WoodFlooringGuy.com

If my hardwood floors were installed poorly…. My hardwood is glued directly to concrete, no vapor barrier, and there is no 1/2″ gap between floor and wall. How much moisture is needed to cause cupping, or worse, buckling?

We have Brazilian cherry wood floors that were prefinished, most likely with a urethane before installation. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of using ******’s oil soap. Now we have cloudy smears in some areas, but still some clear areas that have that original satin sheen. What should I use to remove the cloudiness and clean and maintain the floor properly? The floor is only about 2 years old.

I want to put down hardwood floors in the living room and dining room, but we have a 100 lb. Golden Retriever. What type of wood flooring would be our best bet against scratches on the floor? He gets excited and prances around about 5 min. when someone comes over…

I have a beautiful home with hardwood floors. I also have 4 young boys who have made marks and dull streaks, and scratches from toys. What can I do, that isn’t too expensive, to make my floor look like new again?

We are building a new home. It is pier and beam construction. Our cherry floors were installed in Nov. and then covered with cardboard to protect them until finishing them, last month. Uncovering revealed severe cupping and the wood was above 10% moisture and could not be finished. The flooring company suggested running heaters, which was done for 2 weeks with little result. When the contractor got the central heat running the floors began to dry out but then actually increased in moisture again. There is no water in the house or under the house. We had a lot of rain and cold in Dec. and Jan. and they are telling us this is a normal thing and the floors will be fine once dry and finished. What do you think?

We are moving into a new home and we just had the floors sanded and finished with a water based urethane. During some renovation, the floors were covered in dust and grit from workman’s shoes. Our house cleaner used an oil based cleaner, which left the floors with a tacky surface. How can we safely remove this tacky finish and restore floors to shiny finish without having them sanded and refinished?

I recently purchased a home that was built circa 1921. The home has the original hardwood floors throughout, oak with a maple inlay. They have been covered with carpeting for many years and are in good shape structurally, but they are very dirty. I have been told that they do not need to be sanded. However, they do need to be cleaned thoroughly and buffed. I am seeking advice as to what product would best remove the dirt buildup without destroying the finish that still exists.

I am using a cloth hardwood floor mop and using M*** *** on my floors. It is leaving a greasy residue that shows footprints. Why would it do this? What should I use to clean pre-finished hardwoods, without leaving spots or residue?

How do I get my laminated wood floor to look like new? After moving in, and Christmas with the grandkids, we have scruff marks all over the floor. The laminated floor has become dull.

Can I use rubber back rugs on a hardwood floor?

I would like to put an area rug over my hardwood floor. If I do this over the years, if I remove it, will the floor be a different color where it wasn’t covered by the rug? I don’t want it to age to a different color.

I’ve got paint spots on my newly installed, pre-finished hardwood floors. What is the best way to remove them without harming the wood floor?

We are building a house and put down pre-finished hardwood floors. The builder set a table saw on cardboard on our floors and has been cutting the trim and woodwork. There is sawdust everywhere on my floors and in the cracks. Will the saw dust harm my wood floors? What is the easiest way to remove it?

We have prefinished wood floors. My wife dust mops the floors every week and damp mops monthly. The normal grooves/cracks between the floors collect dust and show. One has to use a toothpick to clean it out. Any better suggestion on a product that will clean out the grooves?

I have very dark, distressed oak Cherokee Cabin Strip Flooring. We put it in 30 years ago and it still looks good. The distressed finish was great. I was able to easily fix gouges (kids, dragging furniture,etc.) However, after all these years, I would like to clean and refinish them. They don’t need total refinishing, just sprucing up a bit. I’ve always used DuraFinish colored liquid wax on them. Any suggestions as to how to do this project?

We had engineered oak hardwood glued down to our concrete subfloor in the lower level of our backsplit. It was done by a flooring company. They said the glue would allow the wood to float. It has been in 3 years and the only problem is that in the winter there are certain parts of the floor that pop when you walk on them. It is not in all areas and only happens in the winter. During the warmer months I don’t notice any play in the floor. The edges of the strips are not buckling. Is this something that we should worry about?

Our landlord just installed new oak floors in several rooms. They are beautiful. But ever since their installation, we have VERY dry air in the house and cannot get past the choking feeling in the air, despite running a humidifier as much as possible. How long will this last (it’s awful during this flu season)? Any recommendations to help the floor to “settle in”?

About 3 months ago I had bamboo installed in my second story bedroom over a plywood subfloor. Unfortunately, after a month of being installed 6 gaps opened ranging in size.

The flooring as I understand it has a moisture rating of between 8-10. My heat designer said they recommend between 6-8. I have the new flooring laying on the radiant heat (in boxes) for about a week.

Pictures of termite damage from the bottom up:

Larger Picture

Pictures of termite damage on the surface*:

Larger Picture
*It is possible to have termite damage, yet not see holes forming on the surface. See the articles we link to below for other signs of termite infestation.
The “leftovers” (wood residue, dirt, and excrement), which covered the entire subfloor:

Yes, […]