Contractor Tips: Smooth Moves for Hardwood Floors
Dreaming of gorgeous, natural wood floors? Consider these professional pointers before you lay the first plank
Kenny Grono
April 17, 2012
If your place doesn't have hardwood floors, you probably wish it did. Wood makes great flooring. It's beautiful, long lasting and easy to clean. The Victorians weren't too fond of it (they covered with rugs and oilcloths the same floors people are now refinishing), and I seem to remember wall-to-wall carpeting everywhere in the '80s. But hardwood floors have almost always been in style for the last couple hundred years, so they remain a smart investment.
If you are planning on installing or refinishing your existing floors, read on for some insight from a contractor that will help you get the most out of them.
If you are planning on installing or refinishing your existing floors, read on for some insight from a contractor that will help you get the most out of them.
The area where you will lay the floor affects the type of floor that can be used. If you have hot-water or electric radiant heat, you can install wood flooring, but you must follow the manufacturer's instructions, and you will probably be limited to engineered wood.
Main living areas like the first floor, kitchen and family room benefit from a harder wood, like oak or ash. In a bedroom or on a third floor, a softer wood (such as pine) will hold up just fine.
Main living areas like the first floor, kitchen and family room benefit from a harder wood, like oak or ash. In a bedroom or on a third floor, a softer wood (such as pine) will hold up just fine.
Wood is a fine choice for flooring in a kitchen, and though I don't recommend it in a full bath, it holds up well in a powder room. But in both of these spots you're exposing the wood to water, so you'll need to clean up spills right away.
Tip: In the event of a disaster — like a leaky dishwasher supply hose that floods the floor — stay calm and be patient. Mop up as much as you can and run fans to dry the floor out.
The boards will probably buckle from the moisture. Don't try to sand down the surface to correct the problem. It may take several months, but given enough time to dry out, the floor should return to normal.
Tip: In the event of a disaster — like a leaky dishwasher supply hose that floods the floor — stay calm and be patient. Mop up as much as you can and run fans to dry the floor out.
The boards will probably buckle from the moisture. Don't try to sand down the surface to correct the problem. It may take several months, but given enough time to dry out, the floor should return to normal.
When you see a wood floor that looks like it is past its prime, the wear you're seeing is probably the finish on the wood. Most floors these days are finished onsite with some type of polyurethane.
Prefinished floors that are finished at the factory are also available. To protect the finish on your floors, sweep and dry mop often, and make sure there is a mat in front of and inside every exterior door.
Prefinished floors that are finished at the factory are also available. To protect the finish on your floors, sweep and dry mop often, and make sure there is a mat in front of and inside every exterior door.
I encourage everyone to consider the environment and the health of your family when doing renovations.
Installing a wood floor is a green choice because it can easily last 200 years, but to make sure your choice is as responsible as possible, look for FSC or SFI labels on the wood, which demonstrate that it was harvested in a sustainable way.
The walnut floors pictured here came from city trees that had to be cut down, but wood from storm-damaged trees can usually be found. These days, logs that have been underwater for decades are being turned into flooring, too. Wood holds up just fine at the bottom of a river or lake, because it's deprived of oxygen.
Installing a wood floor is a green choice because it can easily last 200 years, but to make sure your choice is as responsible as possible, look for FSC or SFI labels on the wood, which demonstrate that it was harvested in a sustainable way.
The walnut floors pictured here came from city trees that had to be cut down, but wood from storm-damaged trees can usually be found. These days, logs that have been underwater for decades are being turned into flooring, too. Wood holds up just fine at the bottom of a river or lake, because it's deprived of oxygen.
Salvaged wood is a great option for green flooring. With a salvaged floor you are getting true character — not fake hand scraping or nail holes. You are reusing flooring, so there's less labor and shipping involved, and no virgin lumber is used.
Installing salvaged floors does often involve more labor onsite, though. Expect 10 percent to 30 percent more time spent on the job to cull unusable boards, pull stray nails, deal with wonky boards and so on.
In my opinion it's worth it, though. And remember, using your purchasing power to support your local labor force is one of the most sustainable decisions you can make.
Installing salvaged floors does often involve more labor onsite, though. Expect 10 percent to 30 percent more time spent on the job to cull unusable boards, pull stray nails, deal with wonky boards and so on.
In my opinion it's worth it, though. And remember, using your purchasing power to support your local labor force is one of the most sustainable decisions you can make.
This herringbone wood floor brings to mind another possibility: using salvaged wood that wasn't originally used for flooring or can't be reused for its original purpose. This is going to take even more labor, but sometimes the cost can be offset by reduced material costs.
My company recently purchased about 300 square feet of the old Palestra basketball court at the University of Pennsylvania. Because of the way it was removed by the demo crews, it took several days to turn the pile into usable boards, and even then they were all 2 to 3 feet long (too short for a conventionally laid floor). The small boards will be perfect for a herringbone pattern.
My company recently purchased about 300 square feet of the old Palestra basketball court at the University of Pennsylvania. Because of the way it was removed by the demo crews, it took several days to turn the pile into usable boards, and even then they were all 2 to 3 feet long (too short for a conventionally laid floor). The small boards will be perfect for a herringbone pattern.
I can't stress enough the importance of reading the manufacturer's instructions when installing new floors. You may like to read — as evidenced by your reading a dry article about floors — but that doesn't mean your installer does. If you have your doubts, look up the instructions online before install day.
Tip: Some manufacturers recommend you orient the flooring according to the dominant light source in the room. In this picture the front door casts a flood of light on the floor. This oak floor was sanded and finished onsite, so the direction the boards run in looks good. However, some prefinished floors look better if the boards run with the light.
Tip: Some manufacturers recommend you orient the flooring according to the dominant light source in the room. In this picture the front door casts a flood of light on the floor. This oak floor was sanded and finished onsite, so the direction the boards run in looks good. However, some prefinished floors look better if the boards run with the light.
Maybe you already have wood floors and they just need some help. Or perhaps you just uncovered old floorboards underneath several other floors and you wonder if they could be turned into a beautiful floor.
If your house is old, you may have uncovered the subfloor. Today, we use plywood for our subflooring, but in the past in my region they used old-growth pine and fir.
Is there anything wrong with using this as your finished floor? Not necessarily. Just keep these things in mind: Gaps between boards will be open to the space or joist bay below. Subfloor helps to stiffen the finish floors above, so make sure the floor is not too thin to support daily use.
Check how much repair will be needed, too. To make invisible repairs, you'll need to add in salvaged boards. This is labor intensive, and you'll need to source the wood. After repairs, you'll sand, but if glue or paint is built up on the floor, this could use up more sandpaper and time than it's worth.
If your house is old, you may have uncovered the subfloor. Today, we use plywood for our subflooring, but in the past in my region they used old-growth pine and fir.
Is there anything wrong with using this as your finished floor? Not necessarily. Just keep these things in mind: Gaps between boards will be open to the space or joist bay below. Subfloor helps to stiffen the finish floors above, so make sure the floor is not too thin to support daily use.
Check how much repair will be needed, too. To make invisible repairs, you'll need to add in salvaged boards. This is labor intensive, and you'll need to source the wood. After repairs, you'll sand, but if glue or paint is built up on the floor, this could use up more sandpaper and time than it's worth.
Once your floors have been sanded, they need to be finished. A full discussion of the available finishes could easily fill its own ideabook, but here are a few points of conventional wisdom:
- An oil finish may be more durable, but you will have to cope with odors and VOCs when it is installed.
- The glossier a finish, the better it will hold up to traffic. Of course it will also show that traffic much more than a matte finish.
- Polyurethanes, the most popular floor finish, can't be touched up invisibly, so you have to refinish once the wear gets too bad.
Because many of my clients have been asking for a matte floor finish that looks like there is no finish on the floors, I've been searching for a floor finish that holds up but still fits this description.
I just used Bona Naturale for the first time on some old white oak strip flooring. It is the least glossy finish I've seen, and based on Bona's reputation for excellent products and my observations using the product, I recommend trying it if you are looking for the natural look.
More:
An Introduction to Solid-Plank Floors
Cork Flooring: Warm Up to a Natural Wonder
I just used Bona Naturale for the first time on some old white oak strip flooring. It is the least glossy finish I've seen, and based on Bona's reputation for excellent products and my observations using the product, I recommend trying it if you are looking for the natural look.
More:
An Introduction to Solid-Plank Floors
Cork Flooring: Warm Up to a Natural Wonder
Dave Fox is a design/build remodeling firm with a customer focused process, an incredible staff and a close knit... Read More
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When having a textured hardwood floor installed in your home the best finish possible is a penetrating or hard wax oil finish. Polyurethane finishes are plastic coatings that wear over time. On a distressed or otherwise textured floor you DO NOT want to ever refinish it. So when using penetrating or hard wax oil finishes as you clean/maintain your floor you are adding oils to it, so in theory the floor becomes more durable and saturated with oil over time as opposed to the plastic coating wearing off. Also with penetrating oil finishes repairs and touch ups are extremely simple and effective. Also the products are zero or extremely low in VOC depending on the product. We handscrape and distress 75% of our floors and use Natural penetrating oils and hard wax oil finishes on all of them. Remember your floor is the largest piece of furniture in your home, treat it that way.
What kind of wood can you recommend for a kitchen ? Unsure about engineered vs. finished on site.
I put real hardwood in a home we built 12 years ago. We live in a dry climate with radiant heat under floors. I obviously chose wrongly, as the floors have developed large gaps between planks, as the years go by, although I was assured by flooring company that this was the perfect floor to choose for radiant heat. We finished off the basement bedroom with engineered wood flooring installed by my husband, and it has never changed, looks as good as the day he finished. I wish we had used this throughout the house, rather than real wood. Buyer beware!