Frequently asked questions

A: A screen and coat will remove light surface scratches and clean any dirt embedded into the surface. It will also protect the wood from further scratching. If you choose a high gloss finish, it will also make the floor very shiny and new looking.

A screen and coat will NOT remove deep stains, scratches or rust spots. Also, it requires that there is no wax buildup on the floor. This means that if the floor was ever waxed or even cleaned with wax products, the polyurethane would not dry properly. This is not usually the case, but of course we would test to make sure we can screen and coat. In the event that the floor has wax, your other option would be a complete sand and refinish.

A sand and refinish involves sanding off all existing finish and going down to the bare wood. The floor is then sanded with a fine grit to remove all scratches from the heavy sanding process. From there, we apply the finish. For oil based finish, we apply a sealer and two coats of polyurethane. If a stain is desired, it would be used in place of the sealer. For water based finish, we would apply a sealer and three coats of water based polyurethane. If you want to use a stain with a water based finish, it can be used, but it would have to be oil based stain and would need a couple of extra days to dry before the finish can be applied.

A sand and finish will remove most, if not all, scratches in the wood unless they are too deep. All surface scratches, dirt and stains would be removed. Water or urine stains are another story. If the stains are too deep, they will not come out. Other than that, the floor looks nearly brand new after a sand and finish. We offer a 7 year limited warranty against the finish chipping, cracking, or peeling under normal residential use.

The natural color of a finished floor is comparable to a honey color. The floors do amber over time though. A screen and coat does not change the color of a floor. A sand and refinish will remove any existing stain.

A: Water based finish dries faster and can also look much lighter and more natural than oil based finish. It also is considered a greener product. The downside to this finish is that even with the advances that have been made, and despite the claims of finish manufacturers, water based finish is not as durable as oil based finish. The last difference is that water based finish is more expensive than oil based finish. Some property management will not allow the use of oil based finish. In this case, a water based finish should be used.

A: Deciding between prefinished or unfinished (site finished) wood flooring can be difficult for any homeowner. Certainly, there’s something to be said for each installation option. You may feel exhausted by the number of decisions you need to make your hardwood flooring project, but taking the time to choose the option that’s best for you will save a lot of future headaches. Proper planning and preparation before starting your project is the best way to make sure it goes smoothly and you get a finished product that will make you happy for years to come.

The Advantages of Prefinished Wood Flooring

Prefinished wood flooring is the best avenue when installation cost, project time and convenience are major factors for your flooring project. Prefinished floors means less mess, which has obvious advantages, especially if you have children or pets that you don’t want exposed to fumes and other installation by-products. For those on a tight schedule, prefinished flooring can save you money because applying the finish at the factory reduces labor costs. Prefinished flooring can also turn a 2-3 day project into a one day project. The process of prefinishing a wood floor also results in a more durable finish. Finally, there is the convenience of the installers being able to move furniture side to side rather than having to completely empty the rooms for sanding and finishing. For all these reasons, prefinished wood flooring is also the obvious choice for flooring upgrades in existing homes.

The Advantages of Unfinished Wood Flooring

So what’s left that unfinished wood flooring has to offer? Well, some homeowners may already have some hardwood flooring in their home, and they’re adding more hardwood flooring to an adjacent area where creating a match is important. Unfinished wood is the way to go to create the closest possible match. Likewise, installing hardwood flooring throughout the home is usually best with unfinished flooring to provide a uniform color and finish. Unfinished wood flooring will also give a greater range of overall options. Specific plank widths or unusual wood species may not be available in prefinished wood. If your home has historical significance or unique architectural style, this versatility may be critical in creating the right look in your hardwood flooring. Unfinished flooring is also more forgiving than prefinished flooring when working with slightly imperfect subfloors. The minor bumps in the subfloor that sometimes show in the installed floor can be sanded smooth when site finishing your floor.

According to industry standard, including most contractors, floor refinishers and painters, you would serve yourself better to have the floors done before the painting. There will always be dust with floor sanding and potential touchups at the baseboard due to sanding right up against it. A floor sanding machine weighs nearly 300 pounds, and it's much easier for the painter to cover the floor than for the floor refinisher to worry about 4 walls and a ceiling. Also, paint touchups are always easier and inconspicuous as compared to floor touchups.

If you're painting first, just have the floors covered even though they'll eventually be refinished. If you have spots on the floor where the finish is completely worn off, sitting paint can actually stain the floor. Also, paint bucket spills or excessive paint drips all over the floor can be more costly to refinish than if the floor was properly protected.

If you'll be painting after floor refinishing, allow the floor to cure for a couple of days before you cover it, unless you use Ram Board (in which case the floor can be covered the very next day). Whatever you cover the floor with, make sure you overlap the paper and only tape paper to paper - never paper to floor. Painters tape is made for paint but not for floor finish and it can peel the finish up.

A: Yes! Residential real estate agents say homes with wood floors hold their value better, sell faster, and fetch higher prices according to a recent nationwide survey commissioned by the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA). By a three-to-one margin, real estate agents said that a house with wood floors would sell faster than a carpeted house. Some 58 percent said a house with wood floors would bring a higher price. "There is a perception today that they don't build homes like they used to," according to one Pennsylvania agent. "So when people see hardwood floors instead of carpet-covered plywood, they feel the entire house was built with superior building materials."

A: Yes. In a recent survey commissioned by the NWFA, more than three-quarters of interior designers find that wood flooring works well with many decorating styles. "It's the most versatile floor covering there is," says one designer. "Wood goes with contemporary and traditional and everything in between." Designers rated natural materials as superior to man-made materials in beauty, prestige, style, maintenance, and durability. A variety of woods and finishes are available to complement the decor and style of any room. Oak and maple are the most popular woods, but some homeowners are investing in exotics such as Brazilian cherry and Purpleheart.

A: Choosing a species of wood involves more than selecting a color to match décor. Both decorators and installers should be aware of the basic facts about wood species. Other appearance-related attributes are important for designers too, such as texture, grain, and color. Installers will want to consider mechanical properties like dimensional stability, machinability, and ease in finishing. And any specifier will need to consider availability and cost. NWFA's wood experts offer detailed information about the properties of many wood species.

A: For the same reason many homes and businesses do: durability and comfort. Indeed, wood flooring commands more than 70 percent of the highly demanding sports floor market. Wood floors are softer and more supple than other surfaces. Wood flooring provides greater resilience, improved shock absorption, and increased energy return, all of which help to reduce injury and body fatigue for athletes.

A: Yes. Specifiers and clients are discovering what basketball players have always known: wood flooring can take a pounding and still look beautiful. The urethane finishes on most new wood floors stand up to water and traffic, bringing wood flooring into bathrooms, kitchens, and other higher-stress areas. These finishes resist wear and stains better than other finishes and require no stripping, no buffing, and no waxing.

A: Yes. Specifiers and clients are discovering what basketball players have always known: wood flooring can take a pounding and still look beautiful. The urethane finishes on most new wood floors stand up to water and traffic, bringing wood flooring into bathrooms, kitchens, and other higher-stress areas. These finishes resist wear and stains better than other finishes and require no stripping, no buffing, and no waxing.

A: Churches, synagogues, and other clients with auditorium projects increasingly request wood floors for its warmth and acoustic contributions. Ask your wood flooring professional about special installation techniques that can increase acoustic abilities.

A: Surface finishes like polyurethane require only simple care. Just dust, mop, sweep, or vacuum regularly. Always follow the manufacturer's cleaning recommendations if known. When cleaning no longer restores shine, recoat the floor with a surface finish. The frequency of recoating depends on the amount of traffic. Never wax a surface-finished floor. And never use vinyl or tile floor care products on any wood floor.

A: No. Never use sheet vinyl or tile floor care products on wood floors. And never use self-polishing acrylic waxes on wood floors. These waxes cause wood to become slippery and dull. In this case, the floor must be sanded and refinished.

A: When cleaning a surface-finished floor, follow the manufacturer's recommendations. You may generally use a dampened (near dry) mop to maintain a wood floor. However, excessive moisture will cause damage. Standing water can dull the finish, damage the wood, and leave a discoloring residue. If water spills on a wood floor, immediately wipe it up with a clean cloth.

A: Place mats and throw rugs at doorways to help protect wood floors from grit, dirt, and sand. Place felt pads under furniture legs and vacuum / dust your wood floor regularly.

A: Yes! Bacteria, dust, and dirt do not embed themselves in wood flooring, as they do in other flooring options. Simple regular maintenance—such as dust mopping, sweeping, or vacuuming—keeps wood floors sanitary.

A: Millions of people suffer from sensitivity to chemicals and toxins. Tests by leading allergists have proven that wood flooring provides a healthier environment for these allergy sufferers. Wood doesn't harbor irritating dust and microorganisms.

A: Yes. Far from a depleting resource, hardwood is sustainable and commercially more available now than ever before. On the 486 million acres of forestland in the United States classified as commercial, substantially more wood is added in new growth each year than is harvested. For hardwood species, 86 percent more wood is added annually in net growth than is removed through harvest. Manufacturers of glue-down wood flooring meet Clean Air Act standards for construction adhesives. A national environmental standard for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) is anticipated in the next few years, but manufacturers are already offering VOC-compliant wood flooring products.

A: Every hundred years or so. In fact, the heart pine floors in historic Bacon's Castle in Virginia are more than three centuries old and counting. Simple care and maintenance keeps wood floors looking beautiful for a lifetime. Instead of laying an entirely new floor when the original is worn, wood floors can be rejuvenated with sanding and refinishing. When done by a wood flooring professional, wood floors need only to be refinished every 10 - 15 years or 10 - 12 times during a floor's life. When a wood floor's useful life is over, it's completely biodegradable.

A: Yes. Wood salvaged from a variety of sources, including old barns and factories, is a popular high-end design trend. Wood recovered from riverbeds is another growing segment of the wood flooring industry. Logs that sank during logging operations years ago are being recovered by a number of companies and used to create truly unique flooring. Today's only significant source for heartwood from long-leaf pine is through reclaimed timbers from warehouses and factories constructed during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Chestnut, hemlock, poplar, walnut, and cypress are other options.