Laquer – Lacquer Finish Floor Fires
I hope the title of this article alarms you because every time I get news of another lacquer floor fire it brings me back about 21 years ago when a floor caught on fire right under my nose. I’ll return to this later.
This first year of the millennium has been a busy year for most of us floor sanders but it seems we are still using a finish developed about 80 years ago, when high production was regularly sacrificed for safety and health. Most lacquer finishes and their poorer cousins the lacquer sealers are made from nitrocellulose (which is basically cotton and wood fibers dissolved in acids) alkyd resins and plasticizes. But it’s the addition of lacquer thinner that makes this stuff so fast drying and explosive.
High solids content lacquers like Pro Fabulon (at 26%) contain enough non evaporated material that it was used at first as a tough bowling alley finish. It’s fast drying properties made quick work of the coating so the lanes could be used the next day. Lacquer sealers were used as a replacement for shellac as a quick dry finish to provide a base for floor varnishes. Lacquer sealers were mopped on with a lambs wool applicator and allowed to dry overnight. The next day you could easily buff the lacquer smooth and provide the scratches needed for the next coat of polyurethane varnish. This allowed for the floor finishing operation to be completed in just two days. But why stop here why not figure a way to put on even less finish and get a job done in one day? Now days the very cheapest of the wood floor refinishes merely apply 2 very thin skim coats of laquer sealer using a drywall trowel and wait 15 minutes for it to dry. Then they happily coat the floor with polyurethane and declare the shiny job done and put their hand out for the check. Now, this one day finish hasn’t left time for the lacquer solvents to release and the slippery polyurethane can’t get a grip on the unsecured sealer.
Unfortunately these sealers are much softer than the top coat and make the harder polyurethane suffer from impact cracking. Imagine a sheet of ice covering an unfrozen mud flat, it looks safe enough until you put your foot down on it. As the polyurethane layer cracks the sealer underneath provides almost no moisture protection and after a few water spills and washings the floor starts turning gray in ever growing patches. Does this sound familiar? And then most people blame the polyurethane when the fault lies not in the product but the process (remember Doc’s motto at the top of the Home page?)
But I digress. It was brought to my attention to me by my favorite carpenter that Toronto has been experiencing some rather nasty and tragic floor lacquer fires. On July 12 this year a 62 year old floor finisher named Albert Ernst was burned to death as he was applying a lacquer sealer to a basement parquet floor. His helper and the owner, by only 5 seconds, missed a fiery death as the helper came upstairs to fetch the Ephraim Gale to bring him to see the first coat being applied. Mr. Gale yelled for Albert but the floor was burning like crazy and the smoke drove he and the helper out of the house. Even though windows in the basement were open Albert didn’t realize that the solvents in lacquer are heavier than air and especially on a hot and humid day they will sink and be ignited by a pilot light, or even a spark from a fan motor used to blow the deadly fumes outside. Science lacquer sealers have a much as 80% solvent in them, a gallon of lacquer on the floor is like pouring 3 quarts of gasoline on your basement. There are arson laws against that but no restrictions on using lacquer sealers in a closed environment like your home.
I felt compelled to write this article when a few days later 68 year old Emilio Spina died with burns to 85% of his body in another lacquer basement fire. His assistant also suffered burns on his left arm and neck. It almost happened to me when 21 years ago while working for a cheap Toronto floor company. We were required to apply the lacquer sealer without the benefit of a respirator mask so I always had to supply my own. Being the newest on the crew and possessing the only mask I often had to do the nasty job of applying the lacquer with a drywall trowel on my knees. This time however I had unknowingly cut the doorbell wire with the disk on my floor edger that was incorrectly tucked under the quarter round. All I saw was a small spark of the 12 volt wire and mistook it for the many nail heads we commonly sand over. When I applied the lacquer to the front hall floor the steel tool went right to the edge where the exposed wire was and ignited the puddle of lacquer in front of me. I yelled FIRE ! and Tom the foreman came out to the top of the stairs and looked at the growing blue solvent flames at the foot of the stairs . I ducked into the room off the hall with no exit and wondered how long I should wait before I would have to smash the window to get out . But Tom, trapped upstairs got a bucket of water and heroically dashed it down the staircase onto the fire.
Well by luck or planning the full open bucket of floor lacquer was 15 feet down the narrow hall and the cool flame of the mostly alcohol fire didn’t set the floor or any curtains ablaze. So the flame didn’t get a chance to ignite the 4 gallons of flammable just a few paces away. The funny thing was that by the time Tom had thrown the water the fire was almost out anyway. And the damage to the floor was so minimal that we got out the sanders again and resanded the slight burned mark, shut off the electricity to the whole house and went on with cheaply finishing the floor. I suffered only some singed hair on my head and eyebrows and was more scared of the big boss’s wrath than my brush with death.
Well I learned something, but not much because when I started my own company later that year in order to compete price wise we had to do the quick cheap and dangerous lacqer sealer jobs just to stay in business. It wasn’t until about 3 years into my own operation that I was able to increase my prices enough to use polyurethane for all 3 coats, and decrease some of my risk. But as we got busier in the late 80’s we started using a high quaity lacquer finish called Pro Fabulon and it gave about the same duability as poly but we could do 2 or even 3 coats in a day. It has the same fire risk as any lacquer sealer so we are dilligent about pilot lights and ignition sources. But I feel that I have been living on borrowed time. After the news about the horendous deaths of my fellow floor mechanics I expreienced a profound sadness. Imagine as I was nearing retirement (as these probably men were) to die a needless death on the job. The only reason that you are reqired to use this highly flamable floor finish is because your client wants to save some money. As you are engulfed in flames and breathing in the noxious fire you know now that a cheap floor job is worth less than nothing campared to your life.
I’ll be finishing out 4 remaining contracts this summer and early fall with the Pro Fabulon and this winter will only use the less flamable oil based poly And hopefuly if I can raise my prices to cover the added material and labour costs I’ll swich to using the non flamable Dura Seal 1000 water based finish. Birch, Yellow – Total Wood Species Guide
PROS: It comes in colors from pale whitish-yellow to a light brown. Sometimes it can be more of a light reddish-brown. Yellow birch is more golden than other species of birch. It makes for a very rustic looking floor. Straight, closed grain pattern with some interesting figuring. It is a unique hardwood floor. However, it looks like maple and is often mistaken for it in older homes. It has good bending properties which means that it won’t split easily. It has an excellent holding ability when it is nailed. It has a uniform texture that makes it a very nice floor covering. It has medium hardness.
CONS: It is actually fairly soft and tends to dent a little too easily for my liking. Being close-grained and a high density wood, it won’t take stains very well. If you must stain it, it is possible, but pigmented stain will go on blotchy. It has a swirly grain pattern. This means that the stain will turn out splotchy. It’s also not very moisture stable and may develop gaps in time. It takes a long time for birch to dry. This is why it has a tendency to shrink. It has very little luster so it will have a somewhat dull appearance.
TREE FACTS: Yellow birch is native to the northeast part of North America. It is called a “yellow birch” because the bark is yellow. It is the most valuable of all the native birch trees. The birch tree is New Hampshire’s state tree. Yellow birch is the most common species of birch that is used for flooring. Historically, birch bark was used for making canoes. Brazilian Walnut – Total Wood Species Guide
PROS: Brazilian walnut ranges from light to dark brown to deep red with beautiful fine graining. It has striping that looks like a zebra. The wood has a soft, fine texture. It has a natural ability to resist fungus. Brazilian walnut is significantly denser than red oak. It is a very durable wood. Brazilian walnut is great for high traffic areas.
CONS: Brazilian walnut can cause a lot of problems if it has not been dried properly. It will shrink quite a bit unless it has been “over dried” in the kiln drying stage. It is very important to get your Brazilian walnut from a source that dries it sufficiently. Otherwise, you will end up with a headache! It is quite expensive wood.
TREE FACTS: Brazilian walnut is used for heavy marine structures as well as interior and exterior furniture. Brazilian walnut grows in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, Guatemala and some other southern countries. Pine, Eastern White and Western Ponderosa – Total Wood Species Guide
PROS: Here in the North East I have encountered eastern white pine very commonly used as a subfloor in many of our 80 year and older houses. If it sound and hasn’t suffered too much damage from other floors being nailed to it, by all means try to restore it. The thicker 1″ planks have more life to them. When 4 coats of oil-based urethane is applied this wood turns an amber red color which becomes redder over time. And certainly if you can find some antique pine try this as a new installation. The even grain structure and its unique knots give pine a certain charm to an older home. The most striking characteristic of antique pine is its extra wide widths and longer planks.
CONS: The newer plantation pine is as soft as balsa wood. I would never recommend this species of pine for flooring, only the old growth material is somewhat useful. Traditionally even with the old growth, in older homes pine floors were installed more commonly upstairs in lighter traffic areas because it is relatively soft. Eastern white pine is an oily wood that has naturally occurring drying problems due to the resins in the wood itself.
TREE FACTS: Eastern white pine is the tallest tree in eastern North America. White pine floors were common in buildings constructed before the Civil War. Found in the forests of western North America, it is one of America’s most common trees. Southern Cypress – Total Wood Species Guide
PROS: It looks like an old pine floor with slightly different coloring. It has a warm honey color with thin streaks of darker shades of reds and chocolate browns. Southern cypress has a fine, closed grain pattern that resembles feathers. It is a durable wood that is resistant to splitting and warping. Because it produces a material known as cypressene, which is an oily substance, it deters insects and resists decay. It is a slow growing wood which means that its rings are positioned tightly together. These close rings make cypress susceptible to very little shrinkage and also make it very dense. Physically, mechanically and with regard to design, southern cypress is pretty close to western red cedar. It is a very hard softwood.
CONS: It is a slow growing tree. It grows in swampy areas, making it difficult to remove. Sometimes getting the wood requires a helicopter. Clearly it is a fairly expensive, hard-to-find wood. As its popularity grows, modern methods are making it easier to obtain.
TREE FACTS: Southern cypress is also called North American cypress or bald cypress. As the legends go, Noah’s Ark and the first doors to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome were made out of cypress. Ancient Egyptians used cypress to make caskets for the pharos. Cypress is an old flooring material that has been replaced by oak. It was extremely popular in the colonial and Victorian eras in the United States. It was commonly grown in Florida, Louisiana and Georgia. Many people associate cypress with its use for exterior applications, but it makes for a nice floor covering. Cypress grows in protected wetlands where logging is prohibited or it grows in forests where it is selectively cut and given time to regenerate back naturally. This means that it is not widely available. More importantly, it makes for a sustainable wood floor. Because it is strong and durable, southern cypress has many outdoor applications like railroad tiles and fence posts. Mahogany, African and American – Total Wood Species Guide
PROS: It has the most amazing grain pattern and figuring depending on the cut you choose. It has a distinctive brown to reddish-golden color that is unique to this species. It is very moisture stable and would do well in hot humid climates. It is medium hard, about the same as cherry. It finishes beautifully and is a very durable wood. Mahogany has very little movement. It has a gorgeous, golden luster.
CONS: This wood is hard to find. Other woods are sold as mahogany such as luan and Santos, and they are cheaper but lack the character of the true mahogany. It is very expensive if you can find the real thing. Compared to American mahogany, African mahogany is weaker. Both American and African mahogany will darken overtime. Because it isn’t a very strong wood, it is better choice as an accent to your floor. It has a tendency to split when it is nailed so it is best to pre-drill all of your holes.
TREE FACTS: American mahogany grows from southern Mexico to Brazil. American mahogany is also called Honduras mahogany. The sapwood of American mahogany is susceptible to attack by the power post beetle. African mahogany usually comes from the khaya genus and is referred to as “khaya mahogany”. African mahogany primarily grows in the Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Ghana. African mahogany is often used in place of American mahogany because it is more abundant and cheaper. Oak, White – Total Wood Species Guide
PROS: This golden yellow to brown colored wood is one of my favorites. In a rift or quarter sawn grade it shows off its medullar rays like no other wood. It is harder than red oak and is more moisture stable and very durable. This wood takes all stains evenly. But why hide its lovely color? In select grade it is priced the same as red oak. This wood is relatively rot resistant. Like red oak, white oak is also quite wear resistant.
CONS: Some people object to its yellowish tones and its more varied coloring. It can be difficult to sand due to its hardness. It is fairly expensive in the quarter-sawn grade.
TREE FACTS: Amongst all the oaks, the white oak is the most valued. It is one of the largest trees found in eastern North America. It is commonly used in the manufacturing of tall boats because it is quite moisture resistant. Merbau – Total Wood Species Guide
PROS: The color varies from different shades of brown to red brown with reddish-orange accents. The color of merbau deepens over time to a bold reddish brown. The wood has a coarse grain pattern that varies from wavy and interlocked to straight texture. The wood has yellow “flecks” in the pores that turn to a beautiful gold when it is finished. Its strength is comparable to hickory but is less dense. Its stability is similar to teak. Its properties are comparable to European beech. Merbau is naturally resistant to termites. It takes finishes very well. It doesn’t shrink that much with humidity changes. Merbau is a very stable wood.
CONS: Because merbau is such a dense wood, it will gum up saw teeth and dull hand tools. Merbau is a difficult wood to saw. If you want to have success working merbau, you will want to use carbide tools. This wood will turn black when it comes in contact with iron or other ferrous metals as well as with moisture. Make sure that you are going to use it in a room that will not have moisture or water problems or else you will end up having a black floor – and it won’t look even!
TREE FACTS: Merbau grows in the Indo-Malayan region of the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia as well as some other western Pacific islands. Merbau is used for furniture, panelling, window frames, joinery applications and musical instruments. The Environmental Investigation Agency has reported illegal logging of merbau in southeast Asia. Merbau is a very high risk and threatened species. The last rain forests in Indonesia are being destroyed for merbau flooring. It is considered a very luxurious wood and this is why it has been illegally logged. If you do purchase merbau, make sure it is coming from a legitimate source. Beech, American – Total Wood Species Guide
PROS: I’ve seen this material in parquet as well as strip floor. It has a nice light brown to orangey-tan color. There are interesting color variations to beech flooring. It is as tough as nails. It’s a very stable and straight grained material that would hold up well in sports courts and for commercial uses. The grain is closed. It is a good substitute for maple and has a warmer appearance. It has very fine graining and a uniform texture. Its hardness is almost the same as red oak. It holds nails well. When it is exposed to sunlight, it doesn’t change color significantly. It is slightly harder than red oak. Beech floors wear evenly and retain their beautiful sheen as they wear. Because they wear evenly, these floors are suitable for high traffic areas.
CONS: If you insist on staining this wood you will find only the lighter dye stains will have any enhancing effects. This material has pores too small for a conventional pigment stain to be used. So hard, it’s difficult to sand. It does have a tendency to split and warp. Be careful when you are nailing this wood that it won’t split. Beech holds nails well. It is also susceptible to high shrinkage.
TREE FACTS: Awhile back beech was not a common wood. The reason being that it has a tendency to crack when it is air dried. Nowadays, beech is kiln dried. This drying process is much more successful and has made beech a popular floor covering. American beech is acclaimed to be the “Mother of the Forest” because of its highly nutritive humus. Beach has an ancient past. The Aryan tribes of Asia used the smooth, pliable bark of the beech tree to carve out messages. These carvings were cut out of the bark and left intact. They were referred to as “bok” which has evolved to become our modern-day “book”. The American beech tree grows throughout the eastern United States. It is grown for commercial use in the central and middle Atlantic states.