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Not the right Knot

05 Jan

This week we refinished a floor for the Ivison’s in North Salt Lake.  The first thing that I noticed when I came to do the estimate was that the original installer used an off color filler for the knot’s.  Hickory naturally has a rich dark burnt umber colored knot….   The filler in these knots was gray/black and stood out.

Hardwood Floor Knot

Hickory Knot filled with gray filler

When we sanded the floor, we used a technique that we have developed over the years to recolor each knot to a rich burnt umber color.

Let me know which one you like the best.

Hardwood Floor Knot

Hickory knot with correct color

 
 

Walnut Floor in Jackson Hole

05 Aug

About a month ago, we had the chance to drive up to Jackson Hole and install a new floor for our client Scott.

Great Room

Sealed sub-floor in the great room.

We hand scraped all of the edges and joints on each and every piece of wood (all 4,000 sq ft!). We also textured the face of each board using a circle-sawn or band-sawn look. This floor promised to deliver a rustic feel with the varying six, seven, eight, nine, and ten inch wide pieces of walnut we used.

walnut hardwood organized

Organizing our material by width and texture style.

Once the material was scraped, organized and defected, we began the installation process. We used a new type of glue for this job, UZIN MK 92 S. Its mixed with a catalyst and drys at a much faster rate than the regular stuff. Using ratchet straps to make sure each row fit snugly, and weighing each group of rows down while the glue dried was tedious, but resulted in a solid and sturdy installation.

installed floor glue wood

The main hallway being installed.

hardwood install glue

Great room being installed.

After the installation, we filled in all of the knot-holes with black bondo. Once dried, the bondo is rock solid and keeps the knot looking natural. Again, tedious but the results were great!

hardwood knot hole filling

Filling in the knots with bondo.

After filling the knots, we began the final stages of coating and glazing. The glaze really brings out the texture that was applied and also fills in the joints and edges of the wood. Before glazing, we gave the floor one initial coat of polyurethane to make sure the wood didn’t soak up too much of the glaze.

hardwood coat finish

Master bedroom after the first coat of finish.

hardwood floor glaze aplication

Applying the glaze to the coated floor.

After the glaze, it was just two additional coats of finish, and then we were out of there! The job took a week, and we worked all day (and into the night most days). The floor was gorgeous and truly added value and beauty to Scott’s home. We’re proud of the work we did!

glaze hardwood

This shows how the glaze really made a difference.

 
 

Hardwood Floor Refinish with Rubbed Oil instead of Polyurethane

21 May

Hardwood Floors Refinish

Tough finish for this big guy

Last week we refinished a floor for Mont and Brian. They have a large pet and were concerned about the scratches that would be seen in a regular film finish. We discussed the options and decided to use a catalyzed oil instead of a polyurethane. Oil finishes do not create a build on top of the wood but penetrate deep into the grain to create great moisture resistance. The overall sheen is flatter than a polyurethane finish and the look is not for everyone. In this case it was just the ticket. Mont, Brian and the dog seem very happy with the results.

 
 

Hand Rubbed Oil vs Polyurethane Finish

13 May

Some clients have requested an alternative to polyurethane to finish their floor. Polyurethane is a great finish and has served the hardwood flooring industry for over 40 years. Each year the finishes and application techniques have improved. However, some clients want a non-film look on their floor. Oil/wax finishes are the answer for them. They provide excellent moisture resistance, hide scratches from a large pet well, can be easily touched up by the client and are very green (Low VOCs – less than 10 per liter).

I attended a presentation today by UFloor Systems, Inc which features Pallmann Magic Oil 2k Finish and watched as the presenter spilled a coke on two coats of Magic Oil finish and left it for over an hour. I was amazed when he wiped it up and there was no evidence of moisture, swelling or haze from the coke. This product works so well because it penetrates deep into the wood seals all the pores. It also has uses a catalyzed hardener so that the oil is dry within a few hours as compared to other oil applications. This is a great product for specific applications and you may want to learn more about it before the next time you finish your floors.

 
 

New Floor, No Dust

01 May

When I started sanding floors over 20 years ago, dust was just part of the job. I can remember coming home at the end of the day with a dust all over my clothes and my truck and nose was full of dust. Our dustless sanding system is such an improvement for me and my employees not to mention how much cleaner our clients homes are. If you have been putting off having your floors sanded because you don’t want to worry about the dust, you should learn more about our Atomic Dust Containment System. Check it out by clicking here.

 
 

Hardwood Floors Add Value

28 Apr

Wide Plank Flooring - Eastern White Pine

Great look in this mountian arts and crafts home.

Hardwood floors add value to any home and make selling your home much easier. Over the past few months, we have had several clients refinish their floors to help sell their home quicker. In two cases, they sold the home the week after we finished.