Hardwood Floors April/May 2019

By Brett Miller

always necessary or feasible to fully sand the oor to restore the nish. Many times a recoat may su ce, unless the oor has visible dents, wear pa erns, permanent cupping, or the customer wants to change the color of the oor. (Note: Cupped oors should not be sanded until the moisture problem has been corrected and the moisture content of the wood ooring and the sub oor have stabilized and are equalized.) Evaluate the atness of the oor – ere are standards for sub oor atness during the installation process, but nothing related to atness during the sanding process. e reason is simple: many factors can a ect the atness of the installed ooring a er the fact, and these factors are simply out of the control of any involved parties. When resanding a factory- nished oor, the atness of the existing oor may a ect your approach to the resand. Many resands simply cannot be sanded at due to previous conditions. is doesn’t mean the oor cannot be properly sanded, only that the process will need to be adjusted, especially as it relates to bevels and wear layer. Address bevels – Beveled edges are present on most factory- nished oors. e depth, pro le, and type of bevel may vary signi cantly though. Speci cally related to a resand, this is one of the biggest factors to address with the homeowner. It is likely, in most cases, that even a properly sanded

According to the latest Catalina Report for wood ooring, it is estimated that factory- nished ooring, both solid and engineered, makes up more than 50 percent of the total wood ooring being installed today. is isn’t hard to believe when you consider howmuch wood ooring is being sold through retail design centers, through big-box stores, and online. A high percentage of the people who install these oors do not have the expertise, or the tools necessary, to sand and nish. So what does this mean for the wood ooring contractor who does sand and nish work? ere is a ton of up-and-coming work out there related to re nishing or resanding these oors. For someone who is most accustomed to sanding raw wood, or even previously nished ooring, there is a bit of a learning curve when resanding a factory- nished wood oor. ese are a few of the best practices to consider when approaching the re nish of any factory- nished oor. may help you determine what type of oor it is you may be commissioned to re nish. Many times, a visual inspection alone is not enough to determine whether the oor is solid, engineered, or even a really good picture of wood. O entimes, the homeowner doesn’t know either. Ask for le over material potentially le in the basement, in the a ic, or garage. Once you’ve determined what the oor is, you need to decide whether the oor can withstand a resand. Determine the type of oor – A discussion with the homeowner

Decide if the oor can withstand a resand – e number of times a wood oor can be sanded depends on the skill of the person sanding the oor, the type of equipment used, the thickness of the wear layer, the atness of the oor, the presence and type of bevels, and customer expectations. e thickness of the wear layer will o en be the overlying factor of whether the oor can be sanded or not. Evaluate the wear layer thickness in several areas. Generally, if the wear thickness is less than ” (2.38 mm), the oor should not be sanded. Measurements can o en be made at oor registers or by removing transition moldings. Where there are su cient gaps between boards, an automotive feeler gauge may be used to measure the thickness of the ooring down to the top of the tongue. Caution: is method works well with solid wood ooring, but may not be accurate with all engineered wood ooring. Be aware that the wear layer on some engineered wood ooring may not be as deep as the tongue. Evaluate the oor – Walk the oor and identify any potential necessary repairs. e oor should not be loose or show signs of vertical movement and must be properly fastened or adhered to the substrate. All visible fasteners should be countersunk. Check for water-damaged areas, stains, gouges, etc., that will a ect the nishing process. It is also not

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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