Q & A Cleaning and Maintenance - Installation - Repairing - Sanding - Staining -Other Cleaning and Maintenance >Are the cleaning PRODUCTS we use making our new floors look DULL and mottled? What can we use to get the SHINE back? >Why should we not use "OIL BASED CLEANERS" on our hardwood floors? >Some snow or water got into the pipes and DRIPPED CREOSOTE onto our wood floor. What would be the best way to REMOVE the STAIN on the floor? >I put on three coats of polyurethane on my newly sanded and stained floor, do I need to WAX it? >After removing an old carpet I discovered PAINT had been dropped on the hardwood floor in several places. How do I REMOVE it? >When we painted, before we moved in, we got some PAINT ON THE TRIM around the doors. Is there is any way I can remove the paint off the door trim without removing the stain also? Installation >What type of TOOL should be used to install TONGUE in GROOVE flooring? >I want to install oak on the STAIR TREADS and paint the risers. I am told by the buider that the treads have to be GLUED in. Can I simply put oak SLABS over the EXISTING TREAD? Also, do I have to cut off the OUTER LIP if I go with a thin STAIR NOSING? >Since our maple floors were INSTALLED, we have noticed that there are PATCHES where the colour of the flooring is much LIGHTER than other areas. We have contacted the installer, and think we're getting the runaround because he says that all floors undergo OXIDATION, and that the colour will eventually EVEN OUT. Is that true? >Is it good to put a NEW OAK FLOOR OVER AN OLD ONE, or is it better to TEAR UP the old one and put new plywood boards and then the new oak floor? >Do I have to remove the old flooring in the kitchen for the transition to the rest of the house without having to put a subfloor under the rest of the house to bring it up to LEVEL with the kitchen floor or can I use some sort of TRANSITION STRIP? >I understand that we have to install solid hardwood over 3/4" plywood. I'd like to install the PLYWOOD now and PAINT it. But can I later put hardwood down over the PAINTED PLYWOOD? >Is it a good idea to put hardwood on your STAIRS? > I installed 3/4 OSB directly over a CONCRETE slab, above grade, with a vapor barrier Rosen paper and Nailed down 3/4 Maple. What problems can I look forward to? >Our subfloor is particle board. We have to choose between CARPET and HARDWOOD flooring. Is it possible to put something overtop the PARTICLE BOARD before putting down carpeting or hardwood to help with SOUND PROOFING? Someone suggested that we nail the particle board with DECK SCREWS to prevent the floors from creaking after the carpets are installed. Is this a good idea? Is it better to put in the cheap carpeting, let the HOUSE SETTLE, fix the creakiness, then tear up the carpet and replace it with good wood in a few years? ALLERGENS are also a problem and I realize rugs and carpets will aggravate dust mite allergies. What do you suggest? >I'm planning to install 3/4" Hardwood in our rooms, but there are some UNEVEN SPOTS. Is there any kind of LEVELING compound we can use? >I would like to have my floors redone so there will no more UNEVEN floor and SOUND PROOF a little in the process. What do you suggest here? >Would WIDE PLANK flooring would be suitable in the Edmonton, Alberta REGION, with its COLD, DRY winters? >Should a WATER VAPOR BARRIER be put down if the hardwood flooring is to be installed over OSB over a full UNFINISHED BASEMENT? How should the flooring be laid? Parallel or perpendicular to the floor joists? >When placing hardwood on STAIR TREADS, do they have to be 1" thick or thicker? And do you use one plank of hardwood or could you use strips of hardwood for stair treads? >We have some concern about NOISE/SOUND INSULATION. What is the best product to use? How should it be installed? >I would like to place a LAMINATE HARDWOOD OVER my STAIRS. I do not want to have to remove the stairs and rebuild. How do I do this? Repairing >The hardwood floors in the upstairs portion of the house that we bought has been speckled with PAINT. How can we remove it? >A contractor just finished installing/finishing my hardwood floors and left multiple LAP MARKS (covering the entire width of the floor). What should be done about them? >When there are AIR BUBBLES in the polyurethane finish, can you SPOT SAND some of them by hand and then TOUCH UP that spot with another coat of polyurethane? >My STAIRS are CREAKING alot and I want to fix this. I have taken up the carpet but can't find any NAIL HEADS, I do not know where the JOISTS are, and I can't access the stairs from below. What should I do? >No gaps have developed anywhereon our floors, save an 8ft RUN between two planks in the kitchen. The GAP is 1/8th of an inch (A nickel fits inside of it). How can we repair this and still have the floor look great? >I recently had someone come to my condo to replace a section of my LAMINATE flooring. The new flooring ended up being about two or THREE SHADES LIGHTER than the old. Is there any way to DARKEN it without replacing it? > We have an area approximately 15" x 20" that is not level. Is there any wood floor product (epoxy, urethane) that could actually be poured into this "VALLEY" in our floor and would dry LEVEL with the clear finish that the floor already has? > We removed carpeting to find that PET STAINS have penetrated our beautiful hardwood floors - some areas are very DARK, other areas appear almost "BLEACHED" out. Do you have any suggestions on removing or lessening the stains? >There are some WORN AREAS on our floor that need refinishing. Is it possible to redo only the worn areas and have them BLEND into the older finished areas without redoing the entire floor? >There are some BLACK SPOTS on our hardwood floor. How can we get them it out? >Our floor was put down in the summer and this winter it BUCKLED along some of the SEAMS, I think it was due to the COLD winter (-35C) that we had. >Our floor is making some CREAKING NOISES in some areas. How can we fix this? >I've installed hardwood in my living room. There are some UNEVEN transitions from BOARD TO BOARD. How can I fix this? >We had the flooring company come back a second time to fill in some gaps and buff and put another coat on. We now have very visible air bubbles in our URETHANE finish (they were not present the first time). What is the best way to remove the AIR BUBBLES? >I have deep GOUGES in my stair treads and risers. I used a PUTTY FILLER and then stained some of the stairs only to discover they are still quite visible. Is there anything to do to make these MARKS blend in with the rest of wood? >There is some TERMITE damage in almost all the boards of our new homes floor. I want to know if I could use wood filler over these spots or maybe even the sawdust and glue. >Our problem is that the flooring seems to have lots of CRACKS between the boards and somebody in the past put a lot of NAILS in the boards in the hallway. Can we putty this or is there a better way to repair it? >We have large CRACKS even in our master bath. Now after 3 months of HUMIDITY control & moisture on the insides of my windows the cracks are even worse. I can see the subfloor through some of them. Is MOISTURE the only cause of these cracks or might there be some other causes we should consider, and what are the best ways to take care of this problem? >How LONG would it take for the wood to RESPOND to the INCREASED MOISTURE, and is is reasonable to expect the cracks to CLOSE COMPLETELY? What is the recommended thing to FILL these CRACKS? WOOD PUTTY, etc? >I stained the floor and allowed it to dry then put the polyurethane on it, which made the floor white, and in some spots the STAIN CAME OFF. Why? >I have two rooms. One is 9x12 the other 11x20. They are already stained with a Royal Mahogony minwax stain. It has a high gloss finish and the finish is now SCRATCHED and STARTING TO PEEL. What do you suggest we do, strip and sand right down? What would the cost be approximately? How long would it take? >My floors are NOT EVEN due to settling of the house over the past 50 years, is it a problem refinishing them or would it be ok? Sanding > Is there a filler for filling the gaps between the PLANKS? Should I punch the NAILS through and RESCREW the planks to the joists before sanding? Do I apply the FILLER before I sand? What SEALER should I use? >Only the FIRST COAT of paint on our pine floor is REMOVABLE with chemical stripper. It is possible that an EPOXY paint was used underneath. What can be used to REMOVE EPOXY PAINT from wood? >What can be done to remove this GLUE/CARPET/mess RESIDUE? Any CHEMICALS capable of not damaging the poly finish of the old hardwood and at the same time remove the glue? >My foyer has 1/4 inch PLYWOOD GLUED down over the old hardwood. How do I REMOVE it? >Our hardwood that has BUCKLED due to SETTLING of 100 year old home. No boards have broken; only some have GOUGES or SPLITTING. Should I SAND and REFINISH? > I'm in the process of removing laminate floor TITLES that had been GLUED on oak hardwood floors in the dining room. Eventually, I'll be getting the floors in the whole house sanded and refinished, but until then, is there an easy way to get the STICKY GLUE RESIDUE off without harming the wood? Or can I at least put something down that won't be a problem come sanding time but will keep me from sticking every time I walk on it? >We have sanded off all the old stain, used the 120 grit to give a smoother finish, used a polyurethane but it still looks DULL. I was reading on sanding tips and it says that after we sand the stain off, put the new stain on, then add the polyurethane, to sand it again lightly with a 120 grit and then add another coat of polyurethane for a SMOOTHER FINISH. Is that correct? >We have put on 2 coats of water based polyurethane on our floors. The floor feels ROUGH. How do you get that hard SMOOTH finish? >We have done the second coat of polyurethane but the floor is still ROUGH and NOT SHINY! What do we do now? >Can a SOFT WOOD be sanded like a hardwood? >If space between planks is wide can these GAPS be FILLED without ruining the "look"? Staining >Do I choose a WOOD PUTTY to MATCH the COLOUR stain I use? Can I use a minwax-type GEL stain that I have used on furniture, or do I need a special floor STAIN? Other >My old farm house has PAINTED wide plank pine floors. What would you recommend to REMOVE the many LAYERS of PAINT? >What do people charge for sanding and finishing natural (3 coats- No Sealers)? >I want to salvage some oak flooring from a house that is being torn down. What is the best approach to avoid spliting and cracking of the flooring? >What causes AIR BUBBLES? >Is it possible to SAND PARTICLE BOARD where it is BUCKLED with a BELT SANDER? Send us a question!
Q & A
Cleaning and Maintenance >Are the cleaning PRODUCTS we use making our new floors look DULL and mottled? What can we use to get the SHINE back? >Why should we not use "OIL BASED CLEANERS" on our hardwood floors? >Some snow or water got into the pipes and DRIPPED CREOSOTE onto our wood floor. What would be the best way to REMOVE the STAIN on the floor? >I put on three coats of polyurethane on my newly sanded and stained floor, do I need to WAX it? >After removing an old carpet I discovered PAINT had been dropped on the hardwood floor in several places. How do I REMOVE it? >When we painted, before we moved in, we got some PAINT ON THE TRIM around the doors. Is there is any way I can remove the paint off the door trim without removing the stain also?
Installation >What type of TOOL should be used to install TONGUE in GROOVE flooring? >I want to install oak on the STAIR TREADS and paint the risers. I am told by the buider that the treads have to be GLUED in. Can I simply put oak SLABS over the EXISTING TREAD? Also, do I have to cut off the OUTER LIP if I go with a thin STAIR NOSING? >Since our maple floors were INSTALLED, we have noticed that there are PATCHES where the colour of the flooring is much LIGHTER than other areas. We have contacted the installer, and think we're getting the runaround because he says that all floors undergo OXIDATION, and that the colour will eventually EVEN OUT. Is that true? >Is it good to put a NEW OAK FLOOR OVER AN OLD ONE, or is it better to TEAR UP the old one and put new plywood boards and then the new oak floor? >Do I have to remove the old flooring in the kitchen for the transition to the rest of the house without having to put a subfloor under the rest of the house to bring it up to LEVEL with the kitchen floor or can I use some sort of TRANSITION STRIP? >I understand that we have to install solid hardwood over 3/4" plywood. I'd like to install the PLYWOOD now and PAINT it. But can I later put hardwood down over the PAINTED PLYWOOD? >Is it a good idea to put hardwood on your STAIRS? > I installed 3/4 OSB directly over a CONCRETE slab, above grade, with a vapor barrier Rosen paper and Nailed down 3/4 Maple. What problems can I look forward to? >Our subfloor is particle board. We have to choose between CARPET and HARDWOOD flooring. Is it possible to put something overtop the PARTICLE BOARD before putting down carpeting or hardwood to help with SOUND PROOFING? Someone suggested that we nail the particle board with DECK SCREWS to prevent the floors from creaking after the carpets are installed. Is this a good idea? Is it better to put in the cheap carpeting, let the HOUSE SETTLE, fix the creakiness, then tear up the carpet and replace it with good wood in a few years? ALLERGENS are also a problem and I realize rugs and carpets will aggravate dust mite allergies. What do you suggest? >I'm planning to install 3/4" Hardwood in our rooms, but there are some UNEVEN SPOTS. Is there any kind of LEVELING compound we can use? >I would like to have my floors redone so there will no more UNEVEN floor and SOUND PROOF a little in the process. What do you suggest here? >Would WIDE PLANK flooring would be suitable in the Edmonton, Alberta REGION, with its COLD, DRY winters? >Should a WATER VAPOR BARRIER be put down if the hardwood flooring is to be installed over OSB over a full UNFINISHED BASEMENT? How should the flooring be laid? Parallel or perpendicular to the floor joists? >When placing hardwood on STAIR TREADS, do they have to be 1" thick or thicker? And do you use one plank of hardwood or could you use strips of hardwood for stair treads? >We have some concern about NOISE/SOUND INSULATION. What is the best product to use? How should it be installed? >I would like to place a LAMINATE HARDWOOD OVER my STAIRS. I do not want to have to remove the stairs and rebuild. How do I do this?
Repairing >The hardwood floors in the upstairs portion of the house that we bought has been speckled with PAINT. How can we remove it? >A contractor just finished installing/finishing my hardwood floors and left multiple LAP MARKS (covering the entire width of the floor). What should be done about them? >When there are AIR BUBBLES in the polyurethane finish, can you SPOT SAND some of them by hand and then TOUCH UP that spot with another coat of polyurethane? >My STAIRS are CREAKING alot and I want to fix this. I have taken up the carpet but can't find any NAIL HEADS, I do not know where the JOISTS are, and I can't access the stairs from below. What should I do? >No gaps have developed anywhereon our floors, save an 8ft RUN between two planks in the kitchen. The GAP is 1/8th of an inch (A nickel fits inside of it). How can we repair this and still have the floor look great? >I recently had someone come to my condo to replace a section of my LAMINATE flooring. The new flooring ended up being about two or THREE SHADES LIGHTER than the old. Is there any way to DARKEN it without replacing it? > We have an area approximately 15" x 20" that is not level. Is there any wood floor product (epoxy, urethane) that could actually be poured into this "VALLEY" in our floor and would dry LEVEL with the clear finish that the floor already has? > We removed carpeting to find that PET STAINS have penetrated our beautiful hardwood floors - some areas are very DARK, other areas appear almost "BLEACHED" out. Do you have any suggestions on removing or lessening the stains? >There are some WORN AREAS on our floor that need refinishing. Is it possible to redo only the worn areas and have them BLEND into the older finished areas without redoing the entire floor? >There are some BLACK SPOTS on our hardwood floor. How can we get them it out? >Our floor was put down in the summer and this winter it BUCKLED along some of the SEAMS, I think it was due to the COLD winter (-35C) that we had. >Our floor is making some CREAKING NOISES in some areas. How can we fix this? >I've installed hardwood in my living room. There are some UNEVEN transitions from BOARD TO BOARD. How can I fix this? >We had the flooring company come back a second time to fill in some gaps and buff and put another coat on. We now have very visible air bubbles in our URETHANE finish (they were not present the first time). What is the best way to remove the AIR BUBBLES? >I have deep GOUGES in my stair treads and risers. I used a PUTTY FILLER and then stained some of the stairs only to discover they are still quite visible. Is there anything to do to make these MARKS blend in with the rest of wood? >There is some TERMITE damage in almost all the boards of our new homes floor. I want to know if I could use wood filler over these spots or maybe even the sawdust and glue. >Our problem is that the flooring seems to have lots of CRACKS between the boards and somebody in the past put a lot of NAILS in the boards in the hallway. Can we putty this or is there a better way to repair it? >We have large CRACKS even in our master bath. Now after 3 months of HUMIDITY control & moisture on the insides of my windows the cracks are even worse. I can see the subfloor through some of them. Is MOISTURE the only cause of these cracks or might there be some other causes we should consider, and what are the best ways to take care of this problem? >How LONG would it take for the wood to RESPOND to the INCREASED MOISTURE, and is is reasonable to expect the cracks to CLOSE COMPLETELY? What is the recommended thing to FILL these CRACKS? WOOD PUTTY, etc? >I stained the floor and allowed it to dry then put the polyurethane on it, which made the floor white, and in some spots the STAIN CAME OFF. Why? >I have two rooms. One is 9x12 the other 11x20. They are already stained with a Royal Mahogony minwax stain. It has a high gloss finish and the finish is now SCRATCHED and STARTING TO PEEL. What do you suggest we do, strip and sand right down? What would the cost be approximately? How long would it take? >My floors are NOT EVEN due to settling of the house over the past 50 years, is it a problem refinishing them or would it be ok?
Sanding > Is there a filler for filling the gaps between the PLANKS? Should I punch the NAILS through and RESCREW the planks to the joists before sanding? Do I apply the FILLER before I sand? What SEALER should I use? >Only the FIRST COAT of paint on our pine floor is REMOVABLE with chemical stripper. It is possible that an EPOXY paint was used underneath. What can be used to REMOVE EPOXY PAINT from wood? >What can be done to remove this GLUE/CARPET/mess RESIDUE? Any CHEMICALS capable of not damaging the poly finish of the old hardwood and at the same time remove the glue? >My foyer has 1/4 inch PLYWOOD GLUED down over the old hardwood. How do I REMOVE it? >Our hardwood that has BUCKLED due to SETTLING of 100 year old home. No boards have broken; only some have GOUGES or SPLITTING. Should I SAND and REFINISH? > I'm in the process of removing laminate floor TITLES that had been GLUED on oak hardwood floors in the dining room. Eventually, I'll be getting the floors in the whole house sanded and refinished, but until then, is there an easy way to get the STICKY GLUE RESIDUE off without harming the wood? Or can I at least put something down that won't be a problem come sanding time but will keep me from sticking every time I walk on it? >We have sanded off all the old stain, used the 120 grit to give a smoother finish, used a polyurethane but it still looks DULL. I was reading on sanding tips and it says that after we sand the stain off, put the new stain on, then add the polyurethane, to sand it again lightly with a 120 grit and then add another coat of polyurethane for a SMOOTHER FINISH. Is that correct? >We have put on 2 coats of water based polyurethane on our floors. The floor feels ROUGH. How do you get that hard SMOOTH finish? >We have done the second coat of polyurethane but the floor is still ROUGH and NOT SHINY! What do we do now? >Can a SOFT WOOD be sanded like a hardwood? >If space between planks is wide can these GAPS be FILLED without ruining the "look"?
Staining >Do I choose a WOOD PUTTY to MATCH the COLOUR stain I use? Can I use a minwax-type GEL stain that I have used on furniture, or do I need a special floor STAIN?
Other >My old farm house has PAINTED wide plank pine floors. What would you recommend to REMOVE the many LAYERS of PAINT? >What do people charge for sanding and finishing natural (3 coats- No Sealers)? >I want to salvage some oak flooring from a house that is being torn down. What is the best approach to avoid spliting and cracking of the flooring? >What causes AIR BUBBLES? >Is it possible to SAND PARTICLE BOARD where it is BUCKLED with a BELT SANDER?
Send us a question!
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