish Problems and Solutions – BLACK DOTS

BLACK DOTS CAUSE Common causes for black dots include iron filings that react with tannins and water, as on an oak floor finished with water-based urethane, and leave black stains. The filings can come from sharpening scrapers or a sander hitting a nail or a heating duct boot. Tannins alone can create dots, found at the end of a capillary tube in the wood. Mold can also leave black dots. FIX Avoid problems with iron filings by not sharpening scrapers over the floor...

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22Jul

Finish Problems and Solutions – APPLICATOR STREAKS

APPLICATOR STREAKS CAUSE Finishes that dry before they level out can show the texture of whatever tool was used to apply them. Overly fast drying happens most often with waterborne finishes, and is exacerbated by too much air movement, working in excessively hot conditions, or the finish drying in direct sun. Other causes include not applying enough finish, applying it unevenly, or not keeping a wet edge. An applicator with hardened spots can leave marks. Flattening agents in satin or semi-gloss finishes...

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22Jul

Finish Problems and Solutions – ALLIGATORING

When used as intended, modern wood floor finishes almost always do a good job. Be sure to read and follow the manufacturer's instructions not only during application but, equally important, also during sanding and preparation. Many finish problems relate to working in the wrong conditions — too warm, too cold, or too humid. It's far better to wait for the right day than it is to have to redo the finish. ALLIGATORING CAUSE The surface of the finish doesn't properly coalesce, which could...

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Inspecting a Floor
22Jul

Inspecting a Floor

Inspecting Floor. Do not expect site-finished wood floors to resemble fine furniture. Some irregularities may be present, but they should not be prominent. For ex¬ample, some sanding scratches are acceptable in particularly hard woods such as Brazilian cherry, hickory, or maple. The same is true of soft woods such as pine or fir. What's acceptable in a refinished floor depends on the condition of the floor beforehand. Some conditions may be difficult or impossible to bring to a like-new state. The...

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Replacing a board
22Jul

Replacing a board

Replacing a board. Particularly with solid wood floors, board replacement isn't difficult. If you are not taking out the entire board, the first step is to make clean, square cuts at the ends of the board you're replacing. Guide a razor knife with a square to score the top of the board and prevent splintering, then make the cuts (preferably with a Fein Multimaster tool). Use a circular saw set just to cut through the depth of the flooring to...

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19Jul

FLOOR FRAMING IS A SYSTEM

All parts of a floor have to work together for it to function properly. Posts should be spaced so the main beam is not over spanned. Joists need to be deep enough to support their loads without bouncing excessively, and the subflooring must be thick enough to span between the joists without sagging. Mid-span bridging helps to minimize joist flexing. vapor retarders protect the finish flooring from moisture rising from below. Finish flooring usually runs perpendicular to the joists for...

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06Jul

RADIANT HEAT ABOVE OR BELOW THE SUBFLOOR

Tubing installed above the subfloor and between sleepers is easy to avoid with nails. Installing the tubing below the floor requires shorter fasteners or great care, but adds nothing to the floor height. Installation shouldn't begin until reaching the target moisture content. The ideal is to install the flooring at the average moisture content for the location over subflooring that's at the same moisture content or lower. Both fasteners and moisture-retarding products should be compatible with radiant heating. The fasteners should...

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06Jul

Radiant Heating Under Wood Floors

Under-floor radiant heating is becoming increasingly popular. Pipes, often of a flexible plastic called PEX, are hidden in the subfloor system. Warm water running through them heats the flooring, which in turn heats the room. Because the surface area of a floor is so large relative to that of radiators, its temperature doesn't have to be very high to heat the space. The PEX can be installed in a masonry mix poured on top of the subfloor, or it can...

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06Jul

REMOVING EXISTING FLOOR COVERING. REMOVING OLD LINOLEUM OR VINYL FLOORS.

Removing Old Linoleum Or Vinyl Floors You need to be careful when removing old resilient flooring. Many linoleum and vinyl floors from the 1970s and earlier contained asbestos in their backings or adhesives. Various federal, state, and local government agencies have regulations that require special licensed abatement contractors to remove material containing asbestos. Never remove old resilient flooring without having it tested for asbestos first. it is just not worth possible health problems, breaking the law, and contaminating the home. An alternative...

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06Jul

REMOVING EXISTING FLOOR COVERING. REMOVING CARPET.

If you're installing a hardwood floor in new construction, all you have to worry about is the condition of the subfloor. But if you're working on a remodel project, you'll likely have to remove an existing flooring, which might be carpet, linoleum, or vinyl. Removing old floorings is my least favorite part of installing wood flooring. Removing Carpet No matter how many times a carpet is cleaned throughout its life, removing all the animal dander, dirt, and dead bugs is just...

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06Jul

BAMBOO AND CORK FLOORING. GRAIN DIRECTION.

Grain direction Lower grades may have more defects that need to be removed. And the end boards on a diagonal floor are not cut at 90°, which means that the cutoff waste has to be re-cut before they are used as starter boards on the next rows. Parquet wood flooring generally requires 10% extra material in a square room and 15 to 20% for rooms with lots of angles and corners. National industry standards allow manufacturers to sell products with a...

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06Jul

BAMBOO AND CORK FLOORING. BAMBOO MAKES A GOOD FLOORING MATERIAL.

Estimating Flooring. Calculating the amount of wood flooring needed for a project depends on a number of factors. The first, of course, is the actual square footage of the space, but you also have to consider the shape of the room. There will be some waste on every installation, but there's usually less in rooms that are simple rectangles. Most strip or plank flooring installations in a square room require about 5% extra flooring to allow for cutting waste and any...

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28Jun

Parquet Floors

WHEN PEOPLE HEAR THE WORD PARQUET, THEY often think of the cheap and simple wood tiles installed by the acre in the 1960s and '70. But there's more to parquet floors than that. Broadly speaking, parquet floors are a mosaic of wood pieces combined to form a pattern. They have graced palaces and his­toric buildings for at least 500 years and are consid­ered by many people to be the most beautiful wood floors ever created. Thousands of patterns exist,...

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28Jun

Preparing a Concrete Slab for Wood Flooring

Concrete slabs are a common substrate in single-story buildings, and on the first floor of multiple-story ones. In much of the south and west, slab-on-grade construction is standard. In the north, most homes have basements and owners often want to finish them. Concrete slabs can bring their own problems to flooring installation. First, because they're installed on the ground, unless detailed properly they can be a direct conduit for moisture. And unless you're there to see the slab installed, there's...

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28Jun

SUBFLOORING MATERIAL

It's common to think of the stiffness of a floor as being simply a function of the joists, but the joists work in concert with the subfloor. The subfloor helps to distribute point loads between multiple joists, and it stabilizes the joists so they don't roll under load. And whereas joists provide strength and stiffness along their length, the subfloor provides these qualities between the joists. There are three main types of acceptable wood subflooring material: plywood, OSB, and solid boards....

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16Jun

Working with prefinished Flooring

When working with prefinished flooring, it's important to keep in mind that the finish is permanent. While that sounds obvi­ous, flooring contractors used to installing unfinished wood flooring sometimes find it difficult to transition to prefinished flooring. They're used to working directly atop an unfinished floor that will receive a heavy-duty sanding. Protect prefin­ished flooring from damage. Place tablesaws, miter saws, and hand tools on a clean piece of carpet placed upside down or on something that offers equivalent protection. Rough...

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08Jun

Job Preparation for installing a hardwood floor

ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE SATISFACTION OF installing a hardwood floor that was beautiful comes from preparing for the setup rather than from really putting down the flooring, inferior groundwork frequently means that attractiveness will be shortlived. It is always wise to try to find possible issues, and many possible issues are water connected. Inspect the outside of the building thoroughly. Water should drain away from your building and never into it; downspouts in the gutters also needs to drain from...

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08Jun

INSTALLING A WOOD FLOORING

INSTALLING A WOOD FLOORING NEEDS A substantial investment in substance and time.   Done right, the heat and attractiveness of the flooring will be unmatched and can survive a century. Sadly, flooring is frequently installed badly. It can fail, while it may seem amazing initially. Fixing neglected wood floors may necessitate removal of the old flooring, installing temporary home for the homeowners, a brand new flooring, removal and storage of furnishings, and compensation for loss of use of the house. Most wood...

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