Winter must be the season when eyes are downcast; recent questions have all
been about floors. Are people avoiding eye-contact with visiting in-laws?
Has the passing of another year and its intrinsic threat of our mortality
caused folks to humbly contemplate their toes? Or am I simply digging too
deeply in order to avoid answering their questions?
Marie writes: “Our house is one of those nice old 1910 houses that is a source
of endless projects. The floors look thirsty in some places, but I don’t really
want to get into refinishing them. I imagine they might need waxing or
something.”
Chris says: “We have a 1939 cottage with oak floors refinished in the past
five years. Great, you say. Two problems: One room was not refinished and the
polyurethane on the refinished floors is scratched in places and the wood
underneath has turned gray. I want to scrape off the evil stuff and put on
something else. What type of stain and finish do you recommend for the floor in
need of complete refinishing, and what do you recommend for the poly-finished
floor?”
I’ve personally screwed up so many wood floors, I’m afraid Plank, the God of
Hardwood, will strike me down with a drum sander if I dare to offer advice.
So, I went to the experts: Chuck, who started AVC Janitorial Supplies 22 years
ago, and Jimmy Kellam, who’s refinished and refurbished wood floors for 45
years.
Marie, Chuck says you’ll need to rent a floor buffer and attack your problem
with #2 steel wool pads that fit the machine and a petroleum-based wax remover
like one made by Treewax that Chuck’s stocked and recommended since his store
opened in 1974. Jimmy likes the permanence of a three-coat polyurethane finish,
but says that you shouldn’t use it if there’s a chance any wax is still on the
wood. (Which is probably the case.) Get a good quality paste wax and prepare to
do the Big Buff Boogie.
Chris, as much as I hate to tell you this, ditto on the urethane for new and
old finish alike. (The only advice straight from my fumbling experiences is to
hire a professional to do the stripping.) Jimmy suggests lightly sanding the
refinished floor with a screenback, an abrasive material that looks like insect
screen, either by hand or with a buffer. You can either just hit the bad spots
or screen the whole floor, then recoat with a top-quality urethane, like one by
Duraseal. (He also recommends testing a small area first since there are so
many variables to consider these days: Was it a wax? Water-base? An
incompatible product?)
I’m just wondering: Will spring and its uplifting effects bring me torrents of
letters about water spots on ceilings?
I wish I had torrents of letters sent to: Suzebe@aol.com or PO
Box 49066, Austin, TX 78765.
This article appears in January 12 • 1996 and January 12 • 1996 (Cover).