Archive for the 'Repairs' Category

Floors sound like bubble wrap

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

I just bought a new home in WI. We have hardwood (oak) floors thru out the home. When we walk on the floors it sounds like we are walking on bubble wrap. Would yoy have a solution to this problem?

Sticky stained floor

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

We stained our hardwood floors in the living room. The can of stain said it takes 24 hours to dry. It has been 3 days now and our floors feel sticky. How do we fix this?

Two termite damaged boards

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

There are two lines of what appears to be termite damage, on just two floor boards. Can I just use wood filler for these?

Nailing through the female/grove side?

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

I’m repairing water damage to a hardwood floor I installed 3 years ago. The damage is small and simply requires me to pull up about 3 feet of flooring. To replace new boards, I have to nail through the female or grove side of the maple. Any ideas on how this can be done?

Pet stains reappear?

Wednesday, May 21st, 2008

Some friends of ours had their hardwood floors refinished by professionals. The floor looked perfect after sanding, before the finish, but after the finish was applied, dark pet spots appeared. I am refinishing my floors and don’t want the same to happen. My sanding is complete and floors look good now, but is there the chance that the same will happen? Or was something done incorrectly to cause this to happen to our friends floor?

What is the best way to remove adhesive from a floor with a polyurethane finish?

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

What is the best way to remove adhesive from a floor with a polyurethane finish? I have felt pads on the legs of my chairs and tables. Once in a while a pad comes loose and transfers adhesive onto the floor. What is the best way to remove this adhesive without damaging the polyurethane finish?

How do you remove carpet glue from hardwood floors?

Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

How do you remove carpet glue from hardwood floors?

After the finish was applied, dark spots appeared

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

Some friends of ours had their hardwood floors refinished by professionals. The floor looked perfect after sanding, before the finish; but, after the finish was applied, dark pet spots appeared. I am refinishing my floors and I don’t want the same thing to happen. My sanding is complete and floors look good now, but is there the chance that the same will happen? Or was something done incorrectly to cause this to happen to our friends floor?

Sticky kitchen and dining room floors

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

We just moved into apartment-type housing. The floors are wood. The flooring in the dining room and kitchen area is very sticky. No amount of mopping is helping. Is there anything we can do without being in danger of ruining the floors and having to replace them?

Repair a pin hole dent

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

How do I repair a dent in an oak floor, with a depth about the size of a pin head and a width about the size of 2 pin heads? I know it’s small, but my wife notices it when the sun hits it just right.

Wood floors have a haze over them

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

Since we moved in, the wood floors have a haze over them. We have two active boys and several dogs. We tried to keep the floors as clean as possible. I tried cleaning with almost every type of cleaning product out there, even just water. They all just make it worse. With a sock I can buff it out and make them shiny again, but just a small area because it takes too long.

Can I remove bubbles from my laminate flooring?

Wednesday, January 30th, 2008

Can I remove bubbles from my laminate flooring?

My laminate floors are very dull

Wednesday, January 16th, 2008

My laminate floors are very dull and won’t shine when washed. What can I do?

Scratched new wood floor

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008

I moved a heavy plant and scratched my newly done wood floor. There were gliders that were supposed to prevent scratching. They are fine scratches, but there are quite a few. They are just in a small area of the floor, but they are white scratches. My housekeeper tried to use the rough side of a scrounge pad to get them off, which also dulled the finish a bit. The floor guy left me some of the poly, but I am not sure what to do with it.

Edges raising in centers of laminate boards

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

We had a laminate floor fitted 6 months ago, and some edges in the center are raising slightly. Also, there are slight divisions becoming apparent in some areas. Is this expected or should I complain to the fitters?

Polyurethane, outlines of a can, on floor

Wednesday, December 12th, 2007

My contractor installed laminated flooring; however, when he was polyurethaning the rail, he kept putting the can down and didn’t realize that the bottom of the can was leaving marks on the laminated flooring. Now I have marks of the shiny polyurethane, outline of the can, on my floor. I don’t know what to get it off with, can you help?

Fill gaps with fiberglass?

Wednesday, December 5th, 2007

The contractor suggested we fill the gaps with fiberglass and re-sand after staining: is this practical? I’ve see you suggest a different kind of wood filler, but not fiberglass. Would fiberglass be a good solution? Another contractor suggested to use the same filler as I have today (probably just sawdust and glue), as he says the wood has already shrunk to the max, and it won’t come out… Can I trust him?

Planks developing a ridge, lengthwise

Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

After 3-4 months I noted each plank developing a ridge lengthwise, and today it is quite pronounced. It can be felt underfoot. I have called the manufacturer. The rep came and did tests. He said it may be from the air being too dry although my barometer said 30%. I have a humidifier, but do not have it on now. The problem is worsening although rep said it will be better in summer, but not so far. The manufacturer rep said he would get back to me, but it has been over a month so I doubt it. The installer has referred to manufacturer. What can I do as I do not want a floor with these ridges and warranty is out end of June?

Stop Polyballs

Thursday, November 8th, 2007

Polyballs are beads of paint or finish which protrude from cracks in floors when the moisture content (MC) of the wood rises, causing the cracks to close up. Paint polyballs are a bad problem, as they can be smeared over the rest of the floor, possibly requiring screening or even recoating.

Floor boards bowing after refrigerator leak

Wednesday, October 24th, 2007

Our refrigerator leaked water onto our 2 year old hardwood floor, in the kitchen, and pooled in an area all day until we came home from work. Now about a week later, in that area, the boards are bowing. Is there any way to fix this without ripping up that part of the floor and replacing it?