Question: I have been using Feast Watson floor sealer (tongue oil) do you know how toxic this is? Answer: Dear Stewart You must be from Australia, as this is the only place I could find info on this product. And the closest I could find was the Orica Woodcare products manufacturing co. They make the Feast Watson brand of finishes, along with Cabot and Intergrain. Here is a list of the stuff they put into this mildly toxic stuff. This was taken from the Cabot Danish oil web site, and this is most likely similar or the same as the Feast Watson. CABOTS DANISH OIL Lighting kerosene 8008-20-6 HIGH Synthetic polymer – HIGH Light aromatic petroleum naphtha 64742-95-6 MED Medium aliphatic hydrocarbon 64742-88-7 MED Additives – LOW Solvents in very low proportions – VERY LOW Unlike here in North America they don’t have to list the percentages of the ingredients, but typically these oil/varnishes contain about 80% solvents. These range form the safest called odorless mineral spirits (also called light aromatic naphtha) to the more toxic trimethylbenzene (which is probably the synthetic polymer) and lastly and worstly the Kerosene. Kerosene is a possible carcinogen, a severe mutagen, (causes inherited defects) and a severe skin irritant. All the solvents have the effect of causing drowsiness, hallucinations and distorted perceptions. And are all very flammable. So all in all I would say this stuff is very toxic and you would be exposed to less toxins if you thinned (with odorless mineral sprits) a good quality oil modified polyurethane and used this a first coat instead. I simply use a 14″ steel drywall trowel to apply a thin coat of my favorite poly (full strength) and avoid most all of these deadly solvents, and expense. But I do wait at least overnight for this to dry. But in most cases this is the end of a long floor sanding day, and I am glad to go home. If you want to try a really non-toxic oil finish take a look at Tried And True oil/varnish at http://www.triedandtruewoodfinish.com. This finish has NO petroleum based solvents and no metallic dryers. But it may be too weak for floors. You would need to apply at least 5-6 coats over about a 2-week period, scuff sanding between all coats.

Question: Just removed wall to wall carpeting and found that there are some stains. Can floors be spot sanded or bleached? How do you bleach oak flooring? Judi Answer: Dear Judi It just depends on what the stains were caused by. There are three different kinds of wood bleach and they each act on different stains. For all these bleaches you will need to remove all the finish from the wood surface, either by sanding or chemical stripping. If you sand this will give you a chance to see how deep the stain is. If you are really lucky you can sand most or all of the stain out. Use 80 grit sandpaper, and finish with 100-120 grit. The first is oxalic acid, in liquid or crystal form. This will remove most water and rust stains. Apply a strong solution and wait several hours or overnight if needed. Wash off wood surface with lots of water, with a bit of baking soda to neutralize the acid. A lot of deck brighteners have oxalic acid in them. The next to try is a chlorine bleach. This will remove most dye stains, caused by juice, blood or coffee spills. The weakest form of this bleach is regular household bleach. It’s worth a try, but it may be ineffective. Better to use swimming pool bleach (dry calcium hypochlorite), and mix with hot water, until solution is saturated. Apply to the spot and it should work right away, but try twice if needed and wait overnight. Wash off with lots of distilled water and let the wood dry overnight, before refinishing if it did work. And lastly for organic stains, like urine and feces, your only hope is to use hydrogen peroxide, in a very strong and dangerous concentration. Klean-Srtip is readily available in North America, and comes with good instructions. Visit their web site at www.kleanstrip.com for info on how to use this stuff. Click on the product button, then the wood bleach link. This will generally turn the dark spots to a off white color, which you will have to blend in with a light colored wood stain to match the color of your finished wood floor. With all these bleaches, they are water based, so they will raise the grain and make the wood rough. Be sure to let the wood dry overnight. And be careful when you sand it smooth not to sand out the bleached effect. Final sand with little pressure with 120 grit sandpaper. Or you can repair the spot. Use the search box at the top of this web page to find the wood floor repair article.  

Question: I have several questions. I am refinishing my floors myself and am now having to re-do them because of some problems that have come up. First of all I live in an apartment that was built in 1927 so needless to say the floors are old and a little creeky. I don’t know when the last time was that they were refinished but it was more that 10 years ago. The old finish was over bare unstained wood, a matte finish, was very ambered, hard as steel (almost impossible to scratch and impossible to scrape off) and was very hard to get off. Since I am unable to move out while doing this I am doing the floor in sections. After sanding and staining the floor (to get a deeper color the stain I stained it a few times) I finished it with Minwax oil base polyurethane (it said great on floors). After a few weeks I notice that in various spots where the planks of wood butt up against each other that the finish was lifting off the wood about 1/16th of an inch at the seams. In the spots were this is happening is where the seams of the floor bend slightly as you step on them, it is not happening anywhere else nor is it happening in the center of a plank. The Minwax was not very strong because in these areas it will chip and scrape off very easily. That never happen with the old finish that was on there, how do I keep that from happening? I then switched to using Harco moisture cure urethane to get a stronger finish. I tried using the semi-gloss without and with a retarder and no matter how much I stir it I always end up with an uneven sheen mostly at the lap marks (the lap marks being glossier). I am giving up using this stuff but I am very curious how to achieve an even sheen. Finally, since I now have to re-do the whole apartment I would like to know which brand of oil based polyurethane you recommend using that will give me the strongest finish in semi gloss and what type of finish you think may have been on my floors before. Thank you, Alex Answer: Dear Alex Your first mistake may have been that multiple stainings. Stain contains a binder agent (like glue) that may not have dried properly with this multiple application. You would have had to wait 24 hours or more between stain applications. I use a better stain brand like the Dura Seal stains when I want a really dark color. Their coffee brown is very dark and rich, and one application always does it. You also may not have waited for each coat of poly to dry, and you may not have scuff sanded thoroughly between coats. I never use the Minwax brand, and prefer the Fabulon brand heavy duty poly instead. The dry times listed on ALL these finishes are WAY too optimistic, and I always let stains dry at least 24 hours, and wipe my hand on them to check for transfer. I also smell the stain, to see if it has lost all solvents. I BRUSH on the first coat over the Dura Seal stain carefully, and let it dry 24-48 hours. The test for finish dryness, is to screen or scuff sand and check your screen for any gummy transfer. Also smell the floor, any solvent smell and wait another day. I would never recommend a moisture cured poly for residential use. The toxins in that finish are most awful. You are severely poisoning yourself every time you use it. It’s for industrial use only. And they will never perfect the satin flatteners in this type of finish. We only use gloss, with MC poly. The Fabulon Brand has a very reliable satin or semi gloss finish poly that I use all the time, with great results. But I brush the finish on, I never use lamb’s wool applicators. No bubbles and a even sheen is my result. And happy and paying customers also. So my advice for peeling finish, is to have the floor professionally sanded again and start all over with the finishes and methods I suggest. You will get a more consistent result by sanding all the floors in the house, staining all at once and finishing all at once. Store your furniture and bite the bullet, and hire a pro at least for the sanding, but you certainly can do the staining and finishing of the floor yourself. Oh, and don’t expect any oil modified poly to cure until a month has gone by. And, very old finishes are harder due to the fact that they continue to cross link throughout their life, until they finally become brittle and crack. This takes about 40 years, so don’t worry about it. As always your Most humble servant, Joseph, the Wood Floor Doctor.

Question: I am interested then in finding the least toxic finish as I am a doctor and have seen too many occupational exposures to wood dust, solvents etc. If a polyurethane is the way to go what is the best one so to speak in North America and what may be its equivalent out in Australia. Your advice would be thoroughly appreciated. Stewart Answer: Dear Stewart I became a lot more concerned about these chemicals when I discovered I had Hairy Cell Leukemia. But it will take at least 20 years or more to die from this chronic ailment, so I’ve got lots of time to rail against toxic finishes masquerading as safe. The finish I am now using is the Fabulon brand ( 905-871-2724) heavy duty polyurethane. And I apply one thin coat and two heavy coats. Scuff sanding and cleaning between coats. You will need a day or two dry between coats in hot humid weather. But in very dry conditions it set up quickly. It has a solvent content of about 55%. Look at the health and safety sheets that are supplied with the product. The least toxic petroleum based solvent is the aliphatic hydrocarbon 64742-88-7. This is our equivalent to odorless mineral spirits. You should see this in the highest amount. It makes the finish dry more slowly, but the xylene, benzene and toluene have been extracted from it. The number at the end of the chemical name is it’s universal CAS, and all chemists around the world use this system to identify these chemicals more accurately. Or try the Dura Seal 1000 water base finish, read my article about this in the Floored News. It is quite a bit safer, but is so new as to be unproven for heavy duty floor use. But the safest but longest drying finish would be the Tried and True oil/varnish, take a serious look at this finish, I mentioned it in the last email. You can mail order this finish from www.leevalleytools.com. As always your Most humble servant, Joseph, the Wood Floor Doctor.

Question: My husband & his friend, “the general contractor”, installed our Subzero frige and when they rolled in over our new maple floor, the shear weight of the Sub dented our flooring. It doesn’t appear to have scratched through the finsh, but rather just left a long dent from the wheels of the Sub. My husband’s friend said these dents may come up if we try gently steaming them with an iron and wet cloth. Have you ever heard of this and if so do you have any tips on how to do this? Answer: Dear Shawn This is especially difficult repair to do. The hot iron approach is valid but you will have to remove the finish first. You can do this by sanding the area, or applying a chemical stripper to expose the bare wood. Just the corner of the rag wetted will do, as you apply the hot iron. Use distilled water so you don’t cause a mineral stain if your water has iron in it. You can also try drops of rubbing alcohol and the tip of a hot new clean soldering iron. Rubbing alcohol contains enough water to puff out the dent (on bare wood) without damaging the finish too much. But now you have to touch up the finish, and most likely re-coat the entire floor. Be sure to wait until the spot has dried overnight before you touch-up. And know your floor finish. Most floor finishes will not blend in well, and you will have to re-coat the whole floor, and even then it will not perfect. I know, because I have to do such repairs for insurance companies, and even I have a hard time making the repair invisible. But it can be done. Sand well between all coats, and allow each coat to dry 1-2 days. I’m talking about the touch-up coats. Once the area is filled in with at least 2-3 coats of finish, let this cure for about a week, and sand level, with 120 grit sandpaper, then re-coat the whole floor. You might consider puffing out the dent, and having the whole floor re-sanded, instead. It’s called hardwood, but it’s still wood, be careful with heavy objects. If you found this information helpful, please explore the Wood Floor Doctor.com by visiting the rest of our website. As always your Most humble servant, Joseph, the Wood Floor Doctor.

Question: Install a Mannington wood plank floor in a bathroom. The shower will be used on 4X month. I am worried about small children that miss the toilet and pee on the floor. Will the odor seep into the wood? Answer: Dear Sarina Please reconsider this. Any solid wood or even the laminated wood in such a wet area is courting disaster. I’ve had to resand such floor in main floor powder rooms (no shower there), and after only just a few years the wood on either side of the toilet was rotten and smelly, from just what you said, pee. Also there is a great potential for sweating pipes (during the summer), to add so much moisture to the wood, that it will swell up and push agaist a wall or pipe or toilet and create another disaster. I’ve had to repair floor that had swollen so much that the door wouldn’t open, we had to take it off the hinges. So in short no, it woudn’t be OK. As always your Most humble servant, Joseph, the Wood Floor Doctor.

Question: Hello, I am a craftsman who installs floors, and have used water base catalyzed polyurethane, because I considered it less toxic, and have thought it to be easy to use. I see you list as a con of WBP, that it is toxic, could you tell me more on this? Thank you, Ben. Answer: Dear Ben While certainly you are exposed to fewer fumes as you coat the floor, some of solvents in this finish can cause dizziness. Read the Dura Seal article available in the search box at the top of this web page for more about these mildly toxic solvents called glycol ethers. But the real fly in the ointment is the azridine catalyst or hardener that is supplied with the commercial water based finishes like Street Shoe and Traffic. I attended a seminar at a fancy hotel given by Basic Coatings here in Toronto about 15 years ago. They were demonstrating the Street Shoe product, and I saw the factory rep don rubber gloves up to his elbow, before he snow plowed the finish. At the time I found it quite alarming, and the few times I needed to use this finish, I also used rubber gloves. But I didn’t know why. I had thought the little bottle of azridine was poisonous by not too deadly. Well now I know better. This stuff is a confirmed carcinogen, and when absorbed through the skin (it easily does) causes tumors, and prolonged exposure to this seems to cause skin reactions, and allergies. You should never pick up a bottle of this stuff with your bare hand. And be careful not to splash it on yourself or your clothes. I only will use it (street shoe) as a substitute for MC poly, and only for commercial jobs. As I do almost all residential jobs now, I have thankfully not had to use this stuff for years. The MC poly was deadly to my lungs and I almost died after getting a lung-full of the xylene and toluene fumes years ago. But If I were you I would switch to the safer oxygen cross linking variety of water based finishes, as described in the Dura Seal article. Oh, and the other water based finish catalyst called Carbodiimide is fairly safe, but makes a much weaker finish (as in the flecto renewal system). But if you want to avoid handling the azridine, you should try the Dura Seal 2000 water based finish system. It has the hardener in the cap, and you puncture this seal on the cap and let it flow down into the gallon without touching it. The Dura Seal rep in Texas told me that once the azridine is in the finish it is harmless. I’ve heard nothing to confirm this other than from Dura Seal. So I will still wear rubber gloves to apply and clean my applicators. This method doesn’t allow you to use a partial gallon of course. I don’t think it’s selling that well just for that reason. I should mention that I suffer (not too badly) now from Hairy Cell Leukemia, which is a rare, and rarely fatal blood disease. And I can’t help but think back on all the chemicals I’ve handled over the last 24 years, and wonder why me????

Question: I’m having my oak floors refinished (living room, stairs, bedroom) and the refinisher is offering to do Swedish, water based urathane or solvent urathane. My choice. He claims water based is superior to solvent based urathanes. Swedish is best but is smelly & takes longer. I’m leaning towards water based fo several reasons. Shorter finish time, easy to repair/recoat. (I own a custom millwork/scenery shop & am comfortable applying finishes). I actually use a floor finish product, Benjamin Moore’s Stays Clear, a water based urathane. We use it for stage set flooring. Which would you recommend? Also can I use a water based product over an existing finish if I scuff sand first? I need to repair several areas in the kitchen & dining room. Thanks in advance for your help. Michael Answer: Dear Michael There is a basic choice these days between the Oil Modified Polyurethane, and the Water Based Finishes. And yes there is the Swedish acid cured finishes, and the Moisture Cured Poly. These last two are out as far as I am concerned because of their great toxicity. So here we go : water based finishes can be better or a whole lot worse than the standard 3 coats of Oil Modified Polyurethane. Let me explain. The few reputable brands of oxygen cross linking water based finishes should be as durable as the OMP. And there should be no doubt that the professional catalyzed water based finishes will outlast most all other finishes by a long shot. But most of the catalyzed water based finishes are really expensive, and you have to use a very poisonous catalyst hardener. These are really only used in commercial and gym floor applications. But now there are the brands of water based finishes that are sold in stores. They are generally the weak kneed acrylic based finishes ( Benjamin Moore ), with no hardener additive. These are not really floor finishes, but just light duty wood finishes, and are generally sold as such. These tend to last only a few years at best. These are cheap to apply, but are not worth anything in the long run. That said, my greatest objection to the water based finishes is their pale bluish white film, and the fact that some will cloud more when they age. But if you read my article in the Floored News, about the Dura Seal 1000 water based finish, there is the promise that these oxygen cross linking formulas have the best of both worlds. If you use 4 coats of this material, and scuff sand well between coats, you should have a finish that will wear about as well as OMP and will have a pleasant amber tone to it. We still don’t know just how well this finish is going to age, only time will tell. There is some concern that the emulsifiers in all water based finishes stay in the film and make the finish opaque in just 3-5 years. I saw a job done with a store brand water based finish on maple, and this was happening after only 3 years. It was such a gradual change that the owner did not see it, but the fine grain of maple was just about obscured. I still use Oil Modified Polyurethane on 90 % of my floors, with great (24 years and counting) results. Just be sure use no lacquer or oil sealers. And be sure to Brush on the coats of OMP for a real bubble free finish. I just finished a detailed article on how to use the Oil Modified Polyurethane for the directory subscribers, and believe me it is not a quick and easy process, but worth it. You can buy an email copy of this with a small donation to the site, just ask. Oh, and just read the first part of the cleaning article in the Floored News section, to see just what needs to be done to keep these new finishes glowing. And this article describes how to identify and old finish, so that you can use the same finish to touch up. Never use a water based finish over an oil based finish. As always your Most humble servant, Joseph, the Wood Floor Doctor.

Question: Since I would prefer not to re-sand the floor, and I already have the duraseal (2 coats on the floor). Is it possible to strip the wax off with mineral spirits and re-apply more coats of the duraseal? or will the wax cause me a problem? The only other alternative is to have a new floor put in. The problem is finding someone who is experienced with pine and is willing to do the research and take the time to do it properly. Everyone seems to want a quick fix. No wonder my floor was blotchy on the first staining. it was horrible with the water based stain even though it was almost neutral. Thank you Bonnie Answer: Dear Bonnie Removing the wax is a bit dicey. If you do not remove ALL traces of the paste wax, no finish and I mean NO FINISH will stick to the floor. And worse yet more coats of finish may never dry. We have seen floor finishes takes weeks to dry when they got wax contaminated, and that was on floors that we actually resanded. You see on a wood floor there is the problem of the many seams between the boards. Bits of the paste wax will lodge in there, and when you apply even thin coats of new finish the coating will mix with these left over bits, and the finish will remain a sticky mess for weeks. Ultimately if you do get the finish to dry it will be non durable. But you asked how to remove the wax, and I will tell you the best method for a bad procedure. I am after all your Most humble servant. Buy at least a gallon of low odor varsol. It’s also called odorless mineral spirits, or low odor paint thinner. Use a plastic chemical wash bottle (available at http://E-SCI.com/genSci/RENDER/6/1046/1109/10340.html) and use this to squirt the solvent across a row of boards, just wide enough to easily reach across. Do a small section at a time. Irrigate the gaps, and while the solvent is still wet on the wood, scrub the floor with a flat green scrubbing pads (found at the grocery store). Then mop it up with clean rags, until you are sure all wax laden solvent is off the floor. Go down the row a section at a time skipping no area, be systematic in this task, any left over wax will surely interfere with the new finish. Really I would prefer that you even hire someone to chemically strip the floor, at the expense of the other contractors or even your insurance company who may have recommend them. It would be such a shame to have to replace this floor, trees don’t spring up like corn you know. And you may find that all the trouble with removing the wax and having the new finish fail, will be a lot more work than chemical stripping. Take the correct route now and you won’t regret it later. Using the quick fix path may put you into the same “fix” as the floor guys. Quality work does takes money and time. No such thing as fast floors.

Question: I’m perfectly OK with installing the new subfloor w/ good 3/4″ ply, in addition to bolstering the strength of the joists (they change direction midway through the house) so the floor slats can run in the same direction throughout the home. But, should I ask the installer to just remove the entire floor and subfloor, or just the floor/staples and have us remove the subfloor? Anyway, your advise on this would be greatly appreciated. We’re actually thinking of moving very soon, so I want to get this resolved quickly, but also properly for the sake of the homeowners that come after us. Thanks in advance. Doug Answer: Dear Doug It sounds like you are making fast progress at least with installer. It would be nice if he removed the “old” floor and disposed of it. A good physical lesson he will not soon forget. Be sure to take pics and samples of the cracked boards as he does this. Whatever you can get out of him to pay for the destroyed floor would also be great. But installers are just that: “installers”. They rarely know a thing about carpentry. And while it may seem simple replacing the subfloor is not a easy or simple job. In platform framing you cannot remove all the subfloor to the walls. It will need to be cut back to the nearest joist next to the wall. Load bearing and even partition walls need support on both sides. A ledge of at least 3/4″ plywood (1″ LVL is ideal) can be glued (urethane construction) and nailed to the side of the joist to support the edge of the new subfloor. Use this glue (it’s cheap insurance against squeaks) on all the joist tops as you nail (3″ spiral spikes or 2 1/2″ Spax screws) the new 3/4″ CDX plywood (spruce or better yet doug fir). Have a good carpenter do this or do it yourself, to get it right the first time. Hire a new flooring installer, that uses flooring nails and not those infernal staples. And no pneumatic finishing nails for the last 3 rows either. I know that this sounds all too fussy, but it’s simply the way we all used to do wood floors, and I still do. Use prefinished floor, like Mirage or Lauzon, if you must get your life back to normal as quickly as possible. An unfinished floor would be ideal. I hate to say it but depending on your area, there may be a dearth of good floor sanders. And I wouldn’t want you to go through another nightmare with a poor sanding and finishing job. Especially if you are going to sell the house. Whether prefinished or sand-on-site, a nice looking hardwood floor will add value to your house. In most cases you will get your money back at least for the hardwood cost compared to a similar house that is simply carpeted. Be sure to brag about your new subfloor when the house goes up for sale. You will be a real Saint to the next owner if you do all this good work, that’s not even seen. If everybody was so diligent, wouldn’t this be a nice world to live in ? A contribution to the bank of human kindness, allows for unlimited withdrawals. Oh, and like I mentioned before, the carpenter can add some 2 by 6 blocking on the “wrong way” joists to act like “joistlets”. Be sure that these are glued and nailed at about 16″ to 20″ intervals.