WoodFlooringGuy.com

Q: Do I need to wait any amount of time between installing hardwood floors and sanding/refinishing them, or can they be sanded immediately after they are installed? A: Of course you can sand them as soon as they are installed. However, I hope you acclimated the floors to the home environment before you installed them, [...]

Q: We have mahogany hardwood floors in our sunken dining room and throughout most of our house in NJ. We built the house with radiant heat throughout and used a tung oil finish on these floors. We have been living in this house for almost seven years now. In the winter I keep the radiant [...]

Q: My dog has damaged my prefinished maple floors, with the tight grain. The only way to truly get rid of is to sand and refinish (I think). I like the prefinished look of each board having a somewhat beveled edge. Is there any way of keeping that in the process? A: Unfortunately, this is [...]

Q: What finish is best to prevent denting? A: There isn’t a finish I know of that will prevent denting. Each species of wood has a different resistance to denting, and there is some variation from floor to floor and piece to piece within the same species. Note from Rachel: Here’s a link to the [...]

Q: We have 1930′s oak floors, waxed, but with areas of water damage. I like wax (I strip and wax every year or so), but should we change to poly or whatever is current? My husband is wanting to avoid the chemicals involved in the waxing. We have poly in other new/addition areas, but I [...]

Q: My hardwood contractor had a failure and redid the floors entirely. The floors are Jatoba with Orinoco stain (reddish brown). We thought we were home free and then discovered many spots that literally look like fingerprints. Cleaning only helps temporarily, later the fingerprint-like spots reappear. It looks to me like a scuffing from the [...]

Q: I put down water base on an oak floor. It turned orange near the cabinets and near a spot where I re sanded a dent from the fridge (a 1×1 square). Will it go away after the final coat? Or is it doing this because I hand sanded it before I put the wood [...]

Q: Which is the best varnish for Cabreuva flooring (Santos Mahogany)? We tried some different varnishes, but it could not dry. A: These exotics can be quite a challenge given the oils or what might be referred to as ‘extractives’. A water borne finish may be your best choice because you would avoid any cross [...]

Q: I am doing a project in class, and I need to know what kind of finish is best for use on White Birch wood. I can’t seem to find it anywhere else on the Internet, so I figured I would ask you. A: What is the ‘best’ finish is not easy to answer, and [...]

Q: After 3 coats of poly I still have a lot of imperfections. When I run my hand over it I feel small bumps. Is this normal? Is there a solution? A: Run your finish through a strainer to make sure it is clean and free of debris. Make sure the applicator is clean. The [...]

Q: We put in American Cherry hard wood floors. The floor people sanded and did two coats of oil poly. We felt it wasn’t enough and wanted another coat. They weren’t available, so we hired another person. They have put on two coats on top of the other two. There is one line of ripple [...]

Q: Can I buy this Poloplaz product at any local store or do I need to order it? A: It’s a professional finish you could have shipped to you.

Q: I have a pine floor which was stained and then tung oiled. I don’t think there was enough tung oil applied. Like maybe there should have been 5 or 6 applications instead of 3? The floor is taking a beating. In some places the stain is actually worn (we have several dogs and lots [...]

Q: I just recently had a hardwood floor refinished. The final coat is glossy, but it looks like there are pock marks in the finish. It’s not air bubbles, and I’m not really sure how to explain it. Is there anyway to smooth out the final coat such as buffing, without having to re-sand? A: [...]

Q: I see on your site that you recommend Waterlox versus 100% tung oil. Do you sell Waterlox or do you just really believe in this product? A: No, I don’t sell it. I’ve had some very good experience with it and at least for staining pine, mixing the stain with the Waterlox saved me [...]

Q: Thanks for providing us with this service. You have some very good tips and information in your website. We just refinished our bedroom wood floor. Once the project was done we noticed some dropping spots in certain areas from the lambswool that we used. We put two coats of finish (poly). Can we apply [...]

Q: We had new wooden floors installed in our kitchen/living area in 2000. We were advised by the contractor to use a tung oil finish, saying it would last longer and be durable, and because we have a southern facing 12′x9′ window, for reduced fading. I hate it! It has faded, scratched, spotted and can’t [...]

Q: I have wood floors coated with tung oil. What is the best way to keep them looking good? A: I had a discussion with a technical rep of Lee Valley tools regarding the use of Tung oil as a floor finish. He said you would need an initial 10 coats with 2 days drying [...]

Q: I am having hardwood floors installed. Upstairs he said he put 3 coats, but I think he’s counting 1 coat of the sealer or primer. Should the sealer or primer be counted as a coat of polyurethane? What I read sounds like polyurethane isn’t that good. Is this correct? Also, there is only 1 [...]

Q: We have a 218 year old home with original maple floors. We are in the process of sanding them and refinishing them. We have used poly in the past, but recently someone told us varnish was better. What do you think? We really want low maintenance and something that will last a long time. [...]