Hot answers tagged hardwood-floor
12
I have done both a refinish and a new install, and did a bunch of research before choosing. These are my generalized conclusions about the different choices:
Linseed / Tung Oil
Pros:
Easy to apply
Relatively durable
Quick curing and drying times
Cons:
Will darken with age
Provides very little protection against wood ...
10
Is cutting out the flooring where the cabinets will be not an option? You don't mention it, so maybe there's a reason, but that's the method that would get you the best attachment for your cabinets, while still allowing the flooring to float and move as it's designed. You could make these cuts with a circular saw set to just the right depth.
For the ...
9
Framing is typically build on top of the subfloor. The finish flooring runs to within about 1/2" of the framing, then the gap is covered by baseboard. The gap is supposed to allow for expansion and contraction of the flooring with changes in temperature and humidity; without the gap, if the wood swells, the only way for it to go is up, i.e. pulling away ...
9
I don't want to get into a long drawn out explanation on how to fix that plywood square. I will say that it is entirely possible to replace the plywood with a close match hardwood. The process is called "stitching". It involves removing the cut pieces of wood to bring it back to the original stagger then slip fitting the new wood back in while at the same ...
8
Yes indeed, prep is required and very important. First step is to renail or screw down the plywood subfloor. If you have a pneumatic frame nailer, you can use 2 1/2 inch threaded, ring nails (never use common nails), or alternately use 1 5/8 inch drywall screws. Install your nails or screws every 8 to 10 inches apart along each joist line with special ...
8
The last board is always the tough one. A trick that usually works is to cut off the lower half of the groove. Now that last board will simply lay down in place.
The problem is then to get it to stay down. For that you may need a few well placed finish nails, set into the board. Then use some putty to hide the small nail heads. A bead of glue along the ...
7
Use screws instead of nails to hold the plywood down. If you can, screw it into the joists, not just the existing floor. You can also put down some glue betwen the plywood & subfloor to prevent the plywood from moving at all. Use tongue-and-groove plywood if possible.
If that doesn't help (and you should be able to do that & check to see if you ...
7
When installing hardwood floors, should I use rosin paper, roofing felt, or nothing underneath? Why?
OK here we go. First of all, the most common reasons for squeaky hardwood floors are age and installation over uneven subfloors, where any movement of wood on wood makes the sounds. Age becomes a factor when the subfloor ages, shrinks a bit making the nails holding the hardwood a bit loose. Adding either a layer of felt or rosin paper isolates the wood ...
7
Generally speaking, the only downside is that you can typically only refinish (sand down and re-stain) engineered hardwood two or three times, because there is usually between 1/32" to 3/16" (0.6 to 4.5mm) of the actual hardwood layer, and the rest is plywood, fiberboard, or another hardwood.
You'll typically pay more for a thicker top layer, which means ...
7
I'd use the 24 tooth blade, but be sure it is a carbide type and sharp. Since all your cuts are end cuts and will be covered with baseboard trim, so getting an ultra smooth cut is not that important. Obviously, you don't want to see any large chips on the cut edge, so do your cuts slowly and smoothly. Save your 48 blade for visible finish cuts on softer ...
7
For close cutting, either horizontally or vertically in very close quarters, I recommend a multitool.
It has different blades for wood, metal, and can do some limited grinding and tight sanding. You do need clearance of at least the width of the blade plus about 1/4 inch.
If you do not have that much clearance, you may need a Dremel-type rotary ...
7
Get yourself a moisture meter ($30~) and test the floor at various points.
Wood is rarely COMPLETELY dry (as in no moisture at all) - but you definitely want a moisture content that compares to other wood in your house that was not flooded.
Example of a moisture meter
7
Its either rot or termites.
The discoloring suggests a water leak that persisted long enough to rot. Do you have access under that spot? Is the subfloor similarly discolored? If so, it may need to be repaired at the same time as the board.
Board replacement is possible by any flooring contractor by sawing out the center of the board and chiseling/prying ...
6
Yes, you can install a laminate, engineered hardwood, or solid hardwood floor, though solid hardwood expands more and may have trouble with the high heat and/or temperature differentials. Either way, you should acclimatise the flooring by leaving it in the box, in the room where it will be installed for at least a couple days (and a week or two for solid ...
6
You don't want to ever install a wood floor directly on a concrete slab (despite what your contractor might say), even using the traditional underlayment.
You have to create a buffer between the concrete and wood with something like DRIcore® or DELTA®-FL.
Though I have heard that even with systems like this, you can still run into problems if the ...
6
Since you can get to the floor from underneath, you can shore up the flooring by adding new joists between the existing ones. This will not be a FUN process, but the process is simple enough, just labor intensive.
First, add cross braces between each joist at each end, of the same dimensions as your existing joists. You'll want them to be snug fitting ...
6
The answer is "it depends" -- on what you need, on how well it's cared for, and how often you want to refinish it. Real wood is measured by something called the "Janka Hardness Scale" -- oak is a good choice, as it's rated at about 1300, with only more exotic woods being harder. I was told that Oak would probably be scratched by my dogs' claws, though, and ...
6
There are woods used in wet environments, mostly those that are fairly impervious to rot - teak, cedar, redwood, mahogony (less so).
Untreated: Sometimes cedar, redwood and teak are left natural. In almost all these cases, they are not exposed to prolonged soaking. Even in saunas they are misted and then dried, not soaked the way a shower soaks. On Boats ...
5
When installing hardwood floors, should I use rosin paper, roofing felt, or nothing underneath? Why?
Generally wood flooring these days is laid on a 3/4" plywood subfloor, whereas in the 50's and 60's a subfloor was 3" by 3/4" planking. Rosin paper would block light from the basement shining through the floorboards. I personally no longer use rosin paper on wood floor installs simply because I like to use adhesives on miter cuts used for perimeter picture ...
5
For the floor cabinets that are not a part of the peninsula- Fixing them to the wall and each other is sufficient. Make sure to either fix them to a stud, or if they have fixed mounting points that don't align with studs, use a 3/16" toggle bolt.
For the peninsula- I'd recommend anchoring them to the floor, or, as you say, they'll be prone to move (And ...
5
There could be a few different reasons for your situation. I would lean towards the theory that only one coat of finish, urethane or maybe varnish was applied to a poorly prepared surface. I'm afraid there is not quick fix to your problem. I would be looking at stripping and sanding the entire floor, clean away every spec of dust and refinish with at ...
5
I'm going to refrain from fully expressing my dismay over the idea of covering up parquet in good condition...
But since it IS in good condition, you should install floating flooring, with a good protective underlayment beneath, because if you install tongue & groove you will destroy the flooring underneath, a sin for which hanging is too good.
...
5
Most engineered and laminate floor installations come with a repair kit such as this. They can also be found in home centers.
It usually consists of wax crayons color matched to the floor to rub into small nailholes or other imperfections. These are rubbed over the hole to fill it, scaped flush and then buffed slightly with a dry cloth.
Because they are ...
5
If I understand correctly, you're breaking down the wall for a door, and the hardwood runs parallel to the door opening. You want to continue the hardwood through the door, and into the pantry.
In this case, I would completely remove the board, and all boards that continue on from it on the tongue end. You can probably re-use one of these for your last ...
5
Sanding is best done after the floor is laid. This enables you to get a flat finish across all the boards which would be difficult if not impossible to achieve by sanding prior to installation. If you have any particularly rough boards then you might want to sand them first - but it's not essential.
You should be able to hire a drum sander and an edge ...
5
This page from Stanford University states:
Presume all paints and varnishes applied before 1980 contain lead including finishes on old toys, furniture and playground equipment.
Therefore you should take precautions when removing the old material.
However, most of the risk from lead is due to the long term exposure to the paint, so the precautions you ...
4
I was watching a home show where they fixed a squeeky floor underneath a carpet. They used these screws that had break away heads called Squeeek-No-More. You drive in the screw using a holding fixture and depth stop, and then pop the head off with the provided tool.
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They break below the carpet so your bare foot would never detect it. Those might work on ...
4
We have talked about this topic several times. Definitely screw down the existing subfloor and any new underlayment or use coated treaded nails in your air nailer. Hit the joists and keep screws and nails at 10 to 12 inches apart throughout the field, with special attention to joints and corners. I don't recommended glue between subfloor layers as it can ...
4
Squeaky floors are usually caused by loose floorboards. The boards rub against each other when you walk over them, which causes the squeak.
To remedy this situation, lift the carpet and locate the loose boards. Then just simply screw or nail the board down (being careful not to hit any pipes/wires that might be threaded through the joists).
For your new ...
4
I hate to be the one to tell you this, but there is really no magic putty or filler for shallow scratches and gouges in hardwood flooring. Even though there are a lot of colored wood fillers on the market, they are not designed for high traffic flooring or nuclear dogs. If it was just a couple of scratches you might be able to sneak by with a filler, but not ...
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