What about cracks in my floor?

Wood floors are very sensitive to the surrounding climate. Season cracking is a common occurrence. The causes are "Mother Nature" and dryness. Wood floors expand in humid conditions and contract when the air becomes dry usually due to heating. Using a humidifier or dehumidifier in conjunction with a heating/cooling system is recommended to keep a constant 30% to 50% humidity level. This will minimize shrinkage and cracking. Most cracks show up in dry months or cold season when heating is required and close in humid periods. This type of separation and closing is considered normal. Dry time cracks may be the width of a dime’s thickness (1/32"). Wider boards (wider than 2 1/4") will show wider cracks because the same expansion is distributed to fewer joints creating larger cracks.

What about rug marks?

Many people are shocked when an area rug is moved and there is an outline of the rug on the floor. Luckily there is no need to panic. If you remove the rug completely, the color will blend eventually but it may take awhile. So be patient! This happens because the sunlight hits on the uncovered floor and does not reach the floor under the rug. This discoloration can be avoided by moving the rugs often or by using a finish with a UV block when it is time to refinish.

What about scratches?

The most important thing to so about scratches is to find out what caused them. Figure it out and take some preventive measures to remedy the problem. Scuffing or high traffic wear areas mean gritty shoes on the floor. A throw rug may be needed to protect from further damage. What else can you do? Lightly scratched areas, which have not worn down to raw wood, can appear dull. Sometimes they can be buffed out. This will shine up the area and better match the sheen of the rest of the floor. Several manufacturers off their floor finish in aerosol cans. A light application makes wear and scratches less noticeable. They are for small repair areas and not intended to be used for a re-coating the entire floor. The solution for a deep gouge or scratch is to putty it with a product made for wood floors and wait to fix it when other work is done on the floor. Repairs often show more because the newly repaired floor will not always match the existing, older floor color. Consult a professional if the damage exposes the bare wood.

What about dull floors?

This is a tough question. Before you try to solve the problem make sure that a matte or satin finish has not been applied to the floor to begin with. If your floors were shiny and now they are dull, There are some common causes. The first thing to notice is if the whole floor is dull or just a certain area.

Whole floor:

1. This often is a cleaning problem. Your cleaning method may be leaving a film or dirt behind causing the floor to look dull.
2. Wax often becomes dull when it needs to be buffed or re-coated.

Localized:

1. Cleaning can still be an issue in a localized situation. Cooking areas, dining areas, and entry doors are places that collect food spills, dirt, and grit.
2. Surface wear in high traffic areas can cause dulling in localized areas. This usually happens around tables, chairs, sink, and sliding doors. Graying of the floor is a sure sign of a worn surface coat. This means the floor is worn down to the raw wood and needs to be refinished. If the floor is NOT gray yet, re-coating the whole room with one more coat of finish. It is not as big of process as a refinish and less expensive.

Where should I put wood floors?

Wood floors work well in all rooms. Kitchens and entries are the most common place for wood floors. Wood has the advantage of being durable and easy to fix. Most damage can be fixed by a simple refinishing to make it look like new again. Many flooring contractors now have "dust containment systems" which contains 80% to 90% of the dust. Where you put wood often determines what kind of finish to use or which pre-finished floor to install. Where water is a factor, a top coated floor (polyurethane, acid curing resin, waterborne urethane) is preferred.

What causes cupping?

A floor that is cupping (raised edges across the width of a board) has experienced some water damage or humid condition. What has happened is that the board/boards have experienced an increase in moisture content and have actually "grown" in width. When there isn’t enough space to expand the boards will curl up. Common Causes can be: Airborne Relative humidity; wet basement or crawl space; lot topography; rain handling provisions; leaks in plumbing (i.e. icemakers, dishwashers, washing machines); capillary actions through slab; door leaks. To fix the problem the floor must be dried out thoroughly with heat, airflow, and dehumidifiers. Allow time. It often will lay back down. Not all floors need to be torn out. Many are salvageable. If there is a hurry, then replacing may be the only solution. If the floor lays back down then a simple refinish may be necessary.

What about squeaky floors?

A noisy floor means there is movement between board in the tongue and groove. This can be a framing problem in the joist area, a loose sub floor, flexing/ weak sub floor system, a milling problem in the tongue and groove of the wood flooring or the result of excess moisture and excessive drying. In the case of glued down flooring, insufficient adhesion or use of incorrect products may be the cause. Fixing the problem means identifying what is wrong. Shims, re-nailing and brackets can fix framing problems and top nailing or replacing boards can solve milling/adhesion problems.

Are wood floors hard to take care of?

Most wood floors sold today are very easy to take care of. Most flooring today can be damp mopped much like a vinyl floor. This makes floor care as easy as sweeping and vacuuming. Wood floor cleaners are sold for all brands and kinds of wood floors.

How do I find out what kind of finish is on my floor?

There is a wax test which may help identify if your floor is waxed or not.

Simple Test for Wax:

If there is any possibility that there is wax on the floor, we recommend doing both of the following tests to determine its presence. Do all tests in an inconspicuous area.

• Alcohol Test: Apply a small amount (about 3" diameter) of ethyl alcohol to the floor. Allow it to sit 2 minutes, then wipe up with a clean rag. Try to scratch the surface with a fingernail or key. If the coating is scratching off, then there is wax on the area tested.
• Water Ring Test: Place several large drops of water on the floor. Fill a glass with ice cubes and place it on top of the water. Allow it to sit overnight. Wipe up water in the morning. If there is a white ring, then there is wax on the area tested.

If wax is found, floor care would involve re-waxing and buffing. To change the finish to one of the other finishes you would have to totally sand down the floor to raw wood and put a new finish on. This is very common and relatively easy.

Simple Test for Polyurethane:

Can wood floors be installed over concrete?

Wood floors can be installed over concrete. There are several kinds of floors that do well. Parquet floors and some pre-finished "engineered" floors can be glued directly on a level , concrete floor. There are several kinds of floating floors that are designed to lie on top of the sub floor over a cushioning material. These three kinds parquet, glue down, and floating floors are very stable and work well with this type of application. If a 3/4" thick nail-down floor is desired, sleepers can be installed above the concrete or cast into the pour for a nailing surface. A strict pattern needs to be followed so nailing is adequate. Another popular way is to "float" 2 layers of 1/2" plywood over the concrete and nail the solid wood flooring to it. It does raise the height of the floor 1" and this should be considered.

Can I install wood floors over radiant heat?

Wood floors work well over radiant heat. There are certain procedures to follow and certain woods that need to be used but it can be done successfully. Quarter-sawn wood needs to be used because it is more stable than flat sawn. A stable wood should be selected such as oak. A wood floor over a radiant heated floor should only be installed by an experienced wood floor specialist.

How do reclaimed materials work as flooring materials?

Reclaimed wood can be very desirable. The antique woods have a beautiful rich look which comes from the old growth trees that are not around anymore. This antique wood comes from two different sources. Some of the wood has never been milled before and comes from sunken logs. Other Antique woods come from beams and framing structures of old wood framed buildings and is re- sawn into modern flooring. These are usually of good quality and have been planed down to be of a uniform thickness. There is also newer wood that is also called reclaimed. Some of this wood is not good quality and has been salvaged from schools, houses, and old buildings. Often the salvaged wood comes from wood floors that have been torn up. There are usually damaged boards that make installation very difficult. Be careful when purchasing salvaged flooring because it may not be planed to an even thickness. There often are worn boards in the bundles. If one board is worn down 50% of the wear surface and the board you have installed next to it is only worn 25%, the sanding will need to even up the floor and will have to sand to 50%. This usually isn’t considered. Also check the moisture of these woods and make sure they have been stored in a heated space prior to purchase. Shrinkage is a problem with lower quality reclaimed flooring.

What are the basic grades of wood flooring?

See "Grading".

What do I do about paint spills on my wood floor?

There are a couple of things to find out before tackling the clean up of the floor. First, what kind of paint was spilled… oil base or latex? Second, what kind of finish do you have on your floor… wax, oil base topcoat, water-base topcoat? Here are some suggestions:

Latex Paint:
On water base floor = use a scrub pad made for wood floors and lightly scrub the area of paint with a wood floor cleaner;
On an oil base floor = Use a product called Goof-Off to clean it off.
On a waxed floor = Use a wax stripping product, then re-wax.

Oil Base Paint:
On a water base floor = Use the scrub pad made for wood floors and wood floor cleaner;
On an oil base floor = Use lacquer thinner on a rag;
On a waxed floor = Use a wax stripping product and re-wax area.

Why is my new floor showing signs of wear and traffic areas?

Excessive and early wear on finish is usually caused by improper maintenance, grit, water, strong soaps, dogs toenails, and unprotected chair legs. Correct maintenance, especially vacuuming; appropriate exterior walk-off mats; area rugs especially in front of kitchen sinks; and felt pads on chairs and tables can correct these problems. Often a re-coat will solve the problem if the wear is not down to rare wood.

Do wood floors dent?

Yes, wood floors dent. High heels, dropped heavy objects, metal tips on furniture, and rolling appliances such as refrigerators or freezers across the floor can all cause dents. Prevention is the best cure for this problem. A no high heel policy, relocating heavy objects to lower cabinets, furniture protector pads and air sleds/furniture dollies will prevent all these problems. For individual dents where wood fibers are not broken, a floor professional may cover the dent with a dampened cloth and press with an electric iron to draw fibers up. This should only be attempted by a craftsman who is skilled in repairs.

What about stains and discoloration in my wood floor?

The most common stains are the following: water marks, mildew, decay, bleeding up of adhesive, urine from pets or wet diapers, rust from metal chair legs, improper maintenance with water, harsh chemicals or oily soaps, traffic wear patterns, and harsh sunlight. Fixing these problems can be difficult. Dark stains may need to be lightly sanded with a fine grit of sandpaper and feathered out into the rest of the floor. This will not work if the floor is old and the finish is more than a couple of years old. Fixing an old floor often looks worse than the stain so a total refinishing is often the answer.

What will happen if the wood floors are left in an unheated house?

When wood floors are deprived of air movement, it can cause problems. Sunlight through windows generates heat, lowers humidity and moisture vapor is released. When things cool off at night, humidity builds and often the wood floors cup. Another scenario is when the heat is left on 60 degrees and the outside is very cold. The heating system will run constantly with no added moisture. The floors in this situation will most likely shrink. The solution is to leave a window ajar or have a neighbor air out the house periodically or add a humidifier to the heating unit. Repair any problems only after the floor has returned to normal.

Which are the hardest woods for wood flooring?

Below are two hardness charts. The first is for domestic hardwoods and the second is for exotic hardwoods. Remember in selecting a wood floor to consider ALL characteristics of the wood. Some of the harder woods are very unstable and difficult to install and finish.

Domestic Hardwoods

Exotic Hardness Chart