Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Question regard re-finishing oak floors

Hi,
The house we recently bought has oak floors that haven't been sanded & re-finished in who knows when. Based on a suggestion of a friend, we hired a guy who does good work (based on a a couple of floors I've seen). We then gave him a key & left for a 1 week vacation (after clearing out all rooms). We gave him time but I understand that things happen so I asked a friend before we left if we could stay when we got back. Sure enough, the contractor had machine problems & he wasn't able to put on the final (3rd) coat until we had returned. We then stayed with our friends and just moved back into our house.

I'm not sure what to think. The floors look soooo much better, however I was expecting more of a gloss finish. I haven't spoken with the contractor yet, I first wanted to run this by the forum. If 3 coats are used, should you get a high sheen? Or is that optional, depending on the type of urethane used? I have a neighbor (house built at the same time in the 1950's) whose recent floors are much glossier - they were done a couple of years ago. But his are starting to wear a bit - does the higher the gloss mean the quicker the wear?

Your input is appreciated!
Bob

yes ther are different finishes that you can use to get the sheen you would like,it does not matter how many times you go over the floor where the differnce is ,is in the urethene matte or semi-gloss and high gloss kind like paint,did you discuss this prior to the job being done?or did you leave it to his discrepency as to the type of finish?I'm afraid that if you left it up to him then you would be responsible for the cost of changing the sheen on it,but if you talked this over and the gloss is not the one you picked then it would be on him

Ask your contractor's cost for a fourth coat - in GLOSS.
fred

Thanks for the reply, floorman. No, we didn't discuss the sheen beforehand. I'm not unhappy with it, I just didn't know that you could get different sheens. I think he did a good job, there's no way I want to change what he did. I wish he had discussed the options with us first, but I'm not upset enough to not recommend his work. I would imagine the higher gloss would show its wear more quickly so over time, we'll probably be happier.

Bob

Fewalt - that's an interesting idea. Back in the 70's, I lived in a house with bad wood floors so (being in college & foolish), we decided to rent a sander and do the floors ourselves. That experience made me vow that I would never again attempt the task - sanding floors is best left up to professionals (IMHO).

That being said, is it easy to to apply another layer? I'm a decent DIYer, plenty of painting experience. If it is a DIYer task, what is used - rollers or brushes?

Bob

Hello Bob,
I would hate to recommend you do it if you are satisfied with the contractor's job. Get his price then decide.
It's usually applied by pouring a section and using a lamb's wool applicator - sorta like a push broom. The main thing is getting a nice and even coat for proper drying.
Here's a pic:
http://www.cinhome.com/shop/shop.cgi?page=listd.html

fred

Thanks for the reply - I'll leave the application of the finish to a pro. As a pro, can you give me a rough idea of how many people choose high gloss vs. gloss vs matte? What do you prefer? Does one 'age' better than another?

Thanks again!
Bob

I'm not exactly a pro. I do more furniture than floors.
I would say more people prefer a semi-gloss or even satin over the High gloss gym-look finish. I've heard some people say the glossier is harder, but I think it's only the appearance. They will all cure at about the same rate.

fred

I recomend to our customers to use a semi-gloss. It does not show scratches like the gloss and gives a nice worm sheen rather than the dull look of a matte finish.

Phil

Very interesting thread. I personaly don't think it makes a difference from a quality standpoint on what finish one chooses to go with. It is all personal preference however one thing to keep in mind is the effect light will play on the floors. I personaly am not a fan of semi-gloss or high gloss finishes but I have a decent amount of light that hits my floors. If this is the case I would always go witha satin/matte finish, I like to see the wood, not the glare from poly. If you do not have a lot of natural light or lioght in general then semi may be the way to go. Whenever I refinish peoples floors however it is common curtesy to ask what type of finish they would prefer and show examples if possible. I find that most people at first assume to go with a semi-gloss but many change their minds when they see a satin finish. Putting poly on is really not a difficult thing so if you are handy I would save the money an diy it. Not sure what type of poly they used but depending on that you may want to screen it before you coat it. If you never used a buffer before though make sure you get a quick lesson if you choose to do diy it. It can get pretty tricky :).

Evan;

Another reason i recomend a semi versis satin is the amount of solids used in the poly for hardeners. A semi is going to be harder than a matte and gloss will be harder than semi. We bring samples to the customer when doing the estimate to show the cust the differences.

Phil

Hey phil,i'm not a sand /finish man so i don't know the answer to this one,do you have to rough the finish up to go over the finish that is already down to change from matte to semi-gloss?or can you just go over it as is?:cool:

Phil,
I understand exactly what you are talking about. A semi probably will be a bit a bit harder than a satin however in a normal family dwelling, ie. family of 4 with a pet or two I think that that the hardness difference to be negligable. If it is a large family though wth several animals or in a business than I think the difference would be duly noted. I always recommend a semi for a business but for the average home either finishes should be fine. The main thing to let people know is how to properly care for the wood floor after laying or refinishing them. Such as putting pads under furniture that is moved frequently, removing dirt and sand, keeping them cleen with the proper cleaner (no wax!!). Precautions like these is what keeps a hardwood floor looking great for several years.

Floorman;
Yes you should rough the surface by sreening before adding any coat over top. It allows for better adhesion.

Evan,

All my customers get a cleaning kit and enough pads to cover all their furniture plus a do an don't list for care dealing with spill, scratches etc.

Phil

My original post has taken me to some interesting threads - thanks for all the input to all. While I like what my guy did, he didn't score high on the communications section. Phil - is your dos & don'ts available online? Or can it be summarized. The only thing our guy said is to not wax. What's a good cleaner that won't strip? Just water? Add a little soap?

Thanks again,
Bob

Phil,
You obviously have a lot of know-how in the wood floor world. It is great that you have what seems like a very nice business and you share your knowledge on this great site. I hope you do not feel as if I have questioned anything about your practice. All of which I said was in question to the person who refinished the original posters floor. I am happy to see that you take care of your customers the way they should be taken care of, unfortunately as we have read in this thread there are people who do not do things the way we believe.

Bob, there are several great floor cleaners out there. Read the label and make sure it does not have wax and you should be fine. I prefer a water based cleaner while some prefer oil. In the long run as long as you keep the floor free of most dirt by light vacuuming or sweeping and the occasional wash with water and when it looks necessary a cleaner you should be fine for a long time. There are several do's and don'ts about how to care for wood floors but many are common sence...ie. wipe up spills immediately, put a good quality pad that won't stain floors under area rugs, and do not sweep dirt under rugs!! so many people unfortunatley do this and they wonder why they have a million sctatches on the floor on the edges where the area rug used to be :). I am sure Phil will have a more extensive list for you, he probably would have something on his site if you click his link. Best of luck to you.

There are alot of cleaners out there that say they can be used on hardwood that really should not. One of the biggest we have run into as of late is the all mighty swifter. Wet jet and pads. They are a no no there is something in there that makes a urethane finish have a sticky feeling. It seems to be fine when used on water based. Murphys oil is another one to stay away from. And anything with a citrus base ie orange clean etc. Bona has a floor cleaning kit for both laminate and hardwood. We buy them by the case so our price is a little lower than retail but you will pay anywhere from $22 - $29 for the kit the cleaner will last you about a year.
Educateing our customers is a number one priority. Allot of people are new to Hardwood and grandma's method of cleaning them was based on a mainly laquer and shellac era. Now a days with all the new products and clames that are out there people are having a hard time finding the right choice for there floors. At the NOFMA site is a care and maintence guide as well as a customer expectation guide to help consumers understand the process of installaton and refinishing. www.nofma.org I try to help when i can and sometimes i vent a little but I am here to help.

Phil

thought so, thanx phil:cool: