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New Installation | Refinishing | Repairs | Recoating Installation Methods / Wood Flooring Types
There are 3 basic methods of installing wood floors:
Prefinished and Unfinished (Finished on Site) Both prefinished and unfinished flooring can be installed in any of the methods described above. Most engineered products are prefinished, and many prefinished solid wood products are readily available Finished on Site: The traditional way of putting in new wood floors was to nail down unfinished solid wood flooring to sub floor or joists, (or glue parquet tiles to slab), then sand it smooth and wax it. (Or apply 1 or more coats of varnish - later polyurethane). While top coat formulas and application techniques have changed considerably over the years, notably with the advent of water based urethanes, this traditional method of wood flooring installation will still give you the best looking wood floors in most situations. As mentioned previously, the main drawback of this approach is the inconvenience involved. (However, we believe the inconvenience to be well worth the trouble in most cases). A floor which is finished in place will give you more control over the outcome in terms of color and design. Prefinished: This flooring product, as its name implies, gets sanded and finished in the manufacturing stages, then installed. It has a few important advantages over the unfinished approach: 1) The job length is cut by half or more. 2) No dust nor fumes. 3) Finish is claimed to be more durable due to a carefully controlled application environment. Also, some manufacturers use a so called aluminum-oxide finish, which is said to be more durable than any other finish formula to date. This type of flooring has all the advantages of any solid wood flooring material except 2 relatively minor ones: 1) Color is somewhat more restricted. 2) Slight "over wood" tolerances or so called "micro bevels" are to be expected. Styles of Wood Flooring
Wood Species: White and Red Oak are still the most popular choice by far, due no doubt to their relatively low cost, serviceability, and elegant good looks. However, these days, more than ever before, an immense variety of other wood species is available as flooring materials, most of them available in 2 or 3 grades, (which vary from clear to rustic). For more information, call us, and/or visit the National Wood Flooring Association at www.woodfloors.org. Borders and Inlays: Many people prefer a clean elegant look which any wood floor will provide all by itself. Most wood floors, however, particularly living room and dining room floors, have the potential to become significantly enhanced esthetically by a tastefully designed border. A simple border can be accentuated and customized further by integrating one or more feature strips of another wood specie, and / or a corner block design, and /or other inlays, all of which could vary from simple to intricate. A simple border with one or two feature strips will not add very much in cost to the job, and in our minds is well worth the small additional expense, (unless you happen to adhere to the "less is more" philosophy of design). Grades: Grades describe the appearance of the wood. All wood grades are as serviceable. Grades were developed to bring a degree of consistency to wood floors appearance specifications regardless of where they were milled. Grades (for the most part), are assigned by the appropriate authority, notably the NOFMA, (National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association, and the MFMA, (Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association). Softwoods and lumber are graded differently. Engineered flooring, and other products are also graded differently. Most engineered flooring are graded by the manufacturer in image conscious terminology, i.e. "Cabin Grade", "Tavern Grade" to designate a rustic, knotty look. Oak Grades:
Cuts:
Floors Over Radiant Heat Systems: Most hardwood flooring materials will work well over all types of radiant heating systems. Floating floors can be installed directly over the slab. When the heating tubes are embedded in concrete or similar material, a glue down installation is also possible. A solid 3/4" nail down floor can be nailed to sleepers when the heating tubes run exposed between them. A solid 3/4" nail down floor can also be installed over 2 layers of 1/2" or 5/8" plywood, floated over tubes embedded in concrete slab. Sound Control Systems: A good sound control underlayment will provide the following benefits:
The following are the two basic types of sound control underlayments.
Transitions & Thresholds: A typical wood floor installation will usually have at least one, sometimes many, transitions to other rooms with different floor coverings such as vinyl or carpet. These items are always included within the scope of the installation work. Baseboards & Baseshoe: Any wood flooring needs to have a gap at the perimeter of between 1/4" to 3/4" wide, between the flooring and the wall or baseboard (if a baseboard is already installed), to allow for expansion if the flooring material absorbs any moisture from the environment. This is particularly true for floating floor systems which will expand as one single unit. This gap between the flooring is typically covered by the baseboard or baseshoe material. New installations typically require new baseboards. If baseboards are already in place, it is possible, in some cases, to remove and reinstall them after the floor is laid. When the existing baseboards are over 4 or 5 inches high, they can remain in place and a baseshoe molding is then installed to cover the expansion gap. If the existing baseboards are 3 inches or lower an attached baseshoe molding is not suitable for esthetical reasons. Refinishing Sanding and refinishing existing wood floors Sanding a wood floor requires the use of a number of specialized tools and machines. Different floor patterns, wood species, and floor finishes require different sanding methods. In most cases the floor is first sanded down to bare wood with a coarse grit sandpaper. Most solid wood floors can be refinished between 3 to 5 times, (depending on the sander’s expertise). Engineered floors can usually be refinished once or twice, (depending on the top layer thickness). Refinishing a floor involves many steps and procedures. The following is a concise summary of these procedures:
Sealers Sealers are finishing materials applied with the primary purpose of reducing the absorption of succeeding coats, allowing the succeeding coats to build up. Sealers are also designed to improve the adhesion between the finish and the wood. Oil modified sealers: Oil modified sealers are similar to a regular top coat finish with a much lower solids level. This lower level formula has more mineral spirits, allowing it to penetrate the wood more. Most oil modified sealers have a solid content between 30 and 35 percent. (a typical oil modified topcoat has a solids content between 40 and 50 percent. Water based Sealers: Most waterborne sealers break down into three categories: acrylic, urethane, and acrylic / urethane blends. Finishes Waterborne urethane: Waterborne urethanes are a blend of synthetic resins, plasticizers, and other film forming ingredients that produce a durable, moisture resistant surface coating. On the market since the early 1980’s, the good water base finishes are now at least as durable as the oil modified urethanes, which have been on the market since the 1950’s. The water base finish is lighter in appearance, and does not amber or yellow over time as the oil base will. Also, the water base urethane dries much faster, and does not smell, in contrast to the oil base. This makes the refinishing job less disruptive for the homeowner, since the floors can be walked on sooner, and there is hardly any foreign odor in the house. The look of the water base finish can be described as being more contemporary then that of the oil base, which has a more traditional appearance. The water base finish is a more ecological choice, because in contrast to the oil base finish, it does not release toxic vapors into the air. Oil modified urethane: Also known as polyurethane, is still in wide use. Oil modified finishes are a petroleum base with a blend of synthetic resins, plasticizers, and other film forming ingredients that produce a durable, moisture resistant surface coating. These finishes are also available in different sheen levels, namely satin, (low sheen), semi gloss and high gloss. In our view, use of the oil base finish makes sense when: 1) A more traditional look is sought after by the homeowner. 2) The floor needs to match other wood floors in the house. 3) A stain is used. 4) The budget and circumstances call for it, (e.g. rental units). Other finish types: Moisture cure urethanes cure by absorbing moisture from the air, which causes them to dry and harden. Conversion varnish, (acid cure) originated in Sweden, and are therefore also referred to as "Swedish". Both of these types of finish are very durable. However, they are also extremely toxic. The supposedly extra durability of these finishes is questionable, because the durability of the finish on a wood floor, as well as the durability and longevity of the wood floor itself, has a lot more to do with the quality of their maintenance than with the type of finish used. Tulip, of course, uses only top of the line, time tested and proven finishing materials. Tulip recommends the use of water based finish whenever feasible. If additional durability is required, we recommend "Traffic", a new water based product manufactured by "BONA" (the largest manufacturer of floor finishes in the world). For the reasons listed above, Tulip no longer uses acid cure / moisture cure finishes, (e.g. Gliza). Stains Stains are made of either pigments, dyes, or a combination of both. They change the color of the wood and also may seal it. Colors range from neutral to light browns, dark browns, and pastels. Staining the floor will give you greater control of the final outcome, color wise, (if you desire a more reddish, darker, more brownish look, etc.). A stained floor will usually create a more traditional, formal feel. Oil based stains: Oil based stains are the most widely used today. They take longer to dry, which helps prevent lap marks. Some oil based stains on the market are referred to as "penetrating stains", which means a high viscosity (thicker) formula that also seals the floor. Waterborne stains: Waterborne stains also dry through evaporation of a solvent - in this case, water. These stains are fast drying and in some cases allow for a second coat on the same day. However, in our experience, water based stains tend to look as if a semi transparent film of color has been applied to the floor, rather than a penetrating stain. Bleaching Bleaching will not turn a wood floor white. Rather, it reduces variation in color without obscuring the grain pattern. The process damages the fiber of the wood and changes the existing color of the wood - red oak will lighten to a pink cast, while white oak will take on a greenish cast. BACK
TO TOP ^
Small cracks and nail holes will in most cases hold wood putty for a long period
of time. When pieces of flooring are missing, or when the wood is damaged, the
affected boards can be replaced. Also, certain types of stains on the floor will
not sand out, and may then also be replaced.
When a part of an old floor is replaced with new wood material, the new wood
will usually look different to a certain extent. This is because, like many other
things in this world, a wood floor will yellow over a long period of time. The
new material will therefore often look a bit lighter in color than the existing
floor, and because of this, a perfect match cannot be guarantied. In some cases,
it is possible, in a 5/16" face nailed floor, to flip the boards over, or
move old flooring from a closet if the repair is in a more important and visible
area.
When an area needs repair, the correct way to go about it is to "weave",
or stagger, the boards into the existing floor, rather than make a rectangular
patch, (where all the board ends are on one line). For this reason, the actual
square footage replaced will be between three to four times the size of the stained
or damaged area.
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TO TOP ^
Recoating a wood floor involves applying a coat of finish on top of the existing
one. This procedure requires no sanding, is relatively inexpensive, and takes
only a few hours to complete. The floor is first screened with a buffer, which
slightly roughs up the surface so that the coat of finish will adhere better.
The coat of finish is then applied.
Tulip Floors highly recommends recoating your floor every few years. (Between
3 to 7, depending on how heavily they are used). Recoating your floor will significantly
extend the life of the floor in general, and allow considerably more time to
pass before the floor will need to be refinished again. Recoating a floor basically
replaces the top coat of finish as it wears down, before the wood is exposed.
Once the wood loses its protection and is exposed it will begin to turn gray,
and will need sanding in order to be restored.
The important thing to remember is to use the right materials to clean the
floor, that is, either vinegar and water (see maintenance information),
or a commercial
wood floor cleaner. Many products, such as Murphy’s Oil, will leave
a residue which will not allow recoating, because the new coat of finish
will not adhere
very well.
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