Protecting newly varnished floor (flooring, sand, cabinet, polyurethane)

[jambo101]

We are about to sand and re varnish our livingroom floor however i'm at a loss as to how to put the 1200lb upright piano back in its place as well as a i ton china cabinet after the varnishing is done with out leaving marks in the new floor Any one done this kind of renovation? what did you do?
Thanks

[chet everett]

Are you really using varnish? Even historic restorations typically use more durable materials.

Professional movers rely on felt and spotlessly clean urethane wheels to prevent marring floors, but even they won't guarantee that those things will leave much more durable polyurethane completely unscathed.

2000 pound china cabinet is going to take many people to hoist -- even Olympic power lifters can't be expected to heft more than 400 lbs. -- you will probably need 8-10 people to coordinate this and whole bunch of straps and pads to carry this around...

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Are you really using varnish? Even historic restorations typically use more durable materials.

.

I just assumed the guy who is doing the job would be using varnishas i have no clue
What do you put on freshly sanded floors?.
As for the China cabinet it can be painstakingly disassembled and moved , but theres no option i can think of other than rolling the piano//

[chet everett]

Technically "varnish" has become a generic term and MOST folks use the more specific term "polyurethane" to describe the product that is commonly used to seal flooring and other wood trim.

It would be VERY inadvisable to ROLL A PIANO over freshly refinished floor. Even with 1/8" luan to overlay / make a path the potential for damage is HIGH with standard metal piano casters. You can RENT the sort of urethane wheeled "trucks" that are much less likely to mar the floors. You should also shop for "caster cups" to rest the piano in.

If you can disassemble the china cabinet MAKE SURE you have heavy movers pads to rest the part on while it is repositioned, AND a good plan for what will go in each "step" of the move.

The floors will need CURING TIME that varies depending on the PRODUCT used. Your contractor should supply info about how long to wait before placing heavy items back in the space.

[kodaka]

Yes the crucial thing will be to let the polyeurethane to properly cure. It will take several DAYS. It can by dry to the touch, and even dry enough to set other furniture on, before it will be cured enough to set the piano on.

Once cured you should also not roll the piano into place. Lift it. Just because it comes on wheels doesn't mean the floor can take it.

But once in place, regular caster cups should be sufficient to protect your floors from damage.