14 Responses to hardwood floors

1. esther_4 on 2006-09-23 22:20:03.970551

   Hi group, I want to install hardwood floors in my house. I am looking at glue type, nail, or snap together. I would like some feedback from those who have used these types. I also need some info regarding installing hardwood on stairs. I understand that I would have to use the nail type. Thanks in advance for all your help. Tim

2. janine100 on 2006-09-23 21:06:37.658302

   Tim About a year ago, I put a parque(sp?)wood floor in my dinning room. It is the glue type from HQ, I can't remember the brand. It all went pretty fast and easy. The area I was working with was pretty small about 110/sq' but it seemed that preperation was the key. Preping the floor, making the alignment lines and only applying glue to about an area of about 2/sq' at a time. I had all of the main floor area done in about 3 hours, and finished the corners and trim in about 2 hrs. black_dragon

3. esther_4 on 2006-09-24 14:22:39.451222

   --- In DoIt_Yourself@y..., "dmoolenaar" <davidm@p... Hi David, Here's one you might not have seen yet. Our house (built in 1914) has a concrete frame and the floors are hardwood. In repairing them when we bought it, we discovered that the hardwood is nailed onto a grid of edge-on 2x4's. I am unsure if the 2x4's are themselves attached to the concrete or just sitting on it. We weren't about to enlarge the existing holes to investigate further! :) The previous owner had nailed 2" thick shag carpeting wall-to-wall in every room but the kitchen and bathroom! Yech! Reading the posts in reverse order, Jessica-Jean

4. jefferson15 on 2006-09-25 00:22:25.815237

   I have just went through all previous posts on Hardwood Floors, and found some answers to my questions, but I am looking for something more specific. Last night we pulled up the carpet in our living room to find a real nice hardwood floor underneath. There is some mold on it, in a small area mostly towards the center walking area. #1) What would clean it up? #2) Can the floor be darkend to match the dining room furniture in an adjoining room? (which still has carpet to be torn out) and #3) What is the best way to get out the small strip of linoleum that looks like it will come up, but has a backing to it that is stuck to the floor? Thanks in Advance, Tim

5. esther_4 on 2006-09-25 20:24:31.875503

   Hi. Have you tried a solution of part bleech and water for the mold?. If that doesn't work, then sanding and refinishing your floor would take care of it. Also pertaining to question #2 about the color. If you sand the finish off of the floor, I would think it could be stained to your color and then several coats of polyurethane reapplied. I don't know about #3 and the linoleum. When I pulled my old linoleum squares in my house, I only found the subfloor and just covered it up with plywood. Good Luck with your project!

6. jefferson15 on 2006-09-26 01:16:35.082408

   Thanks zebrafish. We pulled up the linoleum yesterday to find a tiled surface underneath. Fortunately for the most part the tile just cracked, and peeled away. Unfortunately it has left all the glue behind. Is there an easy remedy to getting this up, if not what is the best way?? it is an area approximately 7' by maybe 2 to 2 1/2 feet. Tim

7. jonathon_1700 on 2006-09-26 08:50:28.394874

   If any of you have a tip on how to repair hardwood floors, I would greatly appreciate it. When we moved into this house, the people who painted...well...they sucked. Dripped paint all over the floor. Any great ideas on repairing the damage? Thanks!!! Laura Oklahoma

8. esther_4 on 2006-09-27 11:24:33.455293

   I have put "after" pictures of my newly re-done hardwood floors in the photos section under Colleen's House. You would not believe the difference between the old and new, and I am seriously kicking myself for not taking before and during pictures!!! My ex-husband helped me sand all of the floors and my kids helped me stain two of them. The rest of the work was done by yours truly. The time and effort were well worth the aggravation, I assure you.

9. johnie1800 on 2006-09-27 07:29:01.155767

   colleen didn't you say you posted pix of the floor?? please tell me where to find them. My floor desperately needs to be redone also. suzie

10. esther_4 on 2006-09-28 00:00:43.916260

    Thank you so much for all the interest in my floors! I am still so impressed with them that I make everyone take their shoes off before walking on them :) First and foremost, it was a LOT of work and VERY messy. I rented an orbital sander to sand them (go ahead and get plenty of the sanding pads, my place reimbursed for those not used, and I guarantee that you will use more than you think you will!). When first looking at the floors, they did not appear to have much cupping (warped boards), however, upon sanding, there was a fair amount that the orbital sander could not reach. Next step was a lot of time on hands and knees with a hand sander. After that there was sanding by hand to get the really deep cups. I used Sherwin Williams (worked with a wonderful gentleman who I will be visiting again in a few weeks when I purchase my paint for the walls). The actual stain and polyurethane was made by Minwax. My floors are oak and the stain color I chose was Golden Pecan. It is a warm brown that also really highlights the golds in my floor. The directions say to wait about 15 minutes before wiping up excess, I only waited about a minute or so and am VERY pleased with the color. This also required a lot of time on the knees and I had my kids take turns coming behind me with the rag to wipe up the excess. Next step was the first coat of polyurethane. I opted for the lambs wool applicator (highly recommended by my guy at SW). It was similar to mopping the floor, but a bit thicker product. With all of the ceiling fans running, it only took about 12 hours for the floors to dry. Once the floors were dry (they can't be tacky to the touch at all), I went over them with a very high grade (0000) steel wool pad, VERY quickly. After sweeping up the residue, I applied the second coat of polyurethane, which also took about 12 hours to dry with the fans running. Once they are no longer tacky to the touch they are fine to walk on. You do have to make sure that you get ALL of the sawdust up before you start staining and polyurethaning. Be sure to get the tops of the doors, windows and the celing fan blades. I also shop-vac'd the walls to be on the safe side. It was A LOT of work (I fear that my knees may be permanently bruised) and sweat, no blood though :), but most definitely well worth all of the work. This is also not a project you should plan to accomplish in one weekend, which was my original goal. It took me 8 days from start to finish to sand, stain and seal 2 bedrooms, dining room, living room and hallway. The guy at the rental place assured me that I was saving a MINIMUM of $1,000 by doing it myself...

11. johnie1800 on 2006-09-28 21:46:28.862078

    thanks!!

12. esther_4 on 2006-09-29 01:14:51.476950

    The product used for bleaching out dark spots in hardwood floors is Oxalic Acid. Available at virtually every hardware store, Home Depot and Lowes, 12 oz. of the powder ruyns about $6-$7.

13. schneider_1300 on 2006-09-29 22:13:50.581042

    Thank you for validating my failing memory. The name came to me about 2 AM and I wasn't going to get up and do a search to prove the point. You have provided me with another good nights sleep, knowing that someone out ther would give the answer. This sort of thing becomes important as the years add up. Dale

14. vivian20 on 2006-09-29 15:08:35.365150

    Patrick: I sanded my hardwood floors about 5 years ago. This house was built in the 1950s but the floors had a lot of water damage; luckily, just the sanding did the trick. Since you are going to sand the floors anyway, I'd recommend that you first do that and see whether the sanding alone will take out the dark spots. If not, you can always go the bleach route later after sanding but before applying the finish. Joe

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