Question: Thanks for your message from a few minutes ago. I would like info on the new chemical and other means of extracting wax embedded in the grain of floors prior to applying the topcoats. Answer: Dear Guy I must say first off, that a lot of these old floors really should be chemically stripped or completely resanded. Recoating over questionable old finishes to save money or to not create dust, sometimes is a lost cause. You might also read the second part of my floor maintenance article, and learn how to identify the make up of these old floor finishes. Recoating with only a water based finish doesn’t always get good results. And all water based finished tend to whiten in 5-10 years, and this added opaqueness may be disturbing to some customers. The article is free don’t worry. But I digress. The first thing one should do when approaching an old floor finish is to test the adhesion of this original finish. Remove any wax from this test area. Take a razor and cross hatch a small area where the floor finish is sound. Apply a piece of duct tape and rip it off. If more than 20 % of the finish come off the cross hatch, you do not have a good base for recoating. If you go ahead and recoat this floor and the finish fails (it will) the clients will blame you, and you may have to pay for a complete resand. Even still, when you do recoat, it’s best to go through the entire prep and recoat process again on a small area. I usually charge 50 dollars for this (which is deductible from the job). Let the small test area’s finish cure for 1 or 2 weeks (depending on the finish) and do the adhesion test again. If it fails, have them opt for a resand. I know you don’t have the drum sanders and edgers for this type of job yet, but you should be able to find a small company (one man ops) in your area, that is willing to do resands, while you still handle the finishing of the floors. This way you can handle any wood floor restoration situation, and your business will grow exponentially. Sorry I digressed again. So let’s say you have a floor that is waxed, but just what kind of wax is it. A paste wax is solvent based, and can be dissolved with mineral spirits on a rag. Also a water wetted fine steel wool pad will gather a grey smudge on it when wiped across. There is another type of wax called an acrylic polish. Mop and Glo is still a popular brand of this stuff. Water based acrylic waxes like Mop and Glo will be harder to dissolve and generally need an ammonia based wax stripper to remove them. Most of these acrylic polishes will give the surface a patchy, dirty appearance when they start to wear off. You can test for these types of waxes by mixing a tsp. of water with a tsp. of household ammonia, then add a drop of liquid detergent, into a small cup. Apply a drop of this mixture on a clean area that you suspect has this acrylic wax and wait 5 minutes. If this type of wax is present the spot will turn white. You can only remove this wax with an ammonia based mop stripper. The Cleaning Center (www.cleanreport.com) makes a Mop Stripper that will remove the most stubborn acrylic type wax, without introducing too much water to the floor. But let’s get back to the paste wax removal which has been vexing you so much. Although mineral spirits is effective at wax removal, Naphtha is far more effective. It dries quite quickly without leaving behind a oily film (like mineral spirits will) and so is a lot more compatible when preparing for a water based finish. But use a wash bottle and a hand operated nylon scrub pad on a pole to wet and dissolve the old wax. And before the solvent dries up blot it off the floor with lots of paper towels. You have to go over the whole floor in 3 foot rows, systematically so all the wax is removed. Next, once that dries (you should ventilate well with fans for safety and speed) scrub and dry the floor again with a very diluted solution of TSP. You will need to rinse off the TSP with clear water unfortunately adding another step with this stuff Instead of TSP you might consider using the Basic Coating’s product called IFT (intensive floor treatment) at http://www.basiccoatings.com/asp/contractors/prod_tykote.asp You will be superior results using the Basic Tykote system and their water based coatings. They been in the water based finishing business a lot longer than the Flecto group has. Better more durable finishes. And the IFT does not need to be rinsed, saving a step. Anyway, once the IFT or (rinsed) TSP has dried, wash the floor again with a PH neutral cleaner or BC Squeaky Clean. Let the cleaner dry. All the wax should be gone. So now, screen the floor with a 100 grit screen. It should not clog up. If the screen clogs, you have not de-waxed the floor well enough, you’ll have to start all over. After screening, vacuum and tack rag with naphtha or mineral spirits again. Then coat the floor with a moderate layer (500 square ft/gal) of de-waxed shellac. Seal Coat is the only brand I know that is truly de-waxed. http://www.zinsser.com/product_detail.asp?ProductID=72 You can apply your de-waxed shellac with a 3/8″ nap Purdy Brand (phenolic core) roller, easily and quickly. Let this dry and maroon pad the shellac coat, (don’t use a screens, it melts the shellac), vacuum and tack again and apply what ever finish you want to the floor. Water based or oil based are both fine to use over this type of shellac. The shellac will have also done a nice job at filling in some of the deep scratches. When you tack rag a floor that is to be coated with water based use non oily Naphtha instead in mineral spirits. So you see Guy, all this is very labor intensive, but it works in most cases. Companies offering this sort of service often offer a warranty, that if the finish peels within a year, they will credit half the amount spent on recoating to the more expensive full resand and finishing job. So be sure to leave a quote for that also. Farming out the sand only jobs (done the Doc’s way according to the Sanding w/o Machine Marks article ) still gives you complete control on the finishing of these floors. Make a lot more money, and always have all the options at your disposal. The world will beat a path to your door. Good Luck. (oh, I won’t be able to answer any follow ups until I’m out of the hospital) Any more questions you may have on this subject or clarifications of your original question feel free to write again at no cost. I hope you have enjoyed this personal service, real human responses are the best. As always your Most humble servant, Joseph, the Wood Floor Doctor.-

Question: Sir, I am looking for a used drum sander. Do you have any suggestions as to where I can find a quality but affordable one. Thank You Jason Answer: Dear Jason It’s going to be hard to find one, but that is all I have ever bought over these 23 years. I’ve managed to snag 5 used drum sanders in that time, and re-sell all but the best one (I still have it) for a lot more than the original price. Here’s what I did. I would regularly call up all or some of the floor companies in my area and ask. I kept looking everyday in all of the cities papers for a classified ad. Be sure you look in the correct section of the classified section, usually under industrial machinery. Also get on all the auction house mailing lists. Act very keen to buy a floor machine and they may even give you a call, so you don’t miss an auction date. But, be sure you find out what these machines are going for brand new, and don’t pay more than say half that price for one in good condition. You may have to bid that a bit higher for one in almost new condition. I never paid more than $1200 for my big drum sanders. Don’t be afraid to purchase a machine whose name you may not have heard of. I bought American Lincoln floor machines, with the red motor housing, and they are excellent. The same brand with black motors is not so great. And lastly try your local repair shop where they rebuild such machines. We have a great one in Toronto here. It’s called Galaxy Floor Sanding Machines. Jim always seems to have some old rebuilt machines on hand, although he manufactures new ones also. You can reach him at 416-285-6600.

Question: What is a ballpark per square foot estimate to have oak floors refinished? Answer: Dear Carl You’ll have to check around your own area, but I can tell you what I charge. I will sand a floor 3 times (coarse, medium and fine grit sandpaper) down to 100 grit, AND do the edges 3 times, the last edging done with a vibrator sander to remove any swirly edger scratches. Then I vacuum the floor really well, and apply a thin coat of oil modified polyurethane (Fabulon brand heavy duty). I let that coat dry for about 24 hours and screen it and clean it with solvent, and then I BRUSH BY HAND the second coat. 48 hours later I can usually do the same prep and apply the third coat. All this will cost $2 per square foot. If you want to use a water based finish, I would use 4 coats of the Dura Seal 1000 water based finish( see article in Floored News). Oh, with one more fine sanding of the wood. the first coat is the acrylic sealer and then 3 top coats, buffing and cleaning well between all coats. All this would cost $3.50 pr square foot. All these prices are based on 300 feet and up. That said, you will find a variety of floor sanding methods and finishing methods. But do try to find the best method. please read my hiring article in the Hardwood Authority section of this site. Skipping steps and using cheap lacquer sealer are not a good way to save money. Read about this in the Lacquer floor fires article in the Floored News section of this site. I hear you can still get cheap and dangerous floor jobs done like these guys did for about 75 cents per ft. As always your Most humble servant, Joseph, the Wood Floor Doctor.

Question: Thanks Joseph. I appreciate the advice. And I will send pictures. Read through the Applying the Finish Article with my morning coffee. Thanks for another great one. You recommend in the article to buff/sand the polycoated floor in between each coat of poly applied (after it thoroughly dries of course). I did not see in the article what one should buff with. Steel wool ? Sandpaper? Please help. Ken Answer: Dear Ken About the tenth paragraph down the article says : “And that s the key to a successful finish, each coat must dry thoroughly before you apply additional coats. How do you tell if a finish is dry? Well and experienced floor mechanic will smell the excess solvent in the floor, and sometimes just feel the finish; it may have just a touch of tackiness to it. But the acid test is to get the floor buffer on it with 100 -120 grit screen.” A screen disk sits under a pad under the buffer. It’s all just held by the friction. The screen disks are available where you rent the buffer and are a very common item at all rental stores. It’s simply a 15-17 inch nylon screen coated with abrasive grits. It will gently scratch the finish with sanding through it. But now that you mention it I’ll have to make that clearer in the article.

Question: After stripping out the carpet in the basement floor, we found out that the hardwood floor has a lot of stain and paint. My husband and I are planning to do it ourselves, how do we go about it, sanding and re-varnishing the hardwood floor. Helen Answer: Dear Helen PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE don’t sand the floor yourself. You are best advised to hire a professional for this sanding part of the operation. He will have the 200 pound, 220 volt drum sander that will do a smooth pleasing job on your expensive wood floor. And hopefully he will also have the years of experience behind him, so as not to hack and gouge your nice hardwood floor. His machines cost about 10,000 bucks, so expect to pay about a dollar a square foot for a sand only job. The rental floor machines are TOYS, and leave nasty gouges and chatter marks across the floor. How does one expect to learn this rather delicate and skilled trade, on the job while you hack and hew at your own floors? This will diminish your enjoyment of your floor and lower your houses resale value. But it is always a good idea to finish the floor your self. This is often where the pro, in his hurry to complete his work and get paid, will slip up. I always recommend 3 coats of oil modified polyurethane, allowing a day between coats for drying, and always scuff sanding and cleaning between coat, for adhesion of the layers. Always BRUSH on the poly, never use a lamb’s wool applicator. Be sure to read my article on hiring contractor available in the search box at the top of this web page and my article on the best way to apply this poly coating

Question: I am refinishing the floor in a small hall (aprox. 5’x4′ – HIGH traffic). Is a high strength protective coating required, or would I be better served with wax and the ability to re-touch as the wear shows? Robert Answer: Dear Robert In short there are two ways to go, either the water based finish like the Dura Seal 1000. Please read my article on this before you go ahead, you’ll find this in the Product Reviews section. Or if you have less skill and less money the best buy is the oil modified polyurethane. I use only the Fabulon brand heavy duty pro satin finish, for ALL three coats. Thin the first coat with odorless mineral spirits, to slow the drying, and apply it thinly for the first coat. Use a BRUSH !!!!. Don’t use a lamb’s wool applicator at all. Run a large fan on the floor and wail at least 24 hours to dry, scuff sand, vacuum and clean with the same solvent, by tack ragging with lint free cloth. Allow the solvent to dry and BRUSH on the second coat, wait 48 hours for this to partly cure. When you scuff sand now it should not be clogging the sandpaper. If it doesn’t seem dry, wait another day or two, then repeat the same procedure for the last coat. There is really no such thing as only a wax finish, wax is just the top dressing of a sound film type finish. And it does cover scratches well, but has it drawbacks, as discussed in the cleaning article in the How To’s section of this site.

Question: I have a 2.25 oak floor that was laid about 40 years ago. It has a urethane clear finish about 5yrs.old. A 2×5 ft. section is cupping at this time in middle of room. Can you tell me what can be done to correct it? Answer: Dear Al That’s a strange place for boards to be cupping. It usually occurs on the side of the floor where water has seeped into the edge, from outside. If the warping is anywhere near the edge check the side if the building for water incursion (rain gutter overflows etc.), even if it happened a month ago. Grill (in a nice way) your household members to see if anyone has spilled water in that area. Or maybe while you were away some pipe has leaked and wetted the floor, or a hanging plant was watered and overflowed. You see, the point is that the wood warped because of excess moisture exposure. So it is more important that you find the source of the moisture, so this doesn’t keep occurring. It may simply be a damp summer time basement. In that case you will need to install a dehumidifier in the basement all summer long. But what you do now is nothing. Except of course check for all those moisture sources. The current winter heating season will dry out the floor, and it you are lucky the boards will flatten somewhat on their own. If you want to buy some tools to be more precise about the whole issue, you can buy a moisture meter at http://www.leevalley.com. Order prod.#99N15.01. You shouldn’t do any repairs or sanding of the affected boards until they reach a moisture content of 6-9%. This last figure depends on the average MC of indoor wood in your region, check with local floormen, or wood workers. Next, check the relative indoor humidity with a wet-dry bulb hygrometer at http://www.e-sci.com. Order prod. # 848N635. You should be keeping your relative indoor humidity within 40-60% all year round. Don’t let the floor experience extreme 30% or more humidity changes or cupping will result. It can take about a month for these effects to show up in the wood, and old floors with exposed seams are really subject to humidity changes. Only after checking all these factors would I consider having that area sanded flat again, and touching up the finish. Consider having a professional do this. If you don’t address the moisture problem, and sand the boards flat now, they could very well warp again, leaving you with less floor to sand each time.

Question: Hello Doc: Thanks for having this site on the web. Here’s my situation & a couple questions: We’re doing a remodel & I know I definitely want a sand-on-site floor (the engineered hardwoods just don’t look authentic to me). My decor is genuine art deco from the 1930s and 1040s & I really would like the finished flooring to look like it came from that period as well. Do you have any suggestions as to what type of wood & stain was used primarily back then? Also, we’ve been told by 2 dealers that hardwood cannot be laid on top of particle board because the hardwood will lift, yet, we’ve been told by 2 other dealers that there won’t be a problem with lifting if 2″ nails are used! We’re very confused & really need and appreciate your guidance. Thanks – Yvonne Answer: Dear Yvonne The first question is best answered by the book Elements of Style Encyclopedia. The section I have just opened to is the 20’s and 30’s and describes the floors that were in fashion during that era. Art deco was predominant in the 20’and 30’s. While the modern era came in the 40’s. According to this book parquet flooring was quite popular, this included the herring bone pattern. Some French style boarders and inlays were done on the edges of strip floors. All wth the emphasis on straight lines and complex geometric patterns. If you can get the book it is on page 431. Inlaid linoleum and terrazzo was most popular in this era, for kitchens. The colors of the wood floor were blonde or very light brown stains. The darker stained floors were really part of the Victorian era, just before this. So in general lighter woods were most common floor colors. but darker wood boarders were often done even then. Again to emphasize simple but elegant geometry. If you cannot get the book, I could photo copy the two pages and send them on to you. Oh, and now for the particle board dilemma. the first two guys are correct. A subfloor consisting of OSB, chip board, flake board, or particle board, makes just about the worst nailing surface for a hardwood floor. These types of sub-floors have the worst long term nail holding and moisture stability problems. These really show up when a hardwood floor is nailed to them, and seams open up in the hardwood due to the shifting subfloor. You really must remove it and replace it with 3/4″ plywood. I’ve got the University studies to prove everything I say. The two inch nails are just the standard nails we use in the flooring business, they will not improve matters. Never have any installers use staples for the hardwood floor. This will crack the tongues. I hope you consider a donation to the site, and I would be glad to be of any more help. As always your Most humble servant, Joseph, the Wood Floor Doctor.

Question: I HAVE HARDWOOD PARQUET FLOORS THAT ARE INSTALLED OVER A CONCREET SLAB FLOOR IN A HIGHRISE BUILDING. PART OF THE FLOOR WAS HERE WHEN I BOUGHT THIS APARTMENT AND I HAD SOME NEW FLOORING ADDED WHEN THE OLD FLOORS WERE SANDED AND REFINISHED. NOW, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE FLOOR IS POPING UP IN MANY SPOTS. WHAT WOULD CAUSE THIS AND WHAT ACTION SHOULD I TAKE TO CORRECT THIS VERY TROUBLESOME PROBLEM. THE BUILDING IS 35 YEARS OLD. HOPE THAT YOU HAVE POWER AND THAT ALL IS WELL WITH YOU. Answer: Dear Maurice It is the rare case that when this hot and humid weather hits, some floor installed too tightly up to wall or baseboards will expand, meet the immovable object and the wood then will be forced to go up. Hence the bucking. In many cases too long a span of parquet without some expansion spaces will cause this also. Whenever we do repairs on parquet floor we leave little spaces in between the slats spread over the whole repair to prevent this. The spaces are filled during sanding so they are not visible. And you should have at least 1/2″ to 3/4″ of expansion space at the walls, covered by molding. This is especially important when two previous rooms are being joined for the first time. The installer has to allow for both floors to expand into each other. But in you case, the best thing to do right now is to check for any water leaks (you mentioned none, but make sure) And turn the AC on to about 70F. If you were in the middle of the blackout your neighbors might frown on this but this combined with some big industrial fans blowing on the buckled area, and windows open 2 inches will dry out the floor quite well, and quickly. You should find that overnight the hump has gone down, but we will still have to talk about repairs (the wood has loosened off the glue) and I have info about easy repair kits and the like, that should prevent you from having to remove any parquet. But let’s see first if you can get the wood to settle down.

Question: Hi Joseph, I have hardwood floor on the main level of my home and I am thinking about installing it on the 2nd floor. Do you recommend it? Thank you. Answer: Dear Nguyen Oh, yes, but you might consider that hardwood floor being a solid surface, is not so good on the wear and tear of your knee joints. So while I have hardwood floors throughout all of my house, I also minimize my knee joint damage by adding lots of area rugs. And consider runners down the halls. At least the area carpets will last a long time and can be easily removed to clean.