hardwood flooring sites.com

By Lee Dobbins

Sanding hardwood floors is not always easy. In fact, some hardwood floor owners prefer to hire a professional to do the sanding for them.

Waxing and buffing the floor does not provide as good shine when the hardwood floor is sand instead. Regardless if your hardwood floors were just recently installed in your house, or has been there for years, they could regain back their original beauty and richness of the wood when you refinish them.

Sanding your hardwood floors can be time consuming and may be a bit expensive should you decide to hire a professional to do the job. If you can spare the time, you may also opt to do it yourself. Anyways, all of the necessary equipments are available at almost all rental home depot centers. Also, the steps you would have to do are straightforward so you shouldn’t find sanding very difficult.

However, before you start to set out on the task yourself, you may want to consult a professional to estimate the total costs of the project. It might be shock to learn that it could cost a thousand dollars just to have one room refinished. If you find the difference not wide enough, then you can just contract a professional to do the sanding.

Because of the high costs of sanding all of the floors of the house, some even decide to just cover old hardwood floors with carpets. But that would be such a waste, to put beautiful hardwood floors out of sight, right? That’s why most people just go through doing the messy sanding jobs themselves to cut on costs.

Sanding can also be scary for some. Who wouldn’t be afraid to ruin their hardwood floors, especially if they were quite expensive? If you’re not careful enough, you can easily damage your floor with the sander.

If you don’t have a sander, you can rent one from your nearest hardware supply store. You’ll be needing a drum sander or a belt sander, depending on your hardwood floor type. If you’re not sure about the type of sandpaper you need to use, you could always ask the hardware store salesman for advice. Of course, you may have to get yourselves some dust masks so you could still move around even if your room will be filled with saw dust.

The sander is not as difficult to operate as you may have believed. It is self propelling making it easy for the user to move it. However, video poker classiccasino online spielecasino softwareonline spiel automatentop online kasinoscasino spiele downloadfunny games roulettewww casino on netkostenloses online kasinoslotmaschine online spielencasino automaten spielecasino online slotsonline casino wiesbadenonline roulette spielslot machines online spielenroulette pc spielwww casino spiele deonline roulette spielenonline roulette niedersachsen,roulette online games,online rouletteonline video slots,online casino slots,online slotsslot maschine online spielenkasino onnetonline casino ohne einzahlung 30 euro bonus,online casino bonus,online casino bonus ohne einzahlungswiss casino bonus codeonline casino deutschlandonline kenocasinospiele,spielkasino online,casino spielewww roulettecasino spiele online spielen,online casino spiele,kostenlose online spiele casino 14beste casino onlineinternet casino pokerblack jack spielplay baccaratjack black strategienslots gratisroulette tippsonline kasino spielencraps spielkostenlose casinospieleroulette online spielenbeste spiel raumonline casino ohne einzahlungonline roulette wiesbadenkasinospiele mit echtem geldonline casino liveoffice furniture in Bulgariacasino spiele spielenblack jack online spielenbaccarat downloadcasino games 2007glucks spiel you would have to keep a firm grip on its controls. It wouldn’t take a while when you get the hang of operating it. Some even think that operating a sander is fun.

However, you would still need to be cautious in using the sander. It is like a flat iron that when you keep it in one spot on your clothes, it could burn your clothes. You would have to keep the sander in constant motion to reduce the possibility of damaging the floors.

Also, expect your place to be a bit noisy whenever you turn on the sander. Aside from being noisy, it’ll also be creating a lot of saw dust. So you can also expect your room to be full of messy saw dust afterwards.

Sanding removes the old finish of your hardwood. Once you’re done with that you can start applying a stain on the floor. Some people though don’t apply stain and just prefer to leave the wood in its natural color. Then you would have to give the floor the finish to protect it.

There

are two kinds of floor finish. There is an oil-based and water-based floor finishing. Under these major types, are a few subtypes. For example, there are semi-gloss, satin or gloss oil-based finishes.

Satin is a great choice for your hardwood floor. It provides a good cover for hardwood flaws while letting its natural beauty show without that bright shine. Though oil-based finish are good in giving the floor a natural amber glow, it doesn’t dry as soon as water based finishes. Water based finished also have the advantage of keeping the wood from yellowing.

Before you start applying the next coats, by the way, ensure that the previous coat is completely dry. Of course, it is as important to follow the instructions on the finish. Usually, you may not occupy the room within a ceratin amount time. Then when everything’s ok, and you’re satisfied with what you’ve done, you can move all your furniture back again.

Lee Dobbins writes for www.refinishing-hardwood-floors.com where you can learn more about caring for your floors and find out more about hardwood floor sanders.
 

By Lee Dobbins

Even the most expensive floors can have problems. Woods are prone to scratches than any other flooring. Problems can range to minor problems to the surface or to a major one which damage on the structure. You can seek for a professional who will repair the damage or try to do it yourself.

I would try to tackle normal floor problems and possible ways to repair those.

1. One problem is the hardwood surface scratches which are very hard to avoid since this is natural wear and tear on every wood. If scratches on the floor are unapparent, color sticks or urethane touch-up kits available at most floor retailer stores can be used. If scratches are deep, you will need to change the damaged boards. I

2. Another problem would be buckled hardwood which is when boards rise up from the sub floor due to humidity levels. This should be repaired at once to avoid larger damage and the hazard of tripping. Expert help is sometimes required since the problem is beneath the floor. Fixing a screw into the flooring and the sub floor pulls down the buckled portion of the floor; cement block can also be used to deal with the problem

3. Hardwood plank gaps or separations of gaps are caused naturally by climate or by dryness. Woods will shrink or expand when wet or dry. The problem is seasonal so if the weather is humid, the floor is fine. Just be patient in waiting for the floor to return on its normal shape again, as long as the gaps are not that large, it is definitely okay.

4. Loose planks of wood can be fixed through nail and hammer set. Greatly loose boards can have deeper problems; this can be solved through replacement of the damaged strips on the floor.

5. Broken or split woods on the floor can also be repaired through hammer and special angled nails; larger splits may also need replacements.

6. Stained hardwood floors can be the most devastating problem on the floor since stains can mess up the beauty of the whole floor having dark colors. Refinishing the whole floor can be the only way to deal with stains but you can try this few steps:

a. Sand out the stained wood

b. Apply an acid mixture; this is a mixture of acid crystals (sold at retail flooring stores) and water on a clean white cloth. Let the mixture set on the floor for an hour.

c. Check if the stain is gone; if not repeat the process over again.

d. Once the stain is washed out rinse the area with vinegar and let the area dry completely.

e. Apply an oil-based stain that can match the bleached portion. Additional coats would be necessary to level the color of the floor. Once you have arrived at the color that you want, let the floor dry overnight.

Be sure to wear protection for your eyes when doing the whole process of floor stain removal.

7. Washboarding or cupping hardwood is a hardwood floor problem characterized by wood strips that are high on the edges but lower on the center. Cupping can be caused by moisture imbalance wherein more water is stagnated on the bottom of the wood than on top. The remedy for this problem is to stabilize the humidity levels of the wood surface first. Sand it out and refinish the hardwood.

8. Warped floors are floors that lose its shape. This can pose a serious problem; thus professional help is needed at once.

Cleanliness at home is still the best way to maintain the sturdiness of the hardwood floor. Vacuuming and mopping of the floor at least once a week is a good start. It has also been advice not to wax floors with polyurethane coatings because it will be very hard to recoat or refinish it again without sanding it wholly first.

Do not feel obliged to call the help of experts to make minor repairs on your flooring problems. There are those which are easy to deal with and you can try to solve it on your own. This can save you from a lot of hassle and money which can be used for bigger problems in the long run.

Hardwood floor repair takes a lot of time and patience. With appropriate techniques, tools and products, fixing of the floor will be as easy as 1-2-3.

Lee Dobbins writes for www.refinishing-hardwood-floors.com where you can learn more about choosing, maintaining and refinishing hardwood floors.

By Lee Dobbins

Many of the old houses employ hardwood flooring. The use of hardwood for floors was popularized in the circa 1960s. Today, there is a resurgence of hardwood floors because people find these floors to be very relaxing to the eye. Hardwood floors are very attractive because of their natural look.

For people who purchased an old house with withered hardwood flooring, they would probably want to look into refinishing the flooring. Carpets cannot hide the hideous truth forever, and at some point, these homeowners need to refinish the flooring. A bad hardwood floor can literally ruin the whole theme of the house therefore lowering its value.

Refinishing a hardwood flooring is a great idea. Yes, it is a great idea indeed and that is why professional refinishers of hardwood floors charge exorbitant fees to their clients. These clients can’t do anything but to succumb to the demands of the contractors because they don’t have the know-how of proper hardwood refinishing.

Given the proper know-how and techniques for hardwood refinishing, homeowners can be liberated from the financial burden of paying professional contractors to refinish their hardwood flooring. If one is able-bodied and can follow simple instructions, then there would be no reason at all why he can’t refinish the flooring himself.

Let’s take a look at the pertinent steps that one needs to do to be able to successfully refinish his hardwood flooring.

1) Do the preparatory stuff

Before engaging into sanding the floor or being too excited and buying all the necessary equipment and tools for the refinishing process, one needs to lay down the foundations and do the preparatory steps in the process.

First, one needs to decide what look he would want to give his hardwood floor. There should be a design and color scheme plan that should be laid out before one starts to sand. Knowing what one really wants is as important as doing the process properly. This is to ensure that he knows what he would want to do so that he knows how he can achieve his desired look.

After the plans have been laid out, make sure that all the furniture and other things in the room are taken out and stored properly.

2) Take out the nails

Sanding is perhaps one of the most important steps in the whole process of refinishing a hardwood floor, but don’t get too excited yet. Before sanding, make sure that all the nails in the hardwood. The nails need to be taken out because they will eventually damage the sand paper or the sanding discs and perhaps one’s hands if they are not taken out. The holes that are left by the nails should be filled with wood fillers that are of the same color as that of the wood.

3) Sand, sand, sand!

If the area of the flooring is not too big, then one can actually sand the floor manually (by hand). But if one deems that there is a need to use an electric sander, then he has two options: one is to buy a new one, the other is to rent. One can buy a pretty decent hardwood floor sander for under 100 US dollars. This can be seen as a good investment, but it really depends on how frequently it will be used. One can also choose to rent a sander from the local home depot or borrow from his neighbor.

One should sand the floor at least 3 times. The first should be made with a heavier grit and the grit level goes down each time. This will ensure that the wax and the coating will be removed thoroughly.

4) Stain the floor

Try to get the correct color that you would want to apply to your hardwood floor and test it in a small wood plank that is similar to the wood that is used in the flooring. Make sure that the stain is applied equally to the floor.

5) Refinish

Refinish with a polyurethane finish. Make sure that the container is stirred and not shaken to prevent bubbles from forming. Apply the solution equally throughout the flooring and wait for it to dry. It usually takes about 3 hours for the solution to dry.

Refinishing your own hardwood flooring is not an impossible task. One only needs the right materials and the right implementation of his plans to be able to successfully refinish such floors.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.refinishing-hardwood-floors.com where you can learn more about installing, caring for and refinishing hardwood floors.

By Abdul Martin

Installing a hardwood floor makes it secure. There are various methods to install a hardwood floor ranging from floating, staple down, and nail down to glue down.

First place to get the installation instructions is provided in the users manual provided by the manufacturer you purchased the hardwood floor from. Read the manual carefully and make the best plan.

Floating is the easiest method for floor installation.

The first step in installing a hardwood floor is laying out an accurate reference line.

There are a number of tools you can use to simplify the process.

Pneumatic Floor Stapler (rented)
Air Compressor
Power Miter Saw
Pneumatic Finish Nailer
Drill and Bits
Table Saw (or Circular Saw)
Basic Carpentry Tools
These tools are sure to simplify the entire process of hardwood floor installation process. Some resources for your hardwood floor installation ease.

www.woodfloorsonline.com/techtalk/installfin.html

www.hammerzone.com/archives/ flooring/hardwood/wh_oak1/stapled.htm

www.nofma.org/installation.htm

doityourself.com/woodfloors/index.shtml

home.howstuffworks.com/hardwood-floor6.htm

Make sure you check these resources and hardwood floor installation is a cake-walk. Also make sure you learn all about the hardwood floor cleaning tips.Installing is only half the job done,you have to constantly clean the floor and kepp it scratch free.Use the tips I gave in the other article to learn more about how to make your hardwood floor dazzle.

About The Author
Abdul Martin
Visit our site www.deluxehardwoodfloors.com for more information

By Jimmy Sturo

Wood floors are much in demand today because of their beauty, eco-friendliness, value and exotic appeal. Wood flooring has also become very easy to obtain, install and maintain with advancements in technology.

The equipment required for installing wood flooring is a broom or a vacuum cleaner, tape measure, chalk line and chalk, hammer, handsaw, moisture meter, electric miter saw, tape, color wood filler, safety glasses, floor cleaner and a pry bar. Installation guidelines are different for different kinds of wood flooring: radiant-heated subfloors, glue-down flooring, nail- or staple-down flooring, floating flooring, etc.

There are a few things that need to be done prior to installation: subfloors and their systems should be installed properly as per the manufacturers instructions; the subfloor should be cleaned of dust, sealers, paint, wax, curing compounds, grease, drywall mud and any other substance that can affect the flooring material or the adhesives; the moisture of the subfloors should be tested to ensure that it does not exceed 13%; similarly, the moisture content of the wood floor must be below 4% of the subfloor moisture content. Additionally, the sub floor must be flat and basements and crawl spaces must be dry.

Start from the wall that is straight and square with the room. The first row of the planks can be nailed to the subfloor. Spread the adhesive properly, using a trowel to keep the planks in place. Ensure that the planks are well aligned since misalignment can cause gaps to appear in the preceding rows. Spread the adhesive for only limited areas since it can dry up in the meantime. For planks that have tongues and grooves, ensure that they are in place. Do not strike a hammer directly on the plank as it can cause damage. Keep removing the excessive adhesive immediately from the flooring as you work. At the end of the row, make sure that there are enough gaps for expansion. Make sure not to walk on the floor for at least six to eight hours after installation. Clean the duct tape and the adhesive from the floor. Examine the floor for any scratches or nicks or gaps in the planks. Use touch-up products like putty to cover any scratches.

Wood floor installation is generally done by the supplier, although some manufacturers have do-it-yourself flooring as well that you can install. However, follow the instructions carefully.

Wood Flooring provides detailed information about wood flooring, laminate wood flooring, hard wood flooring, engineered wood flooring and more. Wood Flooring is the sister site of How To Clean Marble.

 

By Jeanette Joy Fisher

If you’re lucky enough to find hardwood floors hiding under your tired carpeting, you might feel like covering the wood back up. That’s understandable because refinishing the floors yourself seems like an impossible task.

Hardwood floors were a common feature in houses until the 1960s. Before that, having wall-to-wall carpet was considered a luxury upgrade. From the 1970s on, most homes had wall-to-wall carpet in nearly every room. However, tastes change, and over the last couple decades, hardwood floors have once again become fashionable and desirable.

Oftentimes, when I’m talking with someone about fixing houses, they ask if refinishing hardwood floors is something they can do themselves. Unless the person has a physical reason why they can’t do it, I generally say yes. However, I also remind them that redoing hardwood floors takes a great deal of time, sweat, and elbow grease.

As a general rule, floors of fifty square feet or less can be sanded by hand, but for any floor larger than that, rent or buy a small orbital sander. Everything necessary for doing it yourself will be available at your local hardware store. You can buy a pretty good electric sander nowadays for less than $100, which can be a good investment, especially if you’re planning to work on your home on a regular basis.

The first layer to be removed is often a thick wax coating, followed by a coat of either polyurethane or varnish. A heavy duty commercial wax stripper can remove the wax, and then a lacquer thinner or acetone can be wiped on to prepare the wood for the next step.

If there are any carpet tacks or pieces of old nails in the wood, remove them first. The remnant of a nail can tear up sandpaper, damage a sanding pad, and do serious damage to the palm of your hand, so check carefully to make sure all remnants of tacks and nails are gone before you begin sanding.

Fill all nail holes with a quality wood filler, matching the color as closely as you can, and let it dry. Then you’re ready to begin sanding the floor with 220-grit sandpaper, whether by hand or with a sander.

When you’re done sanding, wipe the entire floor with a damp cloth to remove as much sanding dust as possible. Damp cloths work better than vacuum cleaners. Let the floor dry, and then wipe it again with a tack rag, which is a cloth impregnated with resin to pick up fine dust particles. Again, your local hardware store will have what you need.

After the floor is as clean as you can get it, apply three coats of polyurethane with a paint pad, allowing each coat to dry thoroughly, lightly sanding with 220-grit paper, and wiping the floor with a damp cloth and a tack rag between coats. If you prefer an old-fashioned finish, you can use a 50/50 mixture of linseed oil and mineral spirits and then wax the floors with beeswax or paste wax. Take caution with the chemical mixture and the rags because they can catch on fire.

You can refinish hardwood floors yourself. It just takes time and effort–and a good set of kneepads wouldn’t hurt, either! Once you finish, you’ll have a gorgeous floor to be proud of and ready for that next “do it yourself” project–perhaps the next room with hardwood floors.

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

Author Jeanette Fisher, America’s “Dream Home” Maker, teaches interior design, redesign, and home staging. You can ask her questions on her Amazon blog or see http://www.designpsych.com for free home decorating teleseminars.