Professional opinions on the ripples in this floor refinishing job?

7 days ago

last modified: 7 days ago

The contractor told us the waves/ripples (or whatever they are called) appeared after the third coat of finish. You can’t tell in pictures but in person you can see these lines run across the whole room. We had him refinish floors in a house 4 years ago without this issue. He said this doesn't usually happen but also said he can’t fix it. First he said a glossier finish can help (this is satin) but then said a fourth coat of finish can cause other problems. He said this happens when floors are sanded multiple times. But this is the first time they have been refinished since the home was built in 2002. He said it's a big room with a lot of light and that makes it worse, but it will look better when we get furniture in the rooms. I let him know I wasn’t happy with it and he said, ”Don’t pay me then.” What causes this and what would be a fair resolution? Thank you for your help!

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Comments (4)

PRO
G & S Floor Service
7 days ago
These ripples, when close together are chatter marks caused by bad equipment - drum/belt sander. When the ripples are further apart, it's waves caused by operator error of the drum/belt sander. Their equipment needs repairs and the refinisher needs to be aware of the cause and effect of bad equipment, more training is required.

The refinisher needs to add a process called "hard plating" to the process. It requires additional sanding equipment or attachments. They can get a single aluminum hard plate or multi head with metal disc to attach their buffer. Or purchase specialized Planetary sanders like the Trio, Spider, Powerdrive to name a few. These machines have a heavy duty sanding head to do the job. Heads with metal sanding disc are best to flatten surfaces. The second option will give you the best result and is also more productive but, it is a big investment.

Adding this hard plate process wil help remove any waves, ripples, gouges, dish outs and side cuts caused by the equipment and operator. It will also add more time to the entire refinishing process. Well worth the investment for any refinisher looking to achieve flat expert leveled sanded wood surfaces. The down side, refinishing time/labor and cost goes up, which means we have to charge the clients more money for quality work.
debbiejbiggs thanked G & S Floor Service
Timothy Winzell
7 days ago
Not much to add to the above.

For some perspective, this issue was much more prevalent before the advent of new machinery that eliminates it. Sanders should still troubleshoot their drum/belt sanders to eliminate the major cause of chatter.

A final coat of matte would have helped but this point any more coats will make the floor smoother, making imperfections more visible. It will look better with window treatments, furniture and area rugs in place. Considering it will probably last you another 20 years, I'd offer to pay half. I'd also refer him to this article: https://www.woodfloorbusiness.com/sanding/article/15124563/fixing-and-preventing-chatter-and-wave-when-finishing-a-wood-floor
debbiejbiggs thanked Timothy Winzell
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PRO
G & S Floor Service
7 days ago
$4.00 per square feet versus $7.00 per square feet. The difference is significant - knowledge and resources.
debbiejbiggs
Original Author
6 days ago
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and thoughts with me. Appreciate it so much!

Professional opinions on the ripples in this floor refinishing job?

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G & S Floor Service

Timothy Winzell

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Professional opinions on the ripples in this floor refinishing job?

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Timothy Winzell

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debbiejbiggsOriginal Author

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debbiejbiggs
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