Hardwood Floors June/July 2018

AT THE SITE

Water and Oil – a Manufacturer’s Perspective

From a finish manufacturer’s perspective, there has always been a preponderance of technical support calls (read: issues!) with coating water-based finishes over oil-based stains, sealers, or finishes. Along with moisture issues with wood/subfloor/concrete, these two topics probably account for the lion’s share of contractors’ issues.

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of “Family Oil” with “Family Water” will, in the end, make married life much easier. HUMIDITY MATTERS Namely, the higher the humidity, the less room the air has to hold mineral spirits = the lower the evaporation rate of mineral spirits from a stain. Hence, low temperatures, high humidity, and no new/old air exchange = the longest-possible time for the stain to be ready to coat with waterborne sealers or finishes. However, how often do actual job site conditions mirror the recommended conditions? A contractor in the summer in Florida (high temperatures and high humidity) faces vastly different conditions than one in winter in Colorado (low temperatures and very low relative humidity). As such, you, the contractor, need to be an expert in your geographic area. Namely, you have had experience installing, sanding, and finishing

floors in all seasons in your region – pay attention so that you’ll know how to adjust your finishing schedule seasonally. More so with newly installed floors or lace-ins. Why? If you recall, wood is, in a sense, comprised of miniature “straws” that run horizontally (in plain-sawn wood), opening at the butt joints on either end. These straws once transported sap and water up (in the spring and summer) and down (in the fall and winter), during the life of the tree. Thus, when newly installed, these straws are empty (coming from the kiln at 6-9 percent, ideally), and will readily suck up, through capillary action, the initial stain or sealer applied to them. This initial uptake of proportionally more solvents means that it will also take the solvents longer to evaporate from these joints, translating to longer dry times than with a recoat or resand, where these butt ends are already filled with the old finish system. If you have ever noticed white lines on butt joints, but not

FIND OUT THE CONDITION OF YOUR JOB SITE As manufacturers, we formulate our finishes and stains to work optimally in a specific temperature and humidity range, which is usually clearly stated (often, more than once) on the back label of the product. The closer that you get the job site conditions to these recommended conditions, the better your results will be. If this means turning up the heat or turning on the AC, do it. For new construction, wait until HVAC is up and running a minimum of five days before installing, sanding, and coating. Or if this is not possible, ask the builder to provide temporary HVAC that replicates those conditions. Obviously, the first step for new or existing flooring, is to assess the job site and, accordingly, educate the builder/homeowner/check-writer as to the timetable for the job, and why. Building in extra time for the marriage

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