Product Review: Cleaning with Murphy’s Oil Soap
Learn the negative effects of cleaning your floor with Murphy’s Oil Soap.
Oil soap is a commonly used, widely available wood floor cleaner. The most favored brand of oil soap is Murphy’s Oil Soap and it is owned by Colgate-Palmolive. With a big advertising budget, Colgate-Palmolive is working very hard to make Murphy’s Oil Soap a trusted household name. Besides, it has been around for a long time and is as widely used as Windex. In case you aren’t that familiar with the product line, the most popular wood floor cleaning products are the Murphy Oil Soap Original Formula and the Murphy Oil Soap Squirt & Mop.
Oil soap, like Murphy’s, is vegetable oil-based. Perhaps because oil soap is marketed as biodegradable, it is enough to make people think that it is a wholesome cleaning product. Especially with all of the toxic cleaning solutions available, many people are turning to natural alternatives. This is just one of the reasons that Murphy’s Oil Soap is in high demand. Regardless of the reasons that consumers choose oil soap to clean wood floors, it actually doesn’t have positive features.
Oil soap is actually harmful to your wood floors. Many floor manufacturers explicitly state that oil soap should not be used to clean wood floors. For example, the Bellawood Prefinished Hardwood Floors Certified 50 Year Warranty expressly states, “Do not wash or wet mop the floor with soap, water, oil-soap detergent or any other liquid cleaning material. This could cause swelling, warping, delamination, and joint-line separation, and void the warranty.” When you apply oil soap, you are leaving a residue on your wood floors. This residue will turn into streak marks. You are putting vegetable oil soap on your wood floors and leaving it on. All of your wood surfaces will have an oil soap coating on them. This makes the finish on your floors look dull.
Different Types of Wood Filler and Wood Putty
Wood filler is also known as wood putty and less commonly as wood patch. It is one of those products that is always good to have in your home repair kit. Wood putty is a handy item but it will not solve all your wood floor problems. It is designed for filling small holes and very minor gaps in your prefinished and hardwood floors. This article is going to explain the different types of wood putty so when you want to fix a screw hole on your floor, you will know what to use.
Wood putty comes in a variety of different colors. The great feature about putty is it is easy to work with and you can even mix colors to get the right shade to match your stain. Wood putty is commonly a quality colored latex filler.
Wood putty often comes in tubes or small tubs, depending on the type and the brand. Commercially, wood filler comes in pails. Most commonly in the wood flooring industry, latex wood putty is used. However, there are other wood putties on the market suitable for wood flooring.
Latex wood putty almost always comes in a tube. It is a low VOC product that has been used for decades. Latex putty makes a water tight bond between the wood. It uses non-drying oils such as linseed oil. LePage makes a high quality latex wood putty. LePage has a buttery consistency when you apply it. It takes sanding, screwing and staining very well. LePage comes in 7 different colors.
There is a relatively new product, prefinished wood filler. It is designed for already finished or prefinished floors. It dries out if the container is left open will ruin if it freezes. However, it has a relatively low shrink rate. The color is easy to determine because it dries at almost the same color. Prefinished wood putty is similar to latex but instead of using water, it contains satin water-based polyurethane. Often a prefinished floor manufacturer will sell the floor with a small tube of proprietary prefinihsed wood filler. Woodwise makes a prefinished wood filler that is commonly available in many different colors and is fairly inexpensive.
Painter’s putty is a wood filler that contractors use in between coats of oil modified polyurethane when finishing a floor. The great feature of painter’s putty is you do not need to finish it or coat it after you have applied it to your wood floor. This slow drying putty is known to collect a lot of visible dirt in lighter colors. This will make your light putty areas on your floor that were supposed to match your stain look like dark patches! Commonly, painter’s putty is made from linseed oil, calcium carbonate and universal colorant. If you have ever used window glazing compound, painter putty is quite similar. DAP is a common brand of painter’s putty. Not only is it used to fill holes and small cracks, DAP is also known for being used as a glaze.
Lacquer-based wood putty is another variety of wood filler. Wood putty is mixed with very fine edger sawdust from your floor. You can only use this wood filer if you have sawdust from your floor on hand, maybe you have just sanded your floor. This wood putty is extremely flammable and emits strong fumes.
Epoxy floor filler is a two part wood putty. The two separate components are a resin and a hardener. Most epoxy floor fillers emit very small amounts of odour and are low VOC. Epoxy is a quick setting wood filler. This is specifically used for filling knots and not used very commonly on wood floors mainly because it is quite expensive.
Silicone wood filler is a good wood putty for hardwood floors because it expands and contracts with humidity fluctuations. Gap Master by Bona Kemi is a reputable silicone wood filler. It comes in a caulking tube and can be used in a traditional caulking gun. It is easy to apply and good at hiding unwanted hols and small gaps.
All wood putties are either solvent-based or water-based. Solvent-based wood putty is more common. It is used by the DIYer’s and professionals alike. Water-based wood putty is growing in popularity because it is better environmentally and it does not emit solvent fumes. Besides, the water-based wood putty has becomes as good in its performance as solvent-based wood putty. Water-based putty takes longer to dry but very easy to clean up. You just use a little bit of water. Also, a water-based putty won’t dry out if left open. It is important to note that any water-based wood putty is not suitable for a prefinished floor. A good quality water-based wood putty is TimberMate. TimberMate takes stains well, hardly shrinks, and does not crack out.
In contrast, solvent-based usually requires acetone or turpentine to clean it up. It is much more heavy duty and much faster drying than water-based wood putty. That said, it sands, stains and finishes very well. Solvent-based wood putty actually contains wood in its formulation. It has similar characteristics to wood. This wood putty will simulate real wood more than most other wood fillers on the market. Solvent-based wood filler also shrinks less than water-based wood filler.
There are a few things to note when selecting your wood putty. All wood fillers are different, doesn’t matter if they are solvent- or water-based. Not all wood fillers have good adhesion and they are not all of the same quality. Good adhesion is extremely important when selecting your wood putty. A good quality wood putty should shrink and pop out. A good filler should sand easily when it comes time and should maintain a nice finish.
There is a relatively new product, prefinished wood filler. It is designed for already finished or prefinished floors. It dries out if the container is left open will ruin if it freezes. However, it has a relatively low shrink rate. The color is easy to determine because it dries at almost the same color. Prefinished wood putty is similar to latex but instead of using water, it contains satin water-based polyurethane. Often a prefinished floor manufacturer will sell the floor with a small tube of proprietary prefinihsed wood filler. Woodwise makes a prefinished wood filler that is commonly available in many different colors and is fairly inexpensive.
Painter’s putty is a wood filler that contractors use in between coats of oil modified polyurethane when finishing a floor. The great feature of painter’s putty is you do not need to finish it or coat it after you have applied it to your wood floor. This slow drying putty is known to collect a lot of visible dirt in lighter colors. This will make your light putty areas on your floor that were supposed to match your stain look like dark patches! Commonly, painter’s putty is made from linseed oil, calcium carbonate and universal colorant. If you have ever used window glazing compound, painter putty is quite similar. DAP is a common brand of painter’s putty. Not only is it used to fill holes and small cracks, DAP is also known for being used as a glaze.
Lacquer-based wood putty is another variety of wood filler. Wood putty is mixed with very fine edger sawdust from your floor. You can only use this wood filer if you have sawdust from your floor on hand, maybe you have just sanded your floor. This wood putty is extremely flammable and emits strong fumes.
Epoxy floor filler is a two part wood putty. The two separate components are a resin and a hardener. Most epoxy floor fillers emit very small amounts of odour and are low VOC. Epoxy is a quick setting wood filler. This is specifically used for filling knots and not used very commonly on wood floors mainly because it is quite expensive.
Silicone wood filler is a good wood putty for hardwood floors because it expands and contracts with humidity fluctuations. Gap Master by Bona Kemi is a reputable silicone wood filler. It comes in a caulking tube and can be used in a traditional caulking gun. It is easy to apply and good at hiding unwanted hols and small gaps.
All wood putties are either solvent-based or water-based. Solvent-based wood putty is more common. It is used by the DIYer’s and professionals alike. Water-based wood putty is growing in popularity because it is better environmentally and it does not emit solvent fumes. Besides, the water-based wood putty has becomes as good in its performance as solvent-based wood putty. Water-based putty takes longer to dry but very easy to clean up. You just use a little bit of water. Also, a water-based putty won’t dry out if left open. It is important to note that any water-based wood putty is not suitable for a prefinished floor. A good quality water-based wood putty is TimberMate. TimberMate takes stains well, hardly shrinks, and does not crack out.
In contrast, solvent-based usually requires acetone or turpentine to clean it up. It is much more heavy duty and much faster drying than water-based wood putty. That said, it sands, stains and finishes very well. Solvent-based wood putty actually contains wood in its formulation. It has similar characteristics to wood. This wood putty will simulate real wood more than most other wood fillers on the market. Solvent-based wood filler also shrinks less than water-based wood filler.
There are a few things to note when selecting your wood putty. All wood fillers are different, doesn’t matter if they are solvent- or water-based. Not all wood fillers have good adhesion and they are not all of the same quality. Good adhesion is extremely important when selecting your wood putty. A good quality wood putty should shrink and pop out. A good filler should sand easily when it comes time and should maintain a nice finish. Product Review: DriTac Injection Repair Kits for Engineered, Solid Wood and Bamboo Floors
DriTac Flooring, LLC is an American owned and operated company. AKA DryTac. DriTac manufactures time-tested adhesives and installation products for wood floors. Even though the DriTac wood flooring injection repair kit has been around for awhile, for those of you homeowners with wood floors, it is always a good idea to have a handy repair kit. Nowadays, there are all kinds of wood floors on the market from hardwood to bamboo to engineered. Luckily, DriTac makes two different injection repair kits: one for engineered wood floors and the other for solid wood and bamboo floors. There are many great features about the DriTac wood floor injection repair kit. It is innovative, of professional quality and very easy-to-use. So what are these repair kits good for? Actually, they can help repair several wood floor problems.
These kits can repair hollow spots and voids. You don’t see hollow spots on a floor but you do hear them. These areas sound hollow when you tap them with your fingers. You can also repair popping conditions. This is when your floor sounds squeaky. This repair kit is also terrific for securing loose floorboards. These repairs may be needed because of a somewhat shoddy instillation or possibly natural movement that happens gradually overtime. This article willreview the contents of your injection repair kit and provide a step-by-step guide to filling a hollow spot on your wood floor.
Now that you know the capabilities of a DriTac wood floor repair kit, you probably want to know what you get in your kit.
The engineered wood floor injection repair kit is different from the bamboo and solid wood kit. The engineered repair kit comes with one quart of adhesive, a 12 cc injection syringe, the tips for the end of the syringe and the dowel rods. It also comes with clear instructions. (By the way, DriTac is known for durable, high quality adhesives.)
Now that you know what your injection repair kit for engineered wood floors comes with, it is a matter of learning what to do with your kit. Here is what to do when you want to remove a hollow spot on an engineered wood floor:
Step 1. Tap on your floor with a solid object and listen for hollow sounds. Once you have found your hollow sound, use a piece of tape to mark your hollow sound. This will ensure that you know the area of your floor where you are going to be working.
Step 2. Using a relatively fine drill bit, drill two holes at your hollow spot. One hole is for putting the adhesive into your floor. The other hole is for the air to come out while the adhesive is being injected into the floor.
Step 3. Now it is time to fill the hole you just made to remove the hollow sound. To do this, you load your 12 cc syringe with DriTac glue from your repair kit. The easiest and cleanest way to do this is to stick the end of the syringe in the glue and suck it up, filling the syringe. Pull the plunger up slowly. You can remove the plunger and pour the adhesive into the syringe but you are just asking for a mess! Step 4. Now that the syringe is loaded with the adhesive, it is time to fill your hole. Put the nose of the syringe right into the hole. Slowly release the adhesive from the syringe into the hole. Only fill one hole. You want to make your hole completely full. It is okay if it fills a little over. You can clean it up. The hole is filled up.
Step 5. Now, it is time to close the hole. It is best to use the dowel rods that come in your kit. Because the diameter of the dowel is probably larger than the hole that you drilled, it is best to sharpen the end slightly so it fits in easier. You can use an exacto knife for this. Put the dowel in the hole. Tap it with a hammer to make sure it is snug.
Step 6. Using your exacto knife, trim the dowel so it is no longer sticking up. Make sure to cut it flush with the surface.
Step 7. Take the punch that comes in the kit. Using a hammer, tap the punch so the dowel is just below the surface.
Step 8. Use a colored putty that matches the floor.
If you have a bamboo or hardwood floor, your injection repair kit will be different and your repair technique will also be slightly different. A bamboo and solid wood injection repair kit comes with a gun for the cartridges, 2 adhesive cartridges, 3 mixing nozzles, 2 tips, 2 drill bits 1 punch and 4 dowel rods.
Here is how to repair a hollow spot on a solid wood or bamboo floor using the DriTac injection repair kit.
Step 1. (As seen before, this is the same for engineered floors.) Tap on your floor with a solid object and listen for hollow sounds. Once you have found your hollow sound, use a piece of tape to mark where your hollow sound is. This will ensure that you know where you are going to be working.
Step 2. Just like the engineered floor injection repair, now it is time to drill your holes. Using the drill bit that comes in your kit, drill two holes at your hollow spot. One hole is for putting the adhesive into your floor. The other hole is for the air to come out.
Step 3. Now it is time to assemble the gun. Remove the cartridge from the foil pouch that it comes in. Place the cartridge into the gun from your kit. Pick up the lever and simply drop the cartridge in place. There is a safety tip on the end of the cartridge. Remove it and insert the mixing nozzle. Now your gun is ready to use.
Step 4. Time to start the injection. Place the nozzle inside the hole. Fill the hole with the gun so that it is completely full. It is okay if it oozes out a bit. You can always clean it up after.
Step 5. Just like in the engineered wood floor injection repair kit, the next part of the bamboo and solid wood floor repair is identical. Now that the hole is filled up. it is time to close the hole. It is best to use the dowel rods that come in your kit. Because the diameter of the dowel is larger than the hole that you drilled, it is best to sharpen the end slightly so it fits in easier. You can use an exacto knife for this. Put the dowel in the hole. Tap it with a hammer to make sure it is snug.
Step 5. The hole is filled up. Now, it is time to close the hole. It is best to use the dowel rods that come in your kit. Because the diameter of the dowel is larger than the hole that you drilled, it is best to sharpen the end slightly so it fits in easier. You can use an exacto knife for this. Put the dowel in the hole. Tap it with a hammer to make sure it is snug.
Step 6. Using your exacto knife, trim the dowel so it is no longer sticking up. Make sure to cut it flush with the surface.
Step 7. Take the punch that comes in the kit. Using a hammer, tap the punch so the dowel is just below the surface.
Step 8. Use a colored putty that matches the floor.
As you have seen, the technique for injecting the adhesive into the floor varies from bamboo and solid wood to an engineered wood floor. However, the DriTac injection repair kit is simple, effective and the answer to many wood floor problems.
The engineered wood floor injection repair kit is different from the bamboo and solid wood kit. The engineered repair kit comes with one quart of adhesive, a 12 cc injection syringe, the tips for the end of the syringe and the dowel rods. It also comes with clear instructions. (By the way, DriTac is known for durable, high quality adhesives.)
Now that you know what your injection repair kit for engineered wood floors comes with, it is a matter of learning what to do with your kit. Here is what to do when you want to remove a hollow spot on an engineered wood floor:
Step 1. Tap on your floor with a solid object and listen for hollow sounds. Once you have found your hollow sound, use a piece of tape to mark your hollow sound. This will ensure that you know the area of your floor where you are going to be working.
Step 2. Using a relatively fine drill bit, drill two holes at your hollow spot. One hole is for putting the adhesive into your floor. The other hole is for the air to come out while the adhesive is being injected into the floor.
Step 3. Now it is time to fill the hole you just made to remove the hollow sound. To do this, you load your 12 cc syringe with DriTac glue from your repair kit. The easiest and cleanest way to do this is to stick the end of the syringe in the glue and suck it up, filling the syringe. Pull the plunger up slowly. You can remove the plunger and pour the adhesive into the syringe but you are just asking for a mess! Step 4. Now that the syringe is loaded with the adhesive, it is time to fill your hole. Put the nose of the syringe right into the hole. Slowly release the adhesive from the syringe into the hole. Only fill one hole. You want to make your hole completely full. It is okay if it fills a little over. You can clean it up. The hole is filled up.
Step 5. Now, it is time to close the hole. It is best to use the dowel rods that come in your kit. Because the diameter of the dowel is probably larger than the hole that you drilled, it is best to sharpen the end slightly so it fits in easier. You can use an exacto knife for this. Put the dowel in the hole. Tap it with a hammer to make sure it is snug.
Step 6. Using your exacto knife, trim the dowel so it is no longer sticking up. Make sure to cut it flush with the surface.
Step 7. Take the punch that comes in the kit. Using a hammer, tap the punch so the dowel is just below the surface.
Step 8. Use a colored putty that matches the floor.
If you have a bamboo or hardwood floor, your injection repair kit will be different and your repair technique will also be slightly different. A bamboo and solid wood injection repair kit comes with a gun for the cartridges, 2 adhesive cartridges, 3 mixing nozzles, 2 tips, 2 drill bits 1 punch and 4 dowel rods.
Here is how to repair a hollow spot on a solid wood or bamboo floor using the DriTac injection repair kit.
Step 1. (As seen before, this is the same for engineered floors.) Tap on your floor with a solid object and listen for hollow sounds. Once you have found your hollow sound, use a piece of tape to mark where your hollow sound is. This will ensure that you know where you are going to be working.
Step 2. Just like the engineered floor injection repair, now it is time to drill your holes. Using the drill bit that comes in your kit, drill two holes at your hollow spot. One hole is for putting the adhesive into your floor. The other hole is for the air to come out.
Step 3. Now it is time to assemble the gun. Remove the cartridge from the foil pouch that it comes in. Place the cartridge into the gun from your kit. Pick up the lever and simply drop the cartridge in place. There is a safety tip on the end of the cartridge. Remove it and insert the mixing nozzle. Now your gun is ready to use.
Step 4. Time to start the injection. Place the nozzle inside the hole. Fill the hole with the gun so that it is completely full. It is okay if it oozes out a bit. You can always clean it up after.
Step 5. Just like in the engineered wood floor injection repair kit, the next part of the bamboo and solid wood floor repair is identical. Now that the hole is filled up. it is time to close the hole. It is best to use the dowel rods that come in your kit. Because the diameter of the dowel is larger than the hole that you drilled, it is best to sharpen the end slightly so it fits in easier. You can use an exacto knife for this. Put the dowel in the hole. Tap it with a hammer to make sure it is snug.
Step 5. The hole is filled up. Now, it is time to close the hole. It is best to use the dowel rods that come in your kit. Because the diameter of the dowel is larger than the hole that you drilled, it is best to sharpen the end slightly so it fits in easier. You can use an exacto knife for this. Put the dowel in the hole. Tap it with a hammer to make sure it is snug.
Step 6. Using your exacto knife, trim the dowel so it is no longer sticking up. Make sure to cut it flush with the surface.
Step 7. Take the punch that comes in the kit. Using a hammer, tap the punch so the dowel is just below the surface.
Step 8. Use a colored putty that matches the floor.
As you have seen, the technique for injecting the adhesive into the floor varies from bamboo and solid wood to an engineered wood floor. However, the DriTac injection repair kit is simple, effective and the answer to many wood floor problems. Product Review on DuraSeal 1000
I’ve always said one of the most durable (not practical) floor finishes is the polyurethane varnish. Doing it right means applying at least 3 coats and scuffing between coats. You must allow enough drying time between coats , and the finish must cure for 2-4 days before you use it. It’s a long and drawn out process, but up till now it’s been worth it. My desk sits over a 100 year old white oak strip floor, that I put through this process 20 years ago. Now it has 5 coats of poly on it, and looks beautiful with a warm amber satin glow. But I dread the thought of recoating it. It means moving out for a couple of days. So I put it off , and off, and off……..
Up to now I’ve not been impressed with the new water-based finishes. Most off- the- shelf brands are sold without the catalyst hardener aziradine. Without it, the finish’s molecules will not crosslink , so it will not form a tough barrier like an oil based poly. In fact, the lacquer finish I currently use is more durable than most non-catalyized water based finishes. And this particular lacquer has a nice warm amber tone to it , unlike the washed out pale look of the water-based.
Now as pro, I’m allowed to buy and use the catalyst, and I can add an amber dye to the finish, but I like to use finishes right out of the can. Keep it simple , stupid, I always say to myself. Also, I don’t like to handle the poisonous aziredine. I’ve been exposed to enough toxins , I’m looking for a water-based finish that I can use safely and simply every day.
Enter Dura Seal ® . Just recently they have introduced the next generation of water-based finishes, called Dura Seal ® 1000. None of these , thank goodness , requires an additive to make it as durable as an oil based polyurethane. And the material itself gives the wood a nice amber colour. That’s because it is essentially a 100% urethane finish, not an acrylic. (the sealer is an acrylic , used only as the first coat)
I’ve had a couple of long conversations with Bob , the DuraSeal ® rep in Toronto, Canada and one of the first things I asked him was “Is it safe ? “. He quipped back “Yes, as long as you don’t drink it”. And I would add ” as long as you handle it carefully”.
Understand that water is not the true solvent in these finishes. It’s similar to latex paint in that it contains small amounts of the solvent family called glycol ethers. These disperse the urethane into the water, which simply carries the solids, hence the name water – borne , not really water based. I’ll use both terms, as ” water based” is easier to say.
Even though these glycol ethers are very toxic by themselves , they are present in the finish in very small amounts. Dura Seal ® 1000 water based finish contains as little as 1% of the most toxic triethyamine, and no more than 3% of the less toxic propylene group. Now compare this with up to 50% mineral spirits contained in most oil based urethanes. Mineral spirits is a skin irriant and is present in the air for days as the finish cures. The only other ingredient you should know about is NMP ( I won’t inflict you with the long chemical name). I’ve been told that this is the stuff that gives the finish the bite it needs to bond with the coat below it . By the way I use NMP at 80% strength in a product called Citrus Strip ® (one of the new safe paint strippers) . I’m very careful handling this product and have suffered no ill affects in 5 years use. I’ll show you in a future piece how to chemically strip your floors safely. The NMP present in Dura Seal 1000 ® finish is only at 5%. So like Bob said ” Don’t drink it.” . And I would add ” Wear rubber gloves.”.
The good news about these water based finish solvents is that the fumes come off the drying finish in such small amounts that open windows and a fan will quickly eliminate them. In 2-3 hours the finish will be dry and you can walk across the floor and cross-ventilate the whole room. If all this talk about toxic chemicals scares you don’t be too alarmed. Every time you use a latex or acrylic paint you’ll be exposed to those same glycol ethers, you may have experienced dizziness when painting in a closed room. Just open the windows !!!!!!
Although this material was really meant for professional use, only 5% of the pros actually use any water based finishes, and most of them use the non-catalyzed acrylic finishes (very pale). It’s up to consumers to demand the use of specific finishes that look good , and wear well. You can have your cake and eat it too. Durability and low toxicity, I believe Dura Seal 1000 ® water based finish will deliver both. I’ ll soon find a client wanting these features and I’ll report back to you on tips and techniques. I can’t wait to try it out.
Melrose ® Prefinished floors
At the start of March this year, I found myself up at the Hardwood Floor Center in Toronto, Canada picking up some floor finish and quarter round. I noticed this cute little sign on the contractors desk promoting Gator-Tuf Titanium ®. “What the heck is a titanium finish ?” I asked, sensing yet another gimmick. It was Frank the owner, who coaxed me into the adjoining showroom. I’m not a big fan of showrooms and the plethora of prefinished flooring panels leaves me bored (board) stiff.
Frank brought me in front of one of the panels and showed me a fairly typical looking prefinished floor. So this is the Melrose ® brand so what, I thought. He then took out a piece of steel wool and rubbed a hand held sample vigorously. I held it up to the light and sighted down the board and saw: no, none, nada, scratches, in the semigloss finish. As if anticipating my next question Frank brought me to another panel and I winced as he attacked it with the same steel wool. This was a sample of a major North American supplier, and in a few seconds the upper right hand corner was white with scratches. I hope you don’t have wreck all your rival’s samples to prove your point, Frank.
There are a few more advantages to the Melrose ® brand, besides this titanium finish additive. Not all manufacturers bother to put a bevel on the ends of the boards. Check this out next time you’re in one of those showrooms. Well Melrose ® has made a small but effective chamfer on all edges that should give you as close to the smooth feel as a sand-on-site floor as a factory can get. If (as they claim) they have carefully selected, and milled the hardwood, no chipping should ever occur to these floors.
Which brings us to the guarantee. A very ambitious 25 year (non-prorated) warranty is included. This means they will replace (on site, doing the work themselves) any defective board, and if the finish ever wears out in that time they will sand and refinish the whole floor at no cost to you. Sounds simple? This is probably the best warranty in the business. If this product holds up, and they stay in business Melrose ® will set a new standard in the hardwood flooring industry.
Melrose ® (REVISITED)
I have been quite anxious to try out the new Melrose prefinished strip floor and low and behold a job meant for it appeared right before my eyes. One of my early spring parquet installations had canceled, because the tenants in the apartment couldn’t see themselves going through the messy process of an unfinished floor installation, in their bedrooms. They would have to move out for a few days while I sanded their floors.
The coordinator for this particular co-op asked me if there was a prefinished floor I could use instead. A light went on in my head and I said I was dying to try out this new material. I suggested she call up the Hardwood Floor Center and see if they had some narrow 2 1/4″ by 3/4″ strip with that marvelous finish on it ” gator ” something. She made the call and confirmed the order and I picked it up a few days later.
I was so happy to have the job back even though it meant I was only paid to do the installation. I usually let the customer buy the material so that the warranty goes directly to the end user, especially when it is a 25 year guarantee like this one. I don’t honestly think I’ll be in the floor business by then, I’ll be 70 something. I started installing the floor after 5 days of acclimatizing the wood. When I opened the first boxes I was pleased to see good overall length’s and superbly milled material. And as I “racked out the rows I thought this is going to be an easy job.
Then the problems began, I would nail in a few rows and find a long board just wouldn’t snug up tight no matter how hard I hammered it in place. I would finally have to pry it into place with my long screwdriver and in no time I was facing the same problem with another board. I managed to secure all the main part of the floor by slamming the boards together with all my strength on my power nailer. But the real problem was when I had to hand nail the last few rows. Normally I would choose some long straight boards and with most prefinished brands you could practically push them into place by hand. Well not Melrose, in any group of boards in the rack all it took was one tight board to hold the whole group of them up.
I was ever hopeful that the problems might sort itself out and the rest of the boxes might be better, but as I was installing down hallways the problem got worse. It seemed like at least 10% of the wood had tongues on them that simply would not fit. And you could never tell by looking at them, you would just confront a stubborn board at random, and this made nailing the last 4 rows torture. After a few days of this my back was aching from the excessively hard blows I was delivering to my power nailer, the floor looked great but I was in terrible shape. If I had bought the floor myself I would have returned the whole lot. I finished 2 days late and had severe back spasms by then.
The floor on the other hand looked great, the finish was as tough as nails. I was a little careless toward the end of the job, moving things across the floor and did not put one scratch in the wood. Frankly the way I was treating the floor would have really marred any other finish, this stuff was amazing. A floor mechanic’s dream but also a nightmare to install.
I went back to the Hardwood Floor Center and voiced my concerns. To my surprise they were quite sympathetic and I found out later that they were having a problem with one of their employees. A disgruntled salesman had sold me boxes of the Melrose strip floor that was to be returned to the factory and was never intended to be sold. Frank proved this by taking me into the warehouse and offering to open any box I chose.
We opened several boxes at random and laid the boards down on a table. Well, to my great relief they fit together easily by hand and boy did they fit well and tight.
I cannot now recommend the Melrose ® brand to anyone who wants a pre-finished floor. I just cannot be sure of the consistency of their products. But I still like the idea of the Titanium finish. I believe it is safer and more long lasting than the Aluminum Oxide finishes applied to most brands of hardwood floors. In fact I have written about this issue in the article: Prefinished Hardwood Floor Which ones to Choose?
And thankfully there is another more established and reliable source of this Titanium finish on the boards of Lauzon Ltd. You can peruse their website at http://www.lauzonltd.com. The Lauzon company has done the Taber abrasion tests on this polymerized titanium finish used on all their products, so now we have proof that this stuff is longer lasting and safer.
Occupational Health and Safety: Respirator Masks for Wood Flooring
When you work in the wood flooring industry, serious health hazards are caused by sawdust effecting your lungs. You may not think about it, but if you have any sort of coating on the wood that you are machining, chances are that the sawdust is emitting fumes and toxic particulates into the air. Besides, there are all kinds of fumes that emit from wood floor work. Even if you are doing a quick repair or a small touch-up, it is always important to protect your lungs by wearing a respirator mask.
A long time ago, when contractors used to work on floors, they would only wear a bandanna to filter the air that they breathed. As we know today, this was an ineffective practice. With all the growing awareness of occupational health and safety, most floor contractors are now wearing respirator masks on job sites.
You may think your body is a good filter for toxins independently of a respirator mask. Your nose has long hairs inside it that act like little brooms to sweep away foreign particulates that enter your nose. For some pollutants your nose is enough of a filter. However, when it comes to wood flooring, your nose hairs are not capable of doing the job of keeping particulates and toxins out of your body.
There are many different styles of masks on the market. Some are simply designed for dust only. The most common dust masks are white and made from a very thin disposable cloth material. They cover the mouth and nose. The nose often has a small metal strip that can be bent over the nose to form to your nose. Typically, these masks have one or two thin elastics that hold them in place and prevent falling off. These masks do not have any filters that can be replaced. These are very similar to masks that you receive in the hospital that are allergy masks. As soon as you take your mask off, if it is not in a sealed plastic bag, contaminants from the air will stick to it. If this mask looks dirty and you are wearing it, you are breathing in the dirt that clings to the inside of your mask.
A dust mask is not respirator mask. Both a dust mask and a respirator mask have different purposes. For example, if you are only cutting floorboards to the correct length, you may only be contracting a bit of dust. In this case, a dust mask is suitable but there are some species of wood that emit toxins. If you are working with prefinished floor boards or floorboards that have had any coating for that matter, if you do something as simple as trim a single floorboard, the sawdust most likely will emit toxins. This is why only if you are entirely sure that your floorboards have always been bare wood and never been treated can you wear a dust mask. Otherwise, you must wear a proper respirator mask.
However, if you are working with a lot of dust or any materials that off-gas like solvents, a dust mask will do absolutely nothing to protect you. Sadly, many people are wearing dust masks when they are working on a floor for tasks like finishing and chemical stripping.
If you smell any fumes, your respirator mask is not protecting you. Sometimes newbies will put on their mask and smell nothing and assume that no vapors are being emitted. They take off their mask to smell and boy are they wrong! Their respirator masks are doing a very good job. A good respirator mask will not allow you to smell any vapors or gases. You don’t see vapor when doing floor work. Gases and vapors mix into the air and contaminate it.
Whatever your work may be with a product, whether you are using a solvent or a finish, it is always important to read over the MSDS sheets before using the product. The MSDS sheets will disclose VOC levels and any known health hazards when using the product and precautionary measures in handling the product. Even if you have been using a product for a long time and think it is safe, it still worthwhile to look at the MSDS sheets. You may be wrong in your judgement.
There are different finishes used on wood floors. Some of them are more toxic than others. For example, when working with a conversion varnish, it is safest to wear a full-face respirator. However, with less toxic varnishes, you can wear a half-face respirator and be safe.
It is important that the respirator mask fits you well. If the mask is not fitted to your face properly, your mask will not protect you sufficiently. The dimensions of people’s faces vary. If there is a gap between where the respirator sits on your face and the respirator itself, this is where leaks occur. Sometimes facial hair can be a deterrent to a properly fitting mask. Making sure that your mask fits you properly and comfortably is important for your health and performance on the job. When you exhale, the air should exit through the valve.
It is the law to wear respirator masks where there is a health risk. Workplace safety is regulated in the United States by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. That said, if you have employees, it is your duty to make sure they are wearing suitable respiratory masks for the job.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Importance of Wearing a Respirator Mask When Sanding and Refinishing Wood Floors
Wood floor work poses health risks that may overtime effect your respiratory system. One of the best ways to prevent health hazards at the workplace is to wear a respiratory mask.
A respiratory mask is a more serious mask than a dust mask. Respiratory masks are designed to filter airborne particles effectively. They always have easy-to-replace filter pads that can be changed when they are clogged up. Respiratory masks are constructed out of a thick, durable, flexible rubber. This means that if fitted properly, they will create a reliable seal.
In the United States, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) certifies respiratory masks. This certification is very credible. In fact, the NIOSH will revoke a certificate from a manufacturer if the masks fail to meet the National Institute’s performance requirements. For example, if a mask was initially built well but the manufacturer overtime got sloppy with quality control, that certification may be revoked. This revocation prevents the manufacturer from selling the masks if they contain the NIOSH approval numbers.
Both floor sanding and refinishing are serious health hazards if you are not wearing a proper respirator mask. The majority of floor finishes contain lead. This means that the sawdust you create from sanding a finished floor contains lead.
NIOSH did a study on the quantities of lead found from sanding and refinishing wood floors. They concluded that the quantity of lead emitted did not exceed the NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit. Despite this research finding, if you are sanding and refinishing wood floors regularly, your body is accumulating more and more lead. Lead poisoning can cause death and in less serious cases, it can cause irritability, abdominal pain, seizures, and even coma. X-rays show lead deposits in the bones.
Given this knowledge regarding lead in floor finishes, as a contractor, you need to protect yourself. The way to do is to wear a proper respiratory mask on the job when you are sanding or refinishing a wood floor. The NOISH recommends wearing an N95 particulate respiratory mask. When you are looking to purchase a mask, make sure that it has this NIOSH approval number.
N95 respirator masks are fairly common so you should not have a problem finding one. The N series of respirator masks is classified as a mask for particulates only and not liquids (like materials in aerosol cans). The N95 means that the mask filters 95% of the particulates. This is why these masks offer you a high level of filtration. There are nine different classifications of respiratory masks given by the NIOSH.
Once you have your mask, it will last you a long time, but your filters will need to be replaced periodically. A filter is usually an activated charcoal cartridge. If they are dirty or damaged, it is time to get new ones. This is especially important because wearing a proper respirator mask with dirty filters means that your mask is ineffective.
As soon as you take your respirator mask off, if left in the open at your job site or even in your truck, you are allowing the filters to fill up with dirt. When you are not using your mask, you need to seal it in a plastic bag to insure that no dust will enter into the filters. Be sure to read the manufacturer’s advice on the package. Sometimes they will give tips on when filter pads should be replaced.
Aside from wearing the proper respirator mask, you can do whatever you can to minimize sawdust. Cleaning up properly is simple. For example, frequent vacuuming on the job is an easy way to rid sawdust. When you are vacuuming, you do not want to use any vacuum. You want to make sure that your vacuum is equipped with high-efficiency particulate air filters. Also, when you are about to eat or drink, it is important to thoroughly wash your hands. Otherwise, you could be eating your lunch with a dash of lead!
Here are some serious facts that are important to the health and safety of a floor contractor. Many floor finishes exceed the US federal action level for lead-based paints which is half a percent by weight. That said, given a typical 8-hour day at the job site buffing and during the final sanding, you are exposing yourself to more than one milligram per cubic meter of wood dust. This quantity of wood dust is considered to exceed the NOISH exposure limit.
Stated differently, there is a lot of lead lying around in that wood dust, some of which may not have even settled and may still be airborne. More specifically, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development federal clearance guidelines for a floor in a residential home are 0.43 milligrams per square meter. Think about the danger for small children who do not have a mature immune system yet. Even if you think you have cleaned the sawdust, it is necessary to be as thorough as possible.
Think twice before doing your floor job without wearing a proper respirator mask. It will protect your health.
There are different finishes used on wood floors. Some of them are more toxic than others. For example, when working with a conversion varnish, it is safest to wear a full-face respirator. However, with less toxic varnishes, you can wear a half-face respirator and be safe.
It is important that the respirator mask fits you well. If the mask is not fitted to your face properly, your mask will not protect you sufficiently. The dimensions of people’s faces vary. If there is a gap between where the respirator sits on your face and the respirator itself, this is where leaks occur. Sometimes facial hair can be a deterrent to a properly fitting mask. Making sure that your mask fits you properly and comfortably is important for your health and performance on the job. When you exhale, the air should exit through the valve.
It is the law to wear respirator masks where there is a health risk. Workplace safety is regulated in the United States by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. That said, if you have employees, it is your duty to make sure they are wearing suitable respiratory masks for the job.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Importance of Wearing a Respirator Mask When Sanding and Refinishing Wood Floors
Wood floor work poses health risks that may overtime effect your respiratory system. One of the best ways to prevent health hazards at the workplace is to wear a respiratory mask.
A respiratory mask is a more serious mask than a dust mask. Respiratory masks are designed to filter airborne particles effectively. They always have easy-to-replace filter pads that can be changed when they are clogged up. Respiratory masks are constructed out of a thick, durable, flexible rubber. This means that if fitted properly, they will create a reliable seal.
In the United States, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) certifies respiratory masks. This certification is very credible. In fact, the NIOSH will revoke a certificate from a manufacturer if the masks fail to meet the National Institute’s performance requirements. For example, if a mask was initially built well but the manufacturer overtime got sloppy with quality control, that certification may be revoked. This revocation prevents the manufacturer from selling the masks if they contain the NIOSH approval numbers.
Both floor sanding and refinishing are serious health hazards if you are not wearing a proper respirator mask. The majority of floor finishes contain lead. This means that the sawdust you create from sanding a finished floor contains lead.
NIOSH did a study on the quantities of lead found from sanding and refinishing wood floors. They concluded that the quantity of lead emitted did not exceed the NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit. Despite this research finding, if you are sanding and refinishing wood floors regularly, your body is accumulating more and more lead. Lead poisoning can cause death and in less serious cases, it can cause irritability, abdominal pain, seizures, and even coma. X-rays show lead deposits in the bones.
Given this knowledge regarding lead in floor finishes, as a contractor, you need to protect yourself. The way to do is to wear a proper respiratory mask on the job when you are sanding or refinishing a wood floor. The NOISH recommends wearing an N95 particulate respiratory mask. When you are looking to purchase a mask, make sure that it has this NIOSH approval number.
N95 respirator masks are fairly common so you should not have a problem finding one. The N series of respirator masks is classified as a mask for particulates only and not liquids (like materials in aerosol cans). The N95 means that the mask filters 95% of the particulates. This is why these masks offer you a high level of filtration. There are nine different classifications of respiratory masks given by the NIOSH.
Once you have your mask, it will last you a long time, but your filters will need to be replaced periodically. A filter is usually an activated charcoal cartridge. If they are dirty or damaged, it is time to get new ones. This is especially important because wearing a proper respirator mask with dirty filters means that your mask is ineffective.
As soon as you take your respirator mask off, if left in the open at your job site or even in your truck, you are allowing the filters to fill up with dirt. When you are not using your mask, you need to seal it in a plastic bag to insure that no dust will enter into the filters. Be sure to read the manufacturer’s advice on the package. Sometimes they will give tips on when filter pads should be replaced.
Aside from wearing the proper respirator mask, you can do whatever you can to minimize sawdust. Cleaning up properly is simple. For example, frequent vacuuming on the job is an easy way to rid sawdust. When you are vacuuming, you do not want to use any vacuum. You want to make sure that your vacuum is equipped with high-efficiency particulate air filters. Also, when you are about to eat or drink, it is important to thoroughly wash your hands. Otherwise, you could be eating your lunch with a dash of lead!
Here are some serious facts that are important to the health and safety of a floor contractor. Many floor finishes exceed the US federal action level for lead-based paints which is half a percent by weight. That said, given a typical 8-hour day at the job site buffing and during the final sanding, you are exposing yourself to more than one milligram per cubic meter of wood dust. This quantity of wood dust is considered to exceed the NOISH exposure limit.
Stated differently, there is a lot of lead lying around in that wood dust, some of which may not have even settled and may still be airborne. More specifically, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development federal clearance guidelines for a floor in a residential home are 0.43 milligrams per square meter. Think about the danger for small children who do not have a mature immune system yet. Even if you think you have cleaned the sawdust, it is necessary to be as thorough as possible.
Think twice before doing your floor job without wearing a proper respirator mask. It will protect your health. Orbital Floor Sander Reviews
I’m a real gadget nut. Any new tool offered to us floor sanders, to do a better or easier job, I usually give it a try. In most cases I’m pretty disapointed by the claims of manufacturers, espesially when it comes to sanding machines . Most of the hand held random orbital sanders, for instance work well on softwoods, but don’t have the power or weight to work on hardwoods. They also leave their own distinct sanding marks when you apply a stain to the wood. There have been some improvements in the big drum sanders when they moved to the sanding belt, but this has still not eliminated the chatter marks often seen on a fine sanded hardwood floor. It seems as soon as you pass a machine over a floor you can see its path. Nothing seems to disturb my customers more than to see the marks of these sanding machines once the floor is finished. You can imagine why prefinished floors have become so popular.
Well, we still have to use sanding machines on the existing hardwood floors. The rental drum sanding machines are difficult to use and are very underpowered. For best results, you really need a training session with this sander and it’s not a good idea to train on your own floor. But most of the rental companies have no spare hardwood deck where you can try these machines out. So most people go home and gouge and hack at their floors until toward the end of the job, they finally get the hang of it. Unfortunetly most of the mistakes are made with the coarse paper and are just about impossible to remove with the fine paper. Then the d.i.y.’er declares after the bumpy job is finished “NEVER AGAIN”.
In the early 90’s the Flecto® company came out with a partial solution to this dilema with the introduction of the Squar Buff Sander ® . At first I thought it was just another gimmick to sell some more of their exellent finish. I have to admit I was somewhat afraid that this machine might take some of my floor sanding work away and put it into the hands of the ametures. Well sometimes we need to explore what we are afraid of .
I had done a major repair job on a bedroom hardwood floor for some clients in my neighbourhood about 7 years ago and just last month got call from them to see what I could do for the main floor. I remember that job, 7 years ago (I have a photographic memory for floors, not people). I thought their main floor was in good shape. It had been sanded and refinished just before they bought the house, so all my work had to do with the upstairs floors. But now, alas, the finish on the main floor was giving way to large grey patches and everytime they washed the floor it got greyer and greyer. Well this 100 year old floor was about 2″ wide but only 3/8″ in depth and the last time it was sanded was the last time it should have been sanded. The finish that the previous owners had used was a lacquer sealer base coat and a single thin coat of polyurethane applied without scuffing the sealer. This one day job is cheap, but as the harder polyurethane gets impacted over the softer sealer, it cracks and soon the wood is unsealed and subject to water damage. Does this sound familiar ?
What to do, what to do? Well I thought here’s a chance to try out a new gadget; the orbital floor sander. I confirmed that they had never waxed this floor and the finish was brand new when they moved in 7 years ago. They never used any soap , oil or polish on it either. So here was a unique oportunity. If I used only fine 80 grit sandpaper I could gently buff out the grey spots and touch them up with 2 coats of poly, then recoat the whole floor with a final coat. The owners had actually recoated the small hallway some years before so it confirmed that the new finish would stick to the old one. Other wise I would have done a finish test patch and waited a week and razor cross hatched the spot and applied duct tape and ripped it off. This is the acid test for finish compatability and should always be done before every recoating job.
The job was priced and confirmed. In a few weeks I was off to the local Home Depot and rented an orbital floor sander by Alto ®, which is virtually identical to the Flecto Squar Buff ® machine. It was early in the morning at the store, we were all a little sleepy, and the rental salesman assumed I knew how to operate the machine, so we didn’t plug it in and test it. BIG MISTAKE. I got to the job and plugged it in and it wouldn’t start. I called Home Depot and talked to the rental manager and she concluded that the machine was broken. Well it wasn’t. But back I went to Home Depot and in a few seconds I was shown the saftey button to press before the main switch lever is pulled. A great feature, but because I didn’t have one on any of my machines, I didn’t look for it. Boy, was I embarassed. The nice manager appologized and turned back the clock on my half day rental so the only loss was my pride and one hour of my time.
Back on the job, and back on the floor, everything else went swimmingly. The 80 grit sandpaper, as I predicted, easily went through the grey spots and didn’t chew through the good finish too much. I waited until the machine had sanded all the grey areas, then went over the whole floor with the dull sandpaper. There was not much dust made in the whole operation but the silly little vacum on top of the machine sucked up almost nothing. After vacuming I took a good look at the floor and was happy to see most of the grey gone and not much in the way of sanding marks. I was finished with that machine, so I started up my Porter Cable ® 1/2 sheet sander and with 80 grit floor sanding paper attacked the edges where the orbital floor machine couldn’t get. With a little hand pressure this little machine did about the same job as the big one but about 10 times slower !
Once I finished with both machines I vacuumed very carefully and then poured a puddle of polyurethane on the floor and using a 12″ steel drywall trowel, skimmed a single coat on that room. I could see right away that my guess was correct, the grey was gone. Even though some of the deep scratches had gone very dark with the coat of poly, the overall results were good. The next day I screened the room again with my regular buffing machine. Then I brushed on another coat. Two days later I screened the whole ground floor and brushed on one final coating. Boy, did it come out beautiful, the owners thought so too.
In conclusion I would suggest in the right circumstances you might try this orbital floor sander . But I would guess it will have it’s limitations. I did notice that even with 80 grit sandpaper the machine left little circular marks in the wood. If one was to pigment stain the floor, these would really show up. But I was lucky to have a clear finish to apply so my marks were not visable. I would not try to use anything coarser than 60 grit and then finish off with the 80. The marks made by the 24 or 36 grit sand paper would be so deep that this little machine wouldn’t be able to take them out with the finer paper. You may not be able to tell if the floor has been fine sanded until the stain or the finish goes on and by then it is too late.
If you want to sand off the finish on an old floor, using this machine, it will take forevever and a day. Unless you were very diligent, there will be sanding marks in the wood and clouds of dust throughout the house. It also doesn’t have the power to sand off the overwood of a newly installed floor . A drum sander will do both of these tasks easily and quickly. Better yet, hire a pro for these jobs, and do the finish yourself, that’s the fun part anyway.
An Innovative Product From Primatech; Model 210 Pneumatic Nailer
I’ve been increasingly concerned these days by the proliferation of pneumatic floor staplers. In the summer of 2000 I contacted the two major floor nail manufacturers and asked them if they had any evidence to show the drawbacks of using staples to fasten down hardwood floors. Only the Primatech Co. of Quebec, Canada
answered my calls. And I spoke at length to Dominique about this matter. He directed me to their web site at www.primatech.ca, and refereed to the article about staples vs. nails. This wasn’t just an ad for nails; it was a summery of a well-researched study on the holding abilities of these two hardwood floor fasteners. Dominique sent me more information on this study and more alarming news came to my attention. The university study spoke of severe cracking and damage in as little as two years when a floor installer uses these staples. I’m going to do a separate article on this, once I get copies of the original research from Virginia Tech itself.
Up until six years ago there have been two reasons for me to avoid pneumatic floor fasteners altogether. One was my assumption that staples don’t hold as well as the traditional flooring nails, so I was never going to buy a hardwood floor stapler. The other was the unreliability of the pneumatic floor nailers so far. Primatech was the first company in North America to produce such a machine, and due to the rush to manufacture the original model was a prone to occasional jamming. This rush was caused in part by the staple industry’s incursion into this market. Dominique informed me that they had ironed out these dilemmas with the improved 210 model – now on the market for six proven years. Being the always-skeptical reporter, I said, “loan me one and I’ll do a review on it, for good or bad”. Much to my delight and surprise Dominique agreed and within a week the new nailer arrived.
Being new to the air driven tool world, I set out to get the best compressors and hoses available, to give my new tool the best chance. My talks with the good people at my local box store set me in the right direction. The 210 needs a specific amount of air pressure and was easily provided by a 2 HP twin tank compressor. I bought the best quality hoses and fittings they had and most importantly an in-line air filter. This is suggested in the nailer instructions and I have since found it in the directions of the framing nailer also. The internal parts of air driven tools are easily worn and jammed by contaminants in the air supply, so always add this filter on the exiting compressed air outlet. It’s not so easy to install on this particular compressor but with swivel couplings and adapters the good folk at your local box stores should show you just how to set it up.
I headed off to my next floor installation with much hope for my new toy. And like most “I-can-figure-it-out-myself-guys” I skipped through the first pages of instructions with the calm assurance that this tool was just like my mechanical driven nailer. What a mistake that turned out to be. The first thing I did was load the nails and pull back the cocking mechanism. I thought I had done the right thing and proceeded to set up the nailer on a board and hit the head cap and one nail was driven and then and nothing, nada, no nails. Not deterred I hit it again and again and my heart sunk. Jammed already. I went back to the instructions and this time read them more carefully. I got to the part about loading the tool and there it said, “pull back the tab until it engages behind the cleats”. Well I had pulled it back alright, but I had not engaged anything. The tool simply wouldn’t fire because I hadn’t cocked it. And now I had jammed this tool and I couldn’t get it to work, cocked or not.
I started to take the nailer apart with the tools I had on hand to check to see if I had broken any major parts. It became clear that the tool was simple to disassemble, and at first glance I couldn’t find anything wrong with it. I finished up that day with the old mechanical nailer and took my poor new 210 home. There, on the work bench with the whole thing dissembled I quickly found that the driving blade had not returned to its ready position and just needed to be pushed back into place manually. It was a result of my repeated dry firing of the mechanism and
not the tool’s fault at all. But it all worked out for the better because now I was well aquatinted with the simple inner workings of this nailer.
I returned to the job site the next day and just flew through another wise arduous task of nailing hardwood flooring. All you have to do is a gentle bop on the head cap of this marvelous device and the compressed air does the rest. If you have a really stubborn board you can give it a little more arm power and even the worst warped boards are tamed into place. This feature is a must, as I have seen some staplers that are fired like a gun with a trigger. Some boards need more kick that the nailer can’t provide and it is essential that they be hit a bit harder with mallets to pull the board up snugly. But enough about other poorly designed tools and back to the 210. No matter how hard or soft you hit it; the nail is set at the same depth each time. In fact once I set the air pressure at 95psi for the red oak; I never had to adjust it again until I installed white oak floor. White oak is a little harder so it required a tad more air pressure.
From October to December, I worked my (it’s not actually mine yet) Primatech ® 210 through 2000 ft. of new strip floor and not one more hitch. In fact I often left my old mechanical nailer at home where it now gathers dust after 22 years of service. I only jammed it once more when I double hit the tool on the same spot. The second nail simply went over the first one and screwed up the board, but the nailer suffered no damage. So even in the hands of a klutz like me the Primatech 210 is idiot proof. I took me a little while to get used to the safety assembly sticking down onto the floor. But one I got used to it, it would slide along the tongue of the boards without catching up. I had feared that this safety catch would break or bend but it’s made out of sturdy steel and tolerated my steep learning curve. In fact the whole tool seems well thought out, including its ease of disassembly for repair and maintenance. A good feature for the prefinished crowd is the plastic base plate on this tool. It’s non-marring, so you don’t mess up those perfect prefinished boards. I used to have to cover the base plate of my other nailer with a layer of duct tape to prevent this. Primatech has an accessory that will allow
this nailer to fasten 1/2″ thick boards instead of just the 3/4″ strip floor I normally install. And another one to shoot the nail on a shallower angle for subfloors with heating elements under them. They are also the only company I know to make a specialized nailer for laminated floor. You’ve got to check out their web site and see this if you are nailing lots of engineered floor, at www.primatech.ca.
There is a reason I’m sure for the relative complexity and fussiness of these pneumatic floor nailers. The flat serrated nail was invented first and then the air driven tool was built around it. It takes fine machining to make a tool that shoots these flooring nails and not loose air pressure. And it’s just these fine tolerances that can foul up the inner workings and cause a jam. So there are two things I would strongly suggest; get an in-line filter to prevent this jamming, and (do as I say, not as I did) read and follow the directions carefully. I highly recommend this tool and if you are just renting be sure you ask for it by name. And by all means stay away from those floor staples; now there is no reason to use them even of you now own a pneumatic stapler. Primatech has a conversion kit that will convert the most popular floor stapler to shoot flooring nails. Wow, what a versatile and accommodating company! Anyone still using flooring staples is just too lazy to get informed do you really want them installing your floor?
answered my calls. And I spoke at length to Dominique about this matter. He directed me to their web site at www.primatech.ca, and refereed to the article about staples vs. nails. This wasn’t just an ad for nails; it was a summery of a well-researched study on the holding abilities of these two hardwood floor fasteners. Dominique sent me more information on this study and more alarming news came to my attention. The university study spoke of severe cracking and damage in as little as two years when a floor installer uses these staples. I’m going to do a separate article on this, once I get copies of the original research from Virginia Tech itself.
Up until six years ago there have been two reasons for me to avoid pneumatic floor fasteners altogether. One was my assumption that staples don’t hold as well as the traditional flooring nails, so I was never going to buy a hardwood floor stapler. The other was the unreliability of the pneumatic floor nailers so far. Primatech was the first company in North America to produce such a machine, and due to the rush to manufacture the original model was a prone to occasional jamming. This rush was caused in part by the staple industry’s incursion into this market. Dominique informed me that they had ironed out these dilemmas with the improved 210 model – now on the market for six proven years. Being the always-skeptical reporter, I said, “loan me one and I’ll do a review on it, for good or bad”. Much to my delight and surprise Dominique agreed and within a week the new nailer arrived.
Being new to the air driven tool world, I set out to get the best compressors and hoses available, to give my new tool the best chance. My talks with the good people at my local box store set me in the right direction. The 210 needs a specific amount of air pressure and was easily provided by a 2 HP twin tank compressor. I bought the best quality hoses and fittings they had and most importantly an in-line air filter. This is suggested in the nailer instructions and I have since found it in the directions of the framing nailer also. The internal parts of air driven tools are easily worn and jammed by contaminants in the air supply, so always add this filter on the exiting compressed air outlet. It’s not so easy to install on this particular compressor but with swivel couplings and adapters the good folk at your local box stores should show you just how to set it up.
I headed off to my next floor installation with much hope for my new toy. And like most “I-can-figure-it-out-myself-guys” I skipped through the first pages of instructions with the calm assurance that this tool was just like my mechanical driven nailer. What a mistake that turned out to be. The first thing I did was load the nails and pull back the cocking mechanism. I thought I had done the right thing and proceeded to set up the nailer on a board and hit the head cap and one nail was driven and then and nothing, nada, no nails. Not deterred I hit it again and again and my heart sunk. Jammed already. I went back to the instructions and this time read them more carefully. I got to the part about loading the tool and there it said, “pull back the tab until it engages behind the cleats”. Well I had pulled it back alright, but I had not engaged anything. The tool simply wouldn’t fire because I hadn’t cocked it. And now I had jammed this tool and I couldn’t get it to work, cocked or not.
I started to take the nailer apart with the tools I had on hand to check to see if I had broken any major parts. It became clear that the tool was simple to disassemble, and at first glance I couldn’t find anything wrong with it. I finished up that day with the old mechanical nailer and took my poor new 210 home. There, on the work bench with the whole thing dissembled I quickly found that the driving blade had not returned to its ready position and just needed to be pushed back into place manually. It was a result of my repeated dry firing of the mechanism and not the tool’s fault at all. But it all worked out for the better because now I was well aquatinted with the simple inner workings of this nailer.
I returned to the job site the next day and just flew through another wise arduous task of nailing hardwood flooring. All you have to do is a gentle bop on the head cap of this marvelous device and the compressed air does the rest. If you have a really stubborn board you can give it a little more arm power and even the worst warped boards are tamed into place. This feature is a must, as I have seen some staplers that are fired like a gun with a trigger. Some boards need more kick that the nailer can’t provide and it is essential that they be hit a bit harder with mallets to pull the board up snugly. But enough about other poorly designed tools and back to the 210. No matter how hard or soft you hit it; the nail is set at the same depth each time. In fact once I set the air pressure at 95psi for the red oak; I never had to adjust it again until I installed white oak floor. White oak is a little harder so it required a tad more air pressure.
From October to December, I worked my (it’s not actually mine yet) Primatech ® 210 through 2000 ft. of new strip floor and not one more hitch. In fact I often left my old mechanical nailer at home where it now gathers dust after 22 years of service. I only jammed it once more when I double hit the tool on the same spot. The second nail simply went over the first one and screwed up the board, but the nailer suffered no damage. So even in the hands of a klutz like me the Primatech 210 is idiot proof. I took me a little while to get used to the safety assembly sticking down onto the floor. But one I got used to it, it would slide along the tongue of the boards without catching up. I had feared that this safety catch would break or bend but it’s made out of sturdy steel and tolerated my steep learning curve. In fact the whole tool seems well thought out, including its ease of disassembly for repair and maintenance. A good feature for the prefinished crowd is the plastic base plate on this tool. It’s non-marring, so you don’t mess up those perfect prefinished boards. I used to have to cover the base plate of my other nailer with a layer of duct tape to prevent this. Primatech has an accessory that will allow this nailer to fasten 1/2″ thick boards instead of just the 3/4″ strip floor I normally install. And another one to shoot the nail on a shallower angle for subfloors with heating elements under them. They are also the only company I know to make a specialized nailer for laminated floor. You’ve got to check out their web site and see this if you are nailing lots of engineered floor, at www.primatech.ca.
There is a reason I’m sure for the relative complexity and fussiness of these pneumatic floor nailers. The flat serrated nail was invented first and then the air driven tool was built around it. It takes fine machining to make a tool that shoots these flooring nails and not loose air pressure. And it’s just these fine tolerances that can foul up the inner workings and cause a jam. So there are two things I would strongly suggest; get an in-line filter to prevent this jamming, and (do as I say, not as I did) read and follow the directions carefully. I highly recommend this tool and if you are just renting be sure you ask for it by name. And by all means stay away from those floor staples; now there is no reason to use them even of you now own a pneumatic stapler. Primatech has a conversion kit that will convert the most popular floor stapler to shoot flooring nails. Wow, what a versatile and accommodating company! Anyone still using flooring staples is just too lazy to get informed do you really want them installing your floor? Top 10 Flooring Myths
1) “No Wax Finish” means that your floors never need any maintenance.
The truth is that any film finish will need periodic cleaning, and possibly touch ups of deep scratches. In 5-10 years depending on use a scuff sanding (screening) and recoating of the entire floor is needed to maintain the finish’s ability to repel water.
2) High gloss polyurethane is the most durable finish.
The truth is that even though a high gloss finish will wear a little bit better, it will loose its gloss in the high use areas first. So really a low luster or semigloss finish has a better appearance durability in the long run. A low luster or satin finish will show dirt and dust the least.
3) Hardwood Floors are 10 times more expensive then wall to wall carpeting.
A properly maintained 3/4″ by 2″ strip floor will last 300 years bringing its cost, per year, to about 7 cents per square foot. That would include having it recoated and resanded periodically. After 20 years carpeting will look worn out and will have been professionally cleaned many times never really restoring it. It will then be replaced bringing it’s cost with maintenance to about 35 cents per square foot per year. After 20 years Hardwood flooring is just beginning to age to a warm patina .
4) Prefinished floors are easy to install and require little skill or attention to detail.
In order to get that 100-300 year life out of your plank floor a lot of consideration has to be put into the suitability of the Subfloor and proper fasteners need to be used. What a waste of money when its just slammed into place, by some production installer, who was assigned to your job when you ordered your wood from a big showroom. Remember it’s floor carpentry not floor covering.
5) By choosing the cheapest quote from a hardwood flooring contractor I will save money.
As a general rule the contractor that is 20-50% cheaper than all the rest will skip vital steps in the installation and sanding and finishing processes. The result will be both immediate problems such as a rough finish or uneven stain color. Also future un-solvable or expensive problems, like peeling finish, or gapping and squeaking of boards.
6) Hardwood Floor is one of the best choices for a kitchen floor.
Short term, maybe. But consider that the kitchen takes 10 times the wear and tear of your living room floor. Be sure water spills are wiped up promptly. Recoat the surface with 1 or 2 coats of finish every 2-4 years at the minimum (even if it still looks good). This will keep the surface more water resistant. Consider if you really want this aggravation for the most used floor in your house.
7) A wax finish or oil finish is the most natural look and least toxic for a hardwood floor finish.
You can only apply a wax to a regular film finish. Only a sound finish will allow the wax to be buffed to a high luster. Wax itself will not provide much water resistance and will wear off within a year in the high used areas. Although it is easy to apply, even paste wax has some toxic solvent in it. Oil finishes are usually an oil / varnish blends. Theses provide little protection unless you apply 20 coats. Scratches are easily touched up but are actually still visible once the oil dries. With just a few coats of oil you have minimal if no moisture protection, and because oil finishes are mostly solvent you will be exposed to toxic fumes more often as you do all those touch up coats. Sometimes they put in scents in these finishes to disguise the solvent smell, it won’t diminish the toxic effects.
8) Wood floors need to be nourished with wax, oil, or polish to keep them from drying out.
The wood itself is dead, the bones of a tree essentially. The pores of the wood floor are coated with a film finish to prevent water and moisture damage (warping). Floors look like they are drying out when they have lost their finish and the surface has become abraded. At this point they probably need to be sanded and refinished. Oil polishes like lemon oil are actually slow drying solvents and will only make the finish look good for a few days before it evaporates. Wax does not protect the wood except to make it more slippery to reduce
abrasion.
9) After floors are sanded they need to be “sealed” before a finish is applied.
Any quality film finish will “seal” the wood with the first coat. The trick is to scuff sand the finish and clean between all coats so there is a mechanical bond between them. Without this scuffing, polyurethane for example will peel right off. Lacquer sealers or Shellacs are the very worst base coats for polyurethane. And yet most flooring contractors use these sealers because they will save time and money by using only polyurethane as a top coat. Using the same finish for all three coats makes the finish more sound and relativity easy in most cases to touch up.
10) Gaps between floors boards can easily be filled or oil polish or talc can be used to quiet squeaks.
Unfortunately floors that have undergone some swelling, then shrinking don’t take well to being simply filled or refinished. Filler in any form is not wood and will not expand and contract with the floor boards. Filler will always crack out within a few seasons, Fresh coats of finish applied will simply seep down between the boards and not solve anything Oil will only last for a few days and will dry up and talc is just as temporary. The floor can be renailed and we’ll show you how in a future video.