Question: I bought a house with wood flooring. The roof was in a bad condition (thatch) and a lot of rainwater got on the floors before I rethatched. Do I sand the floor, then polish it? Answer: Dear Pieter Don’t do anything until the wood has dried out, and settled back into place. Heat the place a little warmer this winter, and heat the basement or crawl space under the floor. When the wood’s moisture content reaches 6-8 % (or whatever the indoor equilibrium moisture content for indoor wood is in your area is) then you can certainly sand the floor and refinish it. Polish or wax is not a wood finish. Contact a local wood floor mechanic or cabinet maker to find out what the EMC is in your area, and test the wood with a small hand held electronic moisture meter (www.leevalley.com prod. #99N15.01). For that matter it is far better to have a professional sand the floor only and do the finishing yourself. That’s the fun part anyway. But if you are really lucky the wood will settle back down in place, and you may only need a little surface sanding and a touch up. Please read my floor maintenance article available at the top of this web page in the search box. The second part of the article deals with old finishes, and how to identify them and treat them.

Question: Hi Doc, I have an old house (1914) with beautiful pine flooring. What about stripping, screening the floors and using pure tung oil for a finish? The floor has some type of poly on it now. I have read and been told of the good water resistance of tung oil and the ease of repair to the finish. I’d appreciate your opinion. Thanks, Rick Answer: Dear Rick Well sort of. Pure Tung oil no, it has little water or wear resistance and shouldn’t be used as a floor finish at all. All varnishes are made of various oils, and it’s their ability to harden into a film that will make them water resistant. And Pure Tung has a limited ability to cure or oxidize into a film that will protect the wood. Now don’t get the idea that because the tung oil is absorbed into the wood, it is protecting it. This is not the case, and with water spill the water will go right through this type of finish. Now that all said the finish you now have on the floor may still be savable, but to find out please read the wood floor maintenance article in the Floored News section of this site. It’s always best in any case to recoat an existing finish with something that’s generically the same. And Oil Modified Polyurethane comes in a satin finish, that will not make your floor look like it has a plastic coating on it. We have a Pro Series article on just how to apply this poly without the bubbles or pits that most people get. Now that all said if you want to sand the floor to the bare wood, and still use an oil/varnish type of finish, there is a brand out there (Tried and True ) that is truly non toxic, and does form a cured film of sorts. Now, this finish is really made for the furniture trade, and you will have to apply 5-6 coats over 2 weeks to build enough of the film to make the wood glow, but it can be done. Visit their web site at http://www.triedandtruewoodfinish.com and check out the oil/varnish. It is probably one of the more durable of the oil/varnishes and at least it is quite non-toxic to use, so the touch ups will be helpful to the floor, but harmless to you. Let me know if your want the detailed instructions on how to use this type of finish, the method of floor finishing with an oil/varnish is a lot different that what they suggest on the can. Oh, and if you want to strip off the poly there is no need to sand, just read the Chemical Stripping Wood Floors article in the Floored News section of this web site. As always your Most humble servant, Joseph, the Wood Floor Doctor.

Question: I am buying a condo and I will have no basement, it sits on a concrete slab base. I’ve read your articles on floors and you only talk about installing on concrete in basements. What do you suggest for a concrete above grade level installation? thanks – love your articles Mary Answer: Dear Mary Thanks for the compliment but ALL the choices of hardwood floor installations deal with ONLY slab above grade construction. And NONE of these choices of wood floor would be used in basements. The first sentences of the article read : While I rarely have to install a wood strip floor on concrete here in the North East, a lot of you have houses built with a concrete slab as a subfloor. I must say, you are lucky to lack a basement, it has just been a depository for junk in my case. A slab on grade subfloor presents a lot of concerns when trying to install some types of wood floor. And then later in the article I state : I wouldn’t consider a solid wood floor unless the slab is at least a foot above the highest outside grade. Moisture can creep into the concrete and by capillary action rise through the minute cracks and get into and swell the wood. A well-sloped and drained outside grade will prevent this. So Mary please, please re-read.

Question: We have these large stains, which are white in color. We were told that it has something to do with the wax finish being discolored. What can we do without calling in an expert who will charge us a high rate for repair work? Does this wax finish need to be removed and if so how can we do that? Thanks a lot. Answer: Dear Tom You almost never need an expert to fix up a waxed floor. And you may find that most experts of wood flooring don’t know anything about waxed floor anyway. But you are lucky, I do! You should be able to remove the spot with a bit of odorless mineral spirits and a white rag. You may have to use a fine abrasive pad if this proves not to work, but still the odorless mineral spirits to dissolve the old wax and work at the spot. If this has worked, you might in this case do the same treatment to the whole floor. You should always remove most if not all the wax on these types of floors about once a year. I describe this in more detail, in the second part of the wood floor maintenance article, which can be found in the search box at the top of the web page. And I suggest a few brands of wood floor wax, that should be readily available, in your area. Now that all said, if after scrubbing it with solvent and a mild abrasive pad (fine steel wool, or fine nylon) the white spot still doesn’t come out, you may have to apply a bit of wood stain to color in the spot. Try a small can of Behr brand stain (from Home Depot), about the same color of the good parts of your floor. Because the wood is not bare, you may not have much success with this, and may end up having to sand (with 120 grit) the spot to the bare wood, and then re-seal the wood, then wax. If you have sanded to the bare wood, and re-stained the spot (let the stain dry a few days), you will have to use a bit of urethane to re-seal the wood in just that area. This is a bit tricky, but just apply a dab with a rag. Let this dry for about a week. Then buff the spot smooth. Then you can re-wax the spot or the whole floor. Be careful not to get any of the polyurethane on the waxed areas, else it won’t dry. If this happens to be a urine stain, let me know (smell it) and you may have to bleach it out. Be sure to read the second half of the cleaning article, it deals with the maintenance of floors like yours.

Question: What is the best hard wood floor considering beauty and durability? Answer: Dear Bradley That’s easy, quarter sawn or select and better grade WHITE OAK.

Question: Hi Floor Doc, I have a long hallway leading to a large living room at the end. The contractors had started to put in the floors in the hallway. But the floor is sideways rather than lengthwise along the hallway. It’s in a condo unit, so the floor is on a subfloor on concrete. Is it very strange to put in the floor sideways? Please confirm. They try to pursuade me saying that it’s quite usual. Kelly Answer: Dear Kelly It is highly improper to lay a floor cross ways to a hall. And if this is a laminated plank floor that they are gluing down there is no reason for this. It makes the floor look like a ladder down the hall. Normally what is done in this sort of situation, is that the floor changes direction at right angles at the hall. This way you can still install it down the length of the living room, and the hall will look just fine when it changes direction in just the hall. It takes a bit more skill to to this sort of installation, but they should have consulted with you before they contracted to do the job. The installers are more than likely getting paid a piece work rate, so unless they have special instructions, they will do the floor the fastest and easiest way they can. If I am too late, and the floor has already be installed, it can still be fixed, it just won’t be locked in at the change of direction joint with the tongue and groove. Not an easy repair, but it can be done, and if done well the hall will look a lot better. Best to do the replacement now, while they still have the same color and style of this floor. Wait too long and the dye lot will have changed just a little, making the repair stand out. If you found this information helpful, please explore the Wood Floor Doctor.com by visiting the rest of our website. As always your Most humble servant, Joseph, the Wood Floor Doctor.

Question: I have just started my own cleaning business and I was wondering if you recommend using Murphy’s Oil Soap on hard wood floors. Thank you. Pam Answer: Dear Pam No, I don’t. Please read my floor maintenance article, which can be found at the top of the web page in the search box. It should say it all, but let me know what you think of it.

Question: Can cork underlayment be used for 3/4 in. wood installation? I have heard it is good for sound and warmth. At a thickness of 1/8 in or less, what problems or concerns can you foresee? The subfloor is 3/4 in. plywood. Thank You. Tom Answer: Dear Tom Cork sheeting is only useful in glue down installations, and not much at that. The nails you will use in the strip floor installation, will penetrate the cork, and will transmit the sound as if the cork were not there. It will also interfere with the holding power of the nails. So I don’t recommend this method. Soundproofing is done below the floor, between the joists, if you have access to the ceiling below the floor. Otherwise you would have to add as much as 2 ” of soundproofing material to the top of the floor to affect any sound deadening at all.

Question: We are having our hardwood floors professionally sanded, stained and sealed with 2 coats of polyurethane sealer. Two questions: 1. How long should I wait after the polyurethane sealer has been applied to lay down carpets, i.e., how long will it take for the sealer to completely cure? 2. I have heard that some types of carpet pads can damage the polyurethane finish on the hardwood floor. Do you have any recommendations as to what types of carpet pads I should, or should NOT, use on my newly refinished floor? Many thanks. Answer: Dear Susan I am surprised that your floor company didn’t give you all this info. But if you are referring to an oil modified polyurethane, it will take up to a month to cure. You must keep it uncovered for as long into that month as you can. The only carpet pad I recommend these days is the Might Gripper available at your local Home Depot store. You only need small boarders pieces of this pad to keep even large area carpets from slipping, truly amazing stuff. My son has it on his hardwood floor (that I refinished) for 2 years now with no signs of deterioration. But again wait a month before using even this pad. I don’t use carpet pads under my wool area rugs, there seems to be no need in my case, the furniture keeps them in place. During the first year or two be sure to shift the carpet a few inches in each direction every month or so, to prevent a “aging border” from showing up in the finish

Question: We may buy a house that has hardwoods throughout the house, but they have been under carpet for years! And, the color is light, we may want the stain darker. We can just pull up all the old carpet and have them redone to the color of our choice right? (We realize if areas are too badly stained or missing that we’ll have to have new wood put down.) Is there a general cost per sq. foot to have your wood floors re-done and or re-stained? Answer: Dear Dori If you have enough wear layer on the top of the tongues on this floor, by all means have it sanded and stained and finished with at least 3 coats of oil modified polyurethane or 4 coats of a water based finish. If you want a water based finish, I would suggest the Dura Seal 1000 type of finish for darker floor. This is called an oxygen cross-linking water based finish, and it has a less pale blue color than the Catalyzed types. But read about this in the ‘Product Reviews’ section of this site, under Dura Seal 1000. But make sure you find an honest floor mechanic that will tell you if your floors can be sanded, many are too thin these days. Please read my article on hiring floor contractors in the ‘How To’s’ section of my web site. There are other ways to strip a floor without sanding, as described in my chemical stripping article also in the ‘How To’s’ section of this site. And sanding a floor in prep for a stain is very tricky. There should be no or almost no sanding marks in the floor, as the stain will make these very prominent. An experienced stain man will know the compatibility of his stains and finishes. Most contractors cannot do this well. Be SURE to LOOK at several jobs this contractor has done. I charge $3.50 per square foot (min. 300 ft.), to sand stain and finish a floor with 3 coats poly. But it only costs $2 per ft. to sand and apply just the poly for a clear blonde finish floor.