How Much Does Installation Cost For Hardwood Floors' title='How Much Does Installation Cost For Hardwood Floors' />Wood Floors in the 1.Not too long ago as I was researching information on hardwood floors and finishes during the 1.All about Hand Scraped Hard Wood Floors and what you need to know before you buy.Video How long does it take to refinish hardwood floors One of the most common questions is I get is How long does it take to refinish hardwood flooring.North America when I stumbled upon a great online library that had thousands of old books, periodicals, catalogues, postcards, brochures and photos amongst other cool things from that era.I was pretty excited when I came across some old trade brochures for wood floors from the late 1.I thought it would be fun to feature them on our blog to see whats changed over the years and what information about hardwood floors is still relevant.When you look through these two brochures its pretty obvious that these intricate parquet floors, medallions and borders were being marketed to the wealthy homeowners of those days.Look at some of the beautiful designs they had to choose fromHeres a small sample of the choices of borders availableWhat amazing patterns and designs, with beautiful wood selections to choose from like Walnut, Mahogany, Rosewood, Maple, Ash and Oak.And have a look at those prices.How Much Does Installation Cost For Hardwood Floors' title='How Much Does Installation Cost For Hardwood Floors' />How much do you think they would go for today A lot more than 3.Im sure in those days these were quite pricey too if you included installation and finishing.Here are some even more ornate bordersLook at the beautiful stair work you could have installed in your home back thenIm not sure how good your eyesight is and if you can read the write up in the picture above but it seems like this was the laminate type flooring option back then used to cover up older worn out wood floors without ripping them out.But this type of parquet was far from cheap and nasty its still around and in use in these older houses to this very day.Id love to see what the laminate floors of our generation look like in 1.Imagine tearing out the carpet from an old set of stairs and discovering something like the picture above.Now that would be a find In one of the brochures was some interesting information about the history of wood floors and carpetsIt seems like theres been a long time dispute between carpet lovers and hardwood floor enthusiasts The article mentions how a large number of the leading physicians of the country, is in favor of polished hard wood floors as being very much more healthy than carpets, and that when attention is called to the fact that many, even of the better grade of carpets are mixed with cows hair, shoddy and other unwholesome material, it can readily be seen that the health, even of the most robust people, can suffer from causes apparently beyond discovery.It continues with the present fashion of abandoning the closely fitting carpet, and substituting in its place parquetry, with rugs or square carpets, is an important step toward effecting an improvement in the sanitary condition of the dwelling.Im sure carpets arent made with cows hair today but they still are huge dust collectors and can be very unhealthy if not continually cleaned, and even then not all the ground in dirt and dust can be completely removed.Not much has changed in that regard over the years.If carpets are so bad though, how come they became very popular again in the 1.Maybe the following section of the parquet brochure lends a clueImagine having to wax and polish your wood floors by hand with the polishing brush above thats a lot of hard work.There were no electric buffers in those days.Plus when you had to re wax them you would have to wash the floor thoroughly with turpentine before applying a fresh coat of wax.Can you imagine how much of a stench not to mention the danger that would cause People were starting to get tired and weary of all the maintenance hardwood floors needed.Then along came the industrial revolution in the 5.Vacuuming seemed to be way easier than spending hours buffing on wax even though by this time electric buffers were available.What was not to love about this new soft, plush floor coveringAs long as we conveniently forget the health aspects.It would be many years before they would have to be replaced and the later generations would see the gunk that was hiding in and underneath them yuck.And so during this period, hundreds of thousands of hardwood floors were covered we like to think protected with this new revolutionary floor covering.Heres an interesting write up of the history of carpet we found on another blog if youd like more info on this.As you can see there is lots of very interesting information and flooring history in these old wood flooring brochures.Its fun to see how the flooring industry has advanced and sometimes regressed over the last 1.One thing we can see is that while floor coverings, finishes and processes will always be in a constant state of change and price has and always will be a huge factor, the basics of the real wood flooring industry has remained the same for a long time and will continue to do so into the future.Many of these beautiful old solid wood floors that were installed all those years ago are still in daily use and have years of life left in them Theres no way our childrens kids will be saying that about our modern advancements with carpet and laminate floors 1.We have to remember too that while our popular wood floors today may not be as ornate as some of these extravagant pictures most of the common folk back then had simple strip hardwood floors or plain parquet with simple strip borders, if any at all.These are the most common types of floors we see being restored in our homes throughout the Naperville and Chicago area today.Speaking of ChicagoThis trade catalogue from 1.J. W. Boughton Manufacturing had on display right here in Chicago for the Worlds Fair Columbian Exposition.You can read more about the 1.Chicago Worlds Fair here.The intricate work in this trade booth display is incredible.I would have loved to see this in person.You dont see this level of craftsmanship in trade show booths today thats for sure.At the bottom of the page you can see that they were even awarded the Prize at Chicago for their exhibition.Neat stuff hey. In next months blog post Ill show you 2 more old brochures and youll be able to see just how far hardwood floor finish systems have come since the 1.Until then we hope your wood floor finishing project goes well.If you have any questions were happy to help answer them on our blog here or privately in an email.Refinishing Hardwood Floors The Family Handyman.Sanding vs. screening.When a wood floor loses its luster, the usual solution is to sand it down to raw wood and completely refinish it.But often, thats the wrong solution.Refinishing hardwood floors is the right solution.All wood floors are protected by a clear coating that eventually becomes scratched, scuffed and dull.Hardwood floor refinishing can help you get rid of those unsightly scratches and marks.But as long as the damage is shallowin the coating and not in the wood itselfyou can renew the hardwood floor by adding a new coat of polyurethane right over the old finish.This article will show you how to do just that.As with any wood finishing project, 9.You have to thoroughly clean the floor, touch up any deep scratches and roughen the existing finish with sanding screens so the new finish will adhere well.Expect to spend at least one full day on this prep work.The recoating itself usually takes less than an hour.Recoating takes a lot less time, skill and money than full scale sanding and refinishing.And although roughing up the existing finish creates plenty of dust, its still much less messy than sanding down to bare wood.Theres another advantage Every time you sand a floor down to bare wood, you remove some of the wood.A solid wood floor can be sanded several times before thats a problem.But laminated floors glue down or floating floors have only a thin layer of good looking wood veneer over a plywood like base.The veneer can be sanded once or twiceafter that, sanding will expose the plywood core beneath.Where recoating wont work.The type of flooring you have doesnt matter.Recoating works on solid wood, laminated wood and parquet floors alike.But a new coat of polyurethane may not stick to your existing finish.If your floors finish was applied before the 1.No new finish will stick to a wax finish or any other finish thats ever had wax applied to it.Polyurethane might adhere to an old, unwaxed varnish or shellac finish.But these finishes do wear out, and since theyre probably more than 3.In fact, if you have an old finish from the days before polyurethane, your only alternative to sanding is wax.If the floor is in fair condition, wax can restore the shine.A wood flooring dealer can recommend a suitable product.Wax is easy to use, but not very durable.Youll probably have to rewax every six months or so.Even if the existing finish is polyurethane, good adhesion isnt a sure thing.Residue from all kinds of household chemicals, such as furniture polish, glass cleaner, insecticide and wallpaper paste, can interfere with adhesion.Since you cant know for certain all the potions that have landed on your floor, you must test for adhesion before you recoat your floor.Step 1 Test for adhesion.Photo 1 Prepare test areas.Roughen up two test areas and then coat them with urethane.Photo 2 Suitable for hardwood floor refinishing.Check the adhesion by scraping a coin across the finish.Photo 3 Not suitable for hardwood floor refinishing.If the finish flakes easily or is cracked or has an orange peel look, youll need to sand before refinishing the hardwood floor.Pick at least two test areas on the floor one in a high traffic zone, the other along a wall or in a closet.Clean each area with a wood floor cleaner and roughen a 6 x 6 in.Then wipe away the sanding residue, mask around the test area, and give it a coat of polyurethane Photo 1.After 2. 4 hours, take a look at the polyurethane.Aside from a few tiny whiskers caused by dust particles, it should be smooth.Then scrape the polyurethane with a coin.Press down firmly, but not too hardeven a sound finish might scrape off if you press as hard as you can Photo 2.If the polyurethane is smooth and doesnt scrape off with moderate pressure, your test is a success and you can recoat the floor.But if the polyurethane flakes off as you scrape, or if the surface has a crackled or orange peel texture Photo 3, theres something on the old finish preventing the new finish from adhering properly.That something could be furniture polish, residue from window cleaner or a hundred other things.But whatever it is, theres only one solution You have to sand down to bare wood and completely refinish the floor.Step 2 Money and materials.Recoating a typical floor 2.Most of the cost goes for tools and renting the buffer, so recoating floors in two rooms costs only a few bucks more than recoating one room.All the tools and materials for this project are available at home centers.Wood flooring dealers also carry most of these products.Heres what youll need A liquid floor cleaner formulated specifically for wood floors.Scouring pads a. Scotchbrite is one common brand.Regular steel wool will also work, but dont use steel wool if you plan to use a water based finish the tiny particles of steel left behind will cause rust stains.A 2 or 3 in. bristle brush made specifically for applying varnish and other clear coatings.Use natural bristle for oil or synthetic bristle for water based.A finish applicator pad designed to apply floor finishes Photo 1.You can buy a long handle that screws into the applicator, but any push broom handle will work.Some applicators are made for oil based finishes others are made for water based products.Check the label. A respirator that has organic vapor cartridges to filter out harmful fumes Photo 1.These respirators are pricey, but absolutely necessary.A gallon of mineral spirits, 1.A buffer Photo 9, which you can find at a rental center or flooring store.Youll also need a buffing pad made from synthetic mesh and sanding screen discs the same material used to roughen the floor by hand.The screens are available in several grits.Use 1. 50 or 1. 20 grit if available.Theyre less likely to cut through the finish into the wood than 1.Get at least three screens for a typical room.You can return any you dont use.TIP The buffer is a heavy, powerful machine.Learn to control it by practicing on a smooth concrete floor, using only the pad.Step 3 Clean the floor.Photo 4 Clean the floor using a wood flooring cleaner.A dull putty knife is handy for scraping up petrified chewing gum and other gunk.For tough marks, use a scouring pad dampened with mineral spirits.If that fails, try sanding screen.As you clean, use pieces of masking tape to mark any deep scratches, ridges or areas where the finish has worn away.Youll have to give these trouble spots special attention see Problems Areas below.Photo 5 Roughen corners by hand.Roughen the existing finish along walls and in corners where the buffer cant reach.The purpose is only to scratch up the finish, not to wear it downor worse, sand right through it.Three or four passes with the sanding screen are usually enough.Wear gloves to protect your hands from the abrasive screen.Photo 6 Set the buffer on the sanding screen.The screen isnt attached to the buffer at all, but stays put under the weight of the machine.The screen will wear out after 1.When it does, flip it over or start with a new screen.Check the screen for grit every few minutes and wipe away any large particles that might scratch the floor.Note Be sure to lock the buffers adjustable handle in place before you begin buffing.Problem Areas. As youre cleaning for your hardwood floor finishing project, you may find deep scratches that go through the finish and into the wood.You usually cant make these scratches disappear completely, but you can make them a lot less noticeable. How To Install Software Cd On Netbook Review . If your floor is as light or lighter than the floor shown here, first wet the scratch with mineral spirits.A wet coat of mineral spirits produces approximately the same look as a coat of polyurethane.And on a light colored floor, it might darken the scratch just enough tohide it.Tips If that doesnt work, apply some wood stain to the scratch using a cotton swab.Because the scratch is rough and porous, it will absorb a lot of stain.So begin experimenting with a stain thats much lighter than the tone of your floor and wipe away the excess stain right after you apply it.For best results, use two stain colors to match the light and dark patterns in the wood grain Photo 7.If your floor has a high traffic area where the clear finish is completely worn away, wet the area with mineral spirits to see what it will look like with a coat of polyurethane.
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