Floor Refinishing | Hardwood Floor Refinishing

Category : Floor refinishing

LNL 1500

Filed Under : Floor refinishing by admin

Aug.22,2010

So, here is the story. I was approached by the company that sells a wide range of product and materials that we use to refinish and install hardwoodflooring. Among the other types of poly,they mentioned LNL 1500. They said that this product is even better than two-component Eukula and that it costs less as well.I was intrigued, so I order a gallon of that stuff just to try it out.

First time we used it was over the sealer for the second coat. Everything went pretty well, except for five minutes later, when the poly started to turn milky white. Man,did I get mad! We were sanding the floor all day for this to happen??? We decided to wait and see what’s going to happen when the poly will completely dry and surprisingly all the white stuff disappeared within the next couple of hours and the floors looked beautiful! When we used this stuff on the final coat, nothing like that happened: everything went nice and smooth.

Overall, I think it’s a great product to work with: just like any other water-based polyurethanes, it dries quickly,almost doesn’t smell and just like Eukula, gives you enough time to do whatever you have to do before it dries.You don’t have to add the water in it(unlike two-component Eukula) and it claims protect the floor against the water damage also.

Tags : based, lnl 1500, poly, water

Zinsser Bull’s Eye Sealer

Filed Under : Floor refinishing by admin

Jun.5,2010

The other day we went to get some sealer to the store, where we always shop.We were looking to get the stuff that we use all the time- Lenmar Rapid Seal.Unfortunately the store was out of Lenmar,so we had to look for an alternative. The guys that work there offered us Bull’s Eye. They said that the product was good, as long as we apply it really quickly, because it dries really fast.We ended up buying it: we were curious about this product(we never used it before, although it is not a new stuff to the market) and it costs less, too(I believe the price is a little over $20 per gallon versus Lenmar’s $25 per gallon).

The first thing we noticed, when we opened the can is the smell.This sealer stinks bad!!! I saw a lot of different products, but this one is out of control! There is no way to work with it without a mask: the smell will kill you! I tried to do one room and almost died.

Another thing about Bull’s Eye: when they told us at the store that it dries fast, there weren’t lying! By the time I was done with the room, I could start re-coating it again-the floor was dry! If you are not very familiar with the applicator,then better do it with the brush- it is much slower, but at least you will get a nice result.I used an applicator, and had to run like a racer - otherwise the sealer would dry on me.At the end of the room I felt like I just won a marathon!

The last inconvenient thing about this product: after using it, say goodbye to your brush, or whatever it is that you’re using. Sealer eats it! I was coating a house not a long time ago, and by the time I was done, my brush looked like somebody chewed it!

Now the good.The drying time of Bull’s Eye is obviously inconvenient to apply it, but you can actually re-coat the floor right after you done with it, which is amazing! It blends in pretty well,in case you need to do a touch up in the spot that you missed, gives a nice amber look to the wood, doesn’t lift up the grain of the wood and, most importantly, can be used under water- and oil-based finishes. I wouldn’t use it on the floors that have been stained, though: it could eat up the color(I’m not sure about it, but don’t really want to take a chance).

Overall, I think it’s a good product as long as you have a mask on and good at running.

Tags : apply, Bull's Eye, coat, review, sealer, Zinsser

A little more about Eukula.

Filed Under : Floor refinishing by admin

Apr.22,2010

I wrote about Eukula in my earlier posts. Now I just wanted to dig a little deeper into it and talk a little more about different Eukula products.

1. Sealer. Eukula produces their own sealer.The main advantages of it: dries fast(within 30 minutes), obviously seals great and pretty easy to apply.Main disadvantages: doesn’t give as rich amber look as Lenmar RapidSeal, you won’t be able to apply an oil-based finish over it, if ,for some reason you changed your mind and decided to go with oil rather then going with water and the biggest disadvantage- it stays tacky, so it is very hard to apply the 2nd coat over it. My personal opinion: use it only if you don’t have any other sealer (sorry, Eukula).

2.One-component yellowing polyurethane. My personal favourite. Easy to apply, dries quickly, gives an oil-based look to your floor, if applied over the right sealer, tough, and like I said earlier, you can actually add water into it without sacrificing the quality of the finish, if you need it to dry slower.With this finish(as well as with any other Eukula finishes) you can finish the job in one day. How cool is that???

3. One-component non-yellowing polyurethane.Almost as good as the previous type of poly. The only difference is, as you can tell from the name, it doesn’t yellow up the floor.You still can use it over the sealer and your floors will still have the amber look, but you have to be very careful, because if you will apply this poly a little thicker, your floors will look white, like you just bleached them.It is obviously the right choice for somebody who wants to pickle the floors.

4. Two-component non-yellowing polyurethane. The toughest stuff.As I mentioned before, great for commercial projects.Please, do not use it without adding the water: this poly dries FAST! On the other hand, if you will add some water into it, the coating will be easy as breeze.

Tags : Eukula, poly, polyurethane, sealer, water-based

Water damage on the hardwood floors.

Filed Under : Floor refinishing by admin

Feb.28,2010

There are many floors that have a water damage and there is always a question whether that can be removed or not. Although many people are sceptical about it and there is no way to promise it, there are ways to get rid of the stains.

First and foremost: it is almost impossible to get rid of the urine stains, not if they’ve been there for years. In case these stains appeared recently(within the last 4-6 months), you can try to get rid of them with the chance of success.There are other types of stains, of course: somebody spilled something, or you had a plant on your floor and found water damage after removing it. Honestly, there is a good chance to fix these problems.

Now, how to fix the water damage? Well, there are two the most common ways. First, to sand the floor and try to go a little deeper on the spots, where the stains appear.Don’t go too crazy, because if you go too deep, you will have a gap in your floor, and the only way to fix that is by replacing the wood. If you sanded the floor and you didn’t have any luck, try to bleach the stains. Just take a regular bleach, put it on the rag and rub it into the surface. Be careful: if you will put too much bleach, you will end up with the white stains instead of black ones.There is no way to fix that one either, unless you will replace the flooring.

Like I said, if you know what are you doing, you should, if not get rid of the water damage completely, at least have much less of it, with the stains that are dramatically reduced in size.

If you didn’t have any luck removing the damage, you can always stain your floors. The best choice would be a darker stain, something like Red Oak, Red Mahogany and Cherry: those are on the reddish side, or English Chesnut and Dark Walnut, if you want you floor to be more on the brown side.

Tags : bleach, damage, floors, remove, sand, stain, water

How to refinish wood floors

Filed Under : Floor refinishing by admin

Feb.20,2010

For those of you who doesn’t know this, here is the order, in which the floor should be refinished:

1. Rough sand with the big machine (normally 36 grit sandpaper).

2. Rough sand with the edger.

3. Rough sand underneath the radiators and in the corners.

4. Fill the nailholes.

5. Fine sand with the big machine (normally with 80 grit sandpaper).

6. Fine sand with the edger.

7. Scrape the corners.

8. Buff the floors (normally 120 grit discs).

9.Vacuum the floors.

10. Coat of sealer.

11. Coat of polyurethane.

12. Fill the nailholes (if you missed some).

13. Buff the floors

14. Vacuum the floors.

15. Final coat of polyurethane.

Tags : diy, how to, process, refinish, wood floor

Hardwood Floor Refinishing

Floor installation, Floor repair

Category : Floor refinishing

LNL 1500

Zinsser Bull’s Eye Sealer

A little more about Eukula.

Water damage on the hardwood floors.

How to refinish wood floors

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