Need some more advice--this time it's hardwood floors!

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by andybuildz

Sounds like they used a cheap poly. Far as water based poly...There are EXCELLENT water polys out there. Matter of fact oil will soon be impossible to get. Most states it's been banned already.
Gloss finishes are THE hardest finish there is. When I do wood floor jobs I always do the first coat with a high gloss and finish the next two coats with whatever the customer wants whether it be a semi gloss of matte finish. An all gloss finish should last years. You need to be sure what they used was either a water or oil finish b/c if you go over it again you can't put oil over water.
What I suggest you do is "screen" the floors. Rent a floor "buffing" machine and use "screens" to dull it up and get nice and smooth again. Clean the powder up real good and give the floor an "even" coat of a real good poly. Don't put it on too heavy. Thin even coats work best!!
It's not that difficult b/c you won't be "sanding" the floors down. You'll just be screening them.
Go to a professional floor supply house to get the poly. They also rent the buffing machine and the screens.
I can give you the phone number of a place in Huntington if you PM me.
They're on NY Ave. They sell janitorial supplies and floor supplies.
See my website in my profile. I have a few pic of the floors I did. I bought all my poly from that supply house.
Good luck
andy
PS...Here's a picture of a floor in my own home I did. Circa:1680. This is the machine I used to do the screening.

I love the wide plank floors. Original to the house? (I know you have a fantastic oldie!)

I had my floors finished in 96 using the now banned stuff. It really held up well under two kids, multiple dog paws and all manner of stuff dropped on them. We built an extension last year and had the old floors refinished along with the new floors. As I've heard the H2O polys aren't as durable as the good old bad stuff, I've become the Queen of Runners. (An ounce of prevention...)

As you've written, the applications went on thin and were allowed to cure between coats. I opted for a lower lustre because I still have dogs and kids to contend with.

[andybuildz]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

I love the wide plank floors. Original to the house? (I know you have a fantastic oldie!)

I had my floors finished in 96 using the now banned stuff. It really held up well under two kids, multiple dog paws and all manner of stuff dropped on them. We built an extension last year and had the old floors refinished along with the new floors. As I've heard the H2O polys aren't as durable as the good old bad stuff, I've become the Queen of Runners. (An ounce of prevention...)

As you've written, the applications went on thin and were allowed to cure between coats. I opted for a lower lustre because I still have dogs and kids to contend with.

I did those old floors as well as brand new wide plank pine floors I installed.
And we're talking "soft" pine floors! I like the look in spite of how it wears. Pine does dent up (nicely ) but the finish holds up really well.
As I said before they make some really good water based poly now a days. The HAVE TO b/c that's all we're going to be able to use soon so the suppliers need to stay competitive in the quality they make.
Far as price goes.....I've always said it's REALLYYYYYYYYY dumb to get anything but the best for the little you save in the long run. All the work is in the labor. I've gone as far as using Benj. Moores new Aura paint for some interior work and that stuff is $50 a gallon! But it's fantastic paint!!!
On poly for the floors it's doubly nuts to get inferior quailty material.
Go where the pros go and when you're there...get the best they have.
Beware though...om floor poly you'll pay 20-30% more if you get the "non yellowing" poly. YOU DON'T NEED THAT unless you keep the wood natural or you do a bleeched finish. If you stain the floors which most people do you don't need non yellowing.
I too like the low luster...actually I like FLAT or matte or whatever the supplier happens to call it. To me it looks more natural and less plasticy but if you have contemporary taste then gloss it is. If you have dogs....fergetit!!
Put slippers on them...lol. Gloss WILL scratch.

[Kbinspections]

Andy give some solid advice!

The key to water based poly is QUALITY. Use only top notch material.

Love that wide plank floor!

[andybuildz]

Originally Posted by Kbinspections

Andy give some solid advice!

The key to water based poly is QUALITY. Use only top notch material.

Love that wide plank floor!

Thanks KB...and here I thought that would be the easiest floor to install and as it turns out it was the most difficult hands down, although after doing almost 3000 sq ft here I got pretty good at it....not that I get much call to have it done by anyone. You don't see too many houses with this stuff around here.

[iluvmycuties]

Beautiful floors, Andy!

I was talking with some other floor professionals, and they think it is possible that the old floors we used to have (refinished in 99) were finished with good old-fashioned toxic poly. I remember when they were being done we had to stay out of the house for days.

When the current floors were finished, the guy put down 2 coats of semi, and high gloss for the final. I don't know if this means anything, but he also mixed mineral spirits (?) with the stain.

Quick question: How do we lightly sand and throw another coat on if we don't know whether or not the guy used oil or water (he won't return phone calls to verify)?

Well, I've learned 2 valuable lessons: 1) You get what you pay for. 2) Check with the BBB and verify license #'s.

[andybuildz]

Originally Posted by iluvmycuties

Beautiful floors, Andy!

I was talking with some other floor professionals, and they think it is possible that the old floors we used to have (refinished in 99) were finished with good old-fashioned toxic poly. I remember when they were being done we had to stay out of the house for days.

When the current floors were finished, the guy put down 2 coats of semi, and high gloss for the final. I don't know if this means anything, but he also mixed mineral spirits (?) with the stain.

Quick question: How do we lightly sand and throw another coat on if we don't know whether or not the guy used oil or water (he won't return phone calls to verify)?

Well, I've learned 2 valuable lessons: 1) You get what you pay for. 2) Check with the BBB and verify license #'s.

Thanks for the kind words ....Far as using oil over water what you CAN do is use an " oil-modified " poly finish but read the can first to be sure the manufacturer aproves it or better yet call the 800 help line number on the can.
Sometimes it's hard to know 100% but if you were told to stay out for days my guess is it was the real deadly stuff. I'd say what they used was oil especially back then!!

Try inside a closet first to be sure. Once it's dry if it wrinkles or bubbles up after a few days you know it was a water based finish but I really doubt it.
Buy a small screen just to try it out. You can get one from Home Depot in the tool department. It's sold to use for sanding drywall. It looks just like a black screen. Doesn't look like sandpaper.
I can't leave phone numbers here but if you look up Janitorial supplies in Huntington on NY Ave you'll find the place I was talking about. Go there or call them and let them know what you want to do. They'll steer you to the right stuff. They also rent the floor buffing machine and screens but if they're not close to you most all rental places have it as well but I'd use them or a place like them for the poly.

After you screen the floors use mineral spirits on a rag to clean up the powder it leaves...not water, especially if you're going to finish that day.

Also you CAN add mineral spirits and paint thinner to the stain. I use paint thinner all the time. It's not really to thin it out as much as to lighten the color up...at least thats why I use it. I make my own stains and thinner is typical.
Thinner, Japan Drier, Linseed oil and tint is the formular if you ever need it. The amts of thinner and tints are up to you according to the color you want to make.
Linseed oil is the base- thinner is the vehicle- Japan drier makes it dry properly and tint....well... you can figure that one out...lol.

BTW-Two coats of semi and a final coat of high gloss sounds weird. Sounds like they cheaped out every where they could. That's ridiculous!
Anything else I can do to help just ask. No problem.
Good luck.....and oh yeh... you don't ALWAYS get what you pay for...just most of the time...lol.
andy