Refinishing Hardwood Floors - Page 2 - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

spensar · 2007-08-01, 08:27 AM

Check out the forum at hardwoodinstaller.com There are active pros that are very helpful. You may need to register to lurk but the info is excellent.

sleemo · 2007-08-02, 07:37 AM

Oh and make sure you stuff your ducts and cold air returns with towels or something or seal them up very well so no dust gets in there.

JohnnyG · 2007-08-02, 10:13 AM

Thanks all for the help so far! My fiancée absolutely hates all the dust I kick up when renovating, so boy oh boy is she in for a treat by the sound of it!

I checked Home Depot last weekend and the sander they rent did not seem to have a vacuum component to it (I didn't ask, but I don't remember seeing such a thing). Thankfully, Stephenson's rents the unit that Docted referred to and they tout a very powerful vacuum, so that's the one I'll be going with.

The good thing is that the floor cannot be any worse. If I somehow manage to screw it up, it'll just be sanded garbage instead of un-sanded garbage!

otown47 · 2007-08-16, 07:09 PM

The flooring co came today to start the refinishing job in my living/dining room. I got some help from a local kid to move the big furniture. I also put plastic up on the two doorways.

They used 3 or 4 sanders...the big one was a belt sander, was 220 volts and plugged into the dryer receptical.

So today they:
-sanded the floor with the big sander and the smaller sanders for the corners and edges. All the sanders had vacuums.
-sealed the floor and filled the cracks with a lacquer/sawdust mixture they spread on...that stunk
-sanded the floor again with the big sander
-sanded a third time with a big rotating sander...like a floor polisher
-vacuumed up any remaining dust...there wasn't much
-put on two coats of stain.......to give the floor a dark reddish colour...that stunk too.

Dust wasn't really a factor but smell is. This is definitely a summer/windows open job.

JohnnyG · 2007-08-17, 10:16 AM

Thanks otown, that's a nice little overview of the job. Dust is really our primary concern, so I hope the rental unit is at least close to this pro equipment in that respect.

We haven't chosen the finish yet, but I'm going to try to stick to water-based finishes as they are apparently much more bearable in the odour department.

I'll probably be tackling this job next weekend.

haystack · 2007-08-17, 11:32 AM

The absolute big, biggest, most important, uppermost thing thing is to not get to ruff. It may look like it does a better job but you can not get out the groves the coarse paper leaves.

otown47 · 2007-08-17, 03:54 PM

Came home to the first coat of varathane on the floor and a very stinky house....but it sure looks good. The guy uses Minwax colours which come in oil and water base....lots to choose from.

There are two more coats, next Monday and Tuesday with a light sanding in between. The last coat determines the sheen.....either semigloss or gloss. I haven't decided yet.

spensar · 2007-08-17, 04:49 PM

Gloss is nice but shows scratches a lot more. If you have dogs or a potential furniture scratching the gloss may not be the best.

rsambuca · 2007-08-17, 09:25 PM

I highly recommend the semi-gloss. As nice as high gloss looks, it is virtually impossible to keep it looking that way, and you really see every single light scratch. Semi-gloss is very nice looking as well, and much more practical.

otown47 · 2007-08-21, 09:46 AM

The floor was finished this morning....in semi-gloss. There was sanding and a coat applied yesterday and buffing and a final one today. A very beautiful finish. I'm going to let it dry till the weekend then put on new baseboards and put the furniture back.

The price was about $3 sqft and would have been $2.50 wo the stain. Staining requires extra sanding and care as any marks will show up more with a dark stain.

2007-08-01, 08:27 AM	#16
spensar Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Ottawa Posts: 1,113	Check out the forum at hardwoodinstaller.com There are active pros that are very helpful. You may need to register to lurk but the info is excellent. __________________ Panasonic TH-42PX60U, Harmony 670, Rogers HD 8300, 3250HD, Denon AVR-591, Chartwell SL3-5A, Venturer SHD-7000, Samsung 1600 BR.

2007-08-17, 04:49 PM	#23
spensar Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Ottawa Posts: 1,113	Gloss is nice but shows scratches a lot more. If you have dogs or a potential furniture scratching the gloss may not be the best. __________________ Panasonic TH-42PX60U, Harmony 670, Rogers HD 8300, 3250HD, Denon AVR-591, Chartwell SL3-5A, Venturer SHD-7000, Samsung 1600 BR.

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2007-08-02, 07:37 AM	#17
sleemo Moderator Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: The Scarb Posts: 2,781	Oh and make sure you stuff your ducts and cold air returns with towels or something or seal them up very well so no dust gets in there.

2007-08-02, 10:13 AM	#18
JohnnyG Veteran Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: North York, Ontario Posts: 10,407	Thanks all for the help so far! My fiancée absolutely hates all the dust I kick up when renovating, so boy oh boy is she in for a treat by the sound of it! I checked Home Depot last weekend and the sander they rent did not seem to have a vacuum component to it (I didn't ask, but I don't remember seeing such a thing). Thankfully, Stephenson's rents the unit that Docted referred to and they tout a very powerful vacuum, so that's the one I'll be going with. The good thing is that the floor cannot be any worse. If I somehow manage to screw it up, it'll just be sanded garbage instead of un-sanded garbage!

2007-08-16, 07:09 PM	#19
otown47 Veteran Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ottawa, Rogers Posts: 3,902	The flooring co came today to start the refinishing job in my living/dining room. I got some help from a local kid to move the big furniture. I also put plastic up on the two doorways. They used 3 or 4 sanders...the big one was a belt sander, was 220 volts and plugged into the dryer receptical. So today they: -sanded the floor with the big sander and the smaller sanders for the corners and edges. All the sanders had vacuums. -sealed the floor and filled the cracks with a lacquer/sawdust mixture they spread on...that stunk -sanded the floor again with the big sander -sanded a third time with a big rotating sander...like a floor polisher -vacuumed up any remaining dust...there wasn't much -put on two coats of stain.......to give the floor a dark reddish colour...that stunk too. Dust wasn't really a factor but smell is. This is definitely a summer/windows open job.

2007-08-17, 10:16 AM	#20
JohnnyG Veteran Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: North York, Ontario Posts: 10,407	Thanks otown, that's a nice little overview of the job. Dust is really our primary concern, so I hope the rental unit is at least close to this pro equipment in that respect. We haven't chosen the finish yet, but I'm going to try to stick to water-based finishes as they are apparently much more bearable in the odour department. I'll probably be tackling this job next weekend.

2007-08-17, 11:32 AM	#21
haystack Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,113	The absolute big, biggest, most important, uppermost thing thing is to not get to ruff. It may look like it does a better job but you can not get out the groves the coarse paper leaves.

2007-08-17, 03:54 PM	#22
otown47 Veteran Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ottawa, Rogers Posts: 3,902	Came home to the first coat of varathane on the floor and a very stinky house....but it sure looks good. The guy uses Minwax colours which come in oil and water base....lots to choose from. There are two more coats, next Monday and Tuesday with a light sanding in between. The last coat determines the sheen.....either semigloss or gloss. I haven't decided yet.

2007-08-17, 09:25 PM	#24
rsambuca Veteran Join Date: May 2006 Location: Calgary Posts: 1,633	I highly recommend the semi-gloss. As nice as high gloss looks, it is virtually impossible to keep it looking that way, and you really see every single light scratch. Semi-gloss is very nice looking as well, and much more practical.

2007-08-21, 09:46 AM	#25
otown47 Veteran Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ottawa, Rogers Posts: 3,902	The floor was finished this morning....in semi-gloss. There was sanding and a coat applied yesterday and buffing and a final one today. A very beautiful finish. I'm going to let it dry till the weekend then put on new baseboards and put the furniture back. The price was about $3 sqft and would have been $2.50 wo the stain. Staining requires extra sanding and care as any marks will show up more with a dark stain.