Hardwood Floors April May 2018

sand the metal ush using 50 or 60 grit paper. Sand at short intervals and move to di erent areas, allowing the metal to cool. oroughly vacuum the metal lings from the oor surrounding the inlay. When applicable, use a solvent such as lacquer thinner or denatured alcohol to clean the oor before application of nish. Always check with the nish manufacturer for compatible tacking solvents with speci c nishes.

Photo by Jeremy Waldorf

Stone: Stone and tile inlays are common decorative ooring options. When applicable, remove the stone or tile inset and replace with a plywood blank during the sanding phase. Once the sanding is completed, remove the blanks and replace with the stone or tile. In order to maintain proper expansion space around the stone or tile, use of a silicone or exible grout caulking should separate the wood from the stone or tile. In situations where the stone or tile is not removable, sand with extreme caution around the xated ooring material. It is not recommended to sand stone inlays. Many trends come and go within the wood ooring industry, but the timelessness of wood is why people will always gravitate toward it as a ooring option. e beauty of being in the wood ooring industry is that almost all wood oors can be, and will need to be, re nished at some point during their service lives. e equipment and knowledge we obtain that allow us the abilities to re nish the many styles of wood ooring are one of the many things that makes our industry unique.

Brett Miller is VP of Education & Certification at the National Wood Flooring Association in St. Louis. He can be reached at brett.miller@nwfa.org.

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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