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Repair
My wood floor has large cracks between the boards and where
the ends meet. What can I do to repair it?
First check the moisture level of the air in that room. If
the floor was not properly acclimated prior to installation,
or if you run a dehumidifier, this will cause your floor to
shrink due to loss of moisture. You may try a humidifier to
add moister to the room causing the floor to swell, which
will lessen the space between boards. If this is not feasible,
two options would be using a wood filler of compatible color
to fill the cracks or tear it up & relay it. Of course
you will likely need additional flooring.
I have white spots around my sink. What do I do?I remember
using tung oil and wax.
If the water droplets sit on a waxed surface for any length
of time will get white spots. You can clean the surface using
water and vinegar solution or a waxed wood cleaner and then
rub the spots with more wax (essentially melting the wax by
rubbing it with more wax), then buff the floor. Procoat from
Professional Coatings is one cleaner that evaporates quickly
enough to use over a waxed floor.
What are some treatments for surface scratches? How long
should we expect various finishes to last? What types of products
are there and how do we recommend maintenance and repairs?
The number one thing we tell clients about finishes is that
the best one to use is the one your flooring professional
knows how to use and likes. Finish properties and drying times
require experience. Some basic information to get the discussion
going with your flooring professional should include the difference
between surface and penetrating finishes. Within the surface
finishes there are four types:
Oil-modified urethane is easy to apply.
It is a solvent-base polyurethane that dries in about eight
hours. This type of finish ambers with age. Scratches can
be repaired lightly sanding and recoating.
Moisture-cured urethane is a solvent-base
polyurethane that is more durable and more moisture resistant
than other surface finishes. Moisture-cure urethane comes
in non-yellowing and in ambering types and is generally available
in satin or gloss. These finishes are extremely difficult
to apply, have a strong odor and are best left to the professional.
Conversion varnish is clear and dries in
about 8 hours. It is durable and non-yellowing. These finishes
have an extremely strong odor and should be applied by the
highly skilled wood flooring professional.
Water-based urethane is a waterborne urethane
that dries by water evaporation. These finishes are clear
and non-yellowing. They have a milder odor and dry in a few
hours. Some of the newer water-based products are now as hard
or harder than the moisture-cure products and are not as harmful
to humans. These include BonaKemi Traffic, www.bonakemi.com/traffic.html;
Loba Supra, www.floorsanding.com/finishes
then click Supra brochure; or Basic Coatings Street Shoe,
www.basiccoatings.com/asp/homeowners/prod_streetshoe.asp.
Scratches can be repaired by lightly sanding and recoating.
Penetrating Stain and/or Wax - This finish
soaks into the pores of the wood and hardens to form a protective
penetrating seal. The wax gives a low-gloss satin sheen. It
is generally maintained with additional thin applications
of wax. Only solvent-based (never water-based) waxes, buffing
pastes or cleaning liquids (specifically made for wax-finished,
wood floors) should be used. A penetrating sealer such as
the one manufactured by Dura Seal can be waxed over and buffed
periodically or if you do not want to wax your floor you can
simply repair the finish with another product called Renovator
when wear shows. Remember, if you use wax you must completely
sand back to bare wood before you can recoat. If you do not
use wax you can easily repair the finish with more penetrating
sealer coats or a renovator.
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