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..more than you ever wanted to know about wood floor refinishing...
Questions About How The Process Works Questions About Color
Questions about Existing Finishes Questions about New Finishes
Questions About Pricing Questions About Scratches
Questions About Sanding vs. SandFreeŽ Questions About The Day of the Process
A) SandFreeŽ is a chemical wash and abrasive process to prepare the existing finish to receive a coat of urethane. The purpose of Phases 1-3 is not to remove the existing finish, but to soften and clean the surface to prepare it to receive a new finish. The existing finish may come up, due to the abrasive pads, if it does not have a good bond to the wood, but the purpose is not to remove the existing finish, and removing the finish is not necessary.
Q) Can I get an idea of how my floor will look?
A)
Yes. Wet a paper towel. Rub it on the worst areas of the floors - gray, black, faded. In 5 seconds, before the water begins to dry, you will get an idea of how the gloss finish will look.
Q) Will it fill holes in the floor?
A) No and Yes. It will fill the holes left from the nails in the tackless strip from a previous carpet installation. It will fill the staple holes. It will not fill bevels between boards or major gouges in the wood from previous problems.
Q) Will it get rid of
scratches?
A) Maybe. Sandfree™ is focused at the existing finish. If the
scratches are in the finish, they will be removed. If the scratches are in
the wood, they will not be removed. Sandfree™ only works on the finish,
not on the wood itself. We are beginning to develop a method to stain the
scratches, but are still testing this and are offering this on a limited basis,
although we feel this will be part of the service in the near future.
Q) Will it get rid of pet
stains?
A) Probably not. If the stains are in the finish, yes, but more
likely the stain is in the wood and will not come out. It may, or may not
be able to be sanded out, depending on the thickness of the wood, and the depth
of the stain. We can replace a board to resolve the problem.
Q) Will you move furniture?
A) Yes. In fact, furniture is the determining factor of the per foot
price. If there is little, if any furniture, the price will be very low.
If there is furniture, but it can be moved to a room that we are not
refinishing, the price is a little higher. If there is furniture and we
can't move it out of the room, we have to do 1/2 of the room, and then move the
furniture, and do the other half. That is the most expensive option.
Q) How long until I
can walk on the floor?
A) In socks, about 3 hours. With shoes, in about 8 hours. It
would be nice to give the floor 24 hours until the furniture is replaced.
The floor is 90% cured in 24 hours.
Q)
What is curing?
A) Curing is the hardening of the urethane. It hardens from the top
down. Therefore, the urethane may feel dry, but it isn't hard. As
the hardening continues downward, the urethane is curing. The urethane is
more than 50% cured in 6 hours, 90% cured in 24 hours. 100% curing occurs
in 48 hours.
Q) Is SandFreeŽ able to change the color at all?
A) SandFreeŽ removes the dirt on the floor.
This may lighten the color of the floor. Without adding stain to the
urethane, this is the only, very slight, color change that may occur.
Q) The grain is black. Will this come
out?
A) Take a wet paper towel. Rub it on the
grain. If the towel becomes dirty and the grain lightens, SandFreeŽ will
improve on the condition. If there is no change, the color of the grain
has changed and will not be changed by SandFreeŽ. We've seen this in rare
instances in Bruce pre-finished floors from 8-10 years ago. Possibly a
mold was entrapped by the finish, and degraded to erode the grain and change the
color to black.
Q) I have used an acrylic polymer. Can I
SandFreeŽ over this finish?
A) SandFreeŽ will adhere to an acrylic polymer.
But, we don't remove the acrylic polymer and therefore anything below the
acrylic polymer - dirt, hair, etc. - will not be removed.
Q) What are the
temperature requirements?
A) It depends on what we are doing. The men would like a reasonable
amount of heat when we are running the Zamboni, certainly above freezing,
although we have done buildings, in the winter, with only temporary heat.
We used to think we need temperatures above 65 to apply urethane, but we've
found that not to be true. In fact, we'd prefer the room to be in the 50s,
although that doesn't happen often. We've done office buildings with less
than 50 degrees of heat, and the urethane "flowed" beautifully, dried normally,
and formed a beautiful finish. What we can't work around is too much heat.
The problem with too much heat is that the urethane dries too quickly.
This premature solidification traps air bubbles that naturally should rise to
the surface before the hardening takes effect.
Q) How can I find
out more about the process?
A) www.sandfree.com. This
website will give you a complete history of the work completed, and also let you
know about jobs in process. There are pictures of samples that have been
done for jobs that have not been scheduled yet.
Q)
How durable is it?
A) It's the hardest urethane available today. We expect you to have
us back in 5-8 years.
Q) There are black spots in front of my sink.
Will they come out?
A) Probably not. These are most likely caused by
water and there is resultant wood damage. Do the wet paper towel test and
see if the result will be satisfactory.
Q) Will it remove paint?
A) Phase 1 will loosen the paint, but it is the mechanic who will
use different chemicals to remove the paint. It will not remove paint on a
gym floor. It has removed oversprayed paint.
Q) How long will the odor last?
A) The odor is minimal. We spent 2 days refinishing the community
center and gym at the Overbrook Presbyterian Church. Pre-school,
choir, session, weight-watchers all continued occupying the building while we
worked. There was 1 complaint about odor. We asked them to wait 1/2
hour, and the complaint evaporated along with the odor. Your salesman may
have sample bottles of each chemical and you can smell for your self.
Q)
Do you do gyms?
A) Yes. Traditionally gyms are refinished each year by "screeting"
the floor and applying a coat of oil-based urethane. That is a 2 phase
process. Ours is a 5 phase process. We think we will prove that our
process is superior and will reduce the long-term cost because it may be
possible to make the refinishing bi-annual instead of annual.
Q) How will my traffic areas look?
A) Normally, before the wood wear layer is
damaged, it will look gray. The gray color is dirt and will be removed.
But, you may be left with a different wood color. This is especially
obvious if the wood has been stained, or pre-finished. If the wood is
natural, the results will be much better. Do the wet paper towel test and
see if the results will be satisfactory for you.
Q) What is Orange Glo?
A) As I understand it, Orange Glo is an inexpensive
acrylic polymer. Other acrylic polymers include Mop N' Glo and shoe polish. It bonds to the floor, and is not removable without
sanding. If you are using Orange Glo, you need to be very careful to
prepare your floor well. If we are SandFreeŽing over Orange Glo, expect to
need an extra coat of urethane. Orange Glo comes up in chips. It
isn't necessary to remove all of the Orange Glo, we can go over it, but the
chipped areas show as depressions. This is greatly remedied with an
additional coat of urethane.
Q) Do you remove Orange Glo
when you SandFree?
A) No. Orange Glo chips when the bond is
breaking. Sometimes the abrasive pads will increase the chipping, but it
will never take all of the Orange Glo off. The chipping leaves depressions
which may not be filled by the bonding coat and the urethane coat. A
second coat of urethane usually resolves this problem.
Q) What is N-Hance?
A) N-Hance is a system originally designed for kitchen cabinet restoration.
We don't know what the chemical base of the N-Hance finish is, but we do know
that they require 6 coats on the floor and the price varies by how fast the
chemical dries. You can get 1 version that dries in 12 minutes, to speed
up the process, but that costs more than the version that takes an hour to dry.
Q) Can you SandFreeŽ over
varnish? shellack?
A) Yes and yes.
Q) My finish is chipping.
What will happen during SandFreeŽ
A) The abrasive pads may remove more of the
finish, but if the chipping continues after Phase 3, you should think about
sanding your floor. If the existing finish appears chipped, but the
chipping has stopped, you should consider getting a 2nd coat of urethane to fill
the depressions.
Q) My existing finish
is peeling. What should I do?
A) Peeling is worse than chipping. When a
finish is chipping, there is some bond to the floor. When a finish is
peeling, there is no bond to the floor. If after Phase 3, there is still
finish left on the floor, then the floor should be sanded.
Q) I have gaps between the boards. Will SandFreeŽ
fill these gaps?
A) No.
Q) How can I tell how the scratches will look?
A) Wet a paper towel. Rub it on the scratch for
about 5 seconds. Stand up and look at the scratch. With no other
work, this is approximately how the gloss finish will look.
Q) Is there a way to improve on the scratches?
A) If you've done the wet towel test and the scratch
appears to be a different color than the rest of the wood, you can get a
matching stain and wipe it on the scratch 3 days before the floor is to be
SandFreeŽ'd. By changing the color of the scratch, very acceptable
results have occurred.
Q) What is the difference between and gouge and a scratch?
A) A gouge is much deeper than a scratch. With
SandFreeŽ we have a chance of completely resolving a scratch, but we can't
completely resolve a gouge.
Q) What are the benefits of sanding?
A) When you sand a floor, you get to a new layer
of wood, and unless the damage to the wood was too severe, you also sand out the
imperfections. What you lose by sanding, is between 1/32 and 1/16 inch of
wood thereby reducing the lifespan of your floor.
Q) Is there dustless sanding?
A) No. Dustless sanding is promoted by a company
that makes large vacuums that are installed in trucks. They reduce the
dust, but it is not dustless.
Q) How much wood is removed by sanding?
A) If the sander isn't removing gouges, stains,
or other imperfections that require deeper sanding, he will, if he is very good,
take off 1/32". If he isn't good, he may take off 1/8".
Q) Does it change the
color of the floor?
A) Depending on the amount of dirt that has accumulated, the color may
become lighter.
Q) Can you sand out the bevels?
A) No.
Q) What should I do with my dog?
A) It would be nice for your dog to have an
overnight.
Q) Can I be in the house?
A) There is no problem with odor, but you
shouldn't walk on the floor while we're doing the work. At the least,
you'll introduce dirt to the processed floors. After the men leave, you
can walk on the floors, in socks, in 3 hours. You can walk on the floors
in shoes in 8 hours and move your furniture back after 24 hours.
Q) Can I change the color?
A) No. To stain a floor, the raw wood needs to be exposed.
Sandfree™ does not remove any wood to get to a new, stainable, raw layer
of wood. The only possibility would be to use a "polyshade" which is a
urethane with a stain mixed in. In this case, the stain wears off as the
urethane wears off and is not a satisfactory solution.
Q) Will it work on laminated
wood?
A) Absolutely. In fact, we feel this is the only method that can
refinish an engineered floor. Because the wear layer is so thin, you can't
afford to sand it. Because we only affect the layer above the wood, this
is perfect! If you maintain the finish you won't wear out the wood.
Q) Can you repair localized
damage?
A) Yes. We have replaced boards, hand-scraped boards, sanded boards,
stained the affected areas, and then performed a Sandfree™ process on the whole
floor. If you don't expect a perfect match of new wood to old wood, it
works beautifully.
Q) Is it really 1/2 the
cost of sanding?
A) Yes. We are always less than sanding. Most sanders offer oil
based products. These are 1/8th the price of water based products.
The only time sanders are close to us in price is when they offer oil based
products compared to our water based products. But using oil based
products eliminates many of the benefits of our system. The odor is
extreme. The drying times are not hours- they are days. And, I am of
the conviction that the catalyzed water based products perform better in the
long term. Our experience has been excellent. If they are using
water based products, we will be 1/2 the price of sanding.
Q) What finishes are available?
A) We have 4 finishes. High gloss - looks like a bowling
alley. Used in heavy duty commercial spaces - like gyms. Semi-gloss
- has a lot of sheen but doesn't look like glass. Can be used commercially or
residentially. Satin - a little bit of sheen. Used primarily in
residences. Adds a nice patina to the wood. Absolute matte - no
sheen. Doesn't look like there is any finish on the wood. We use
this in museums.
Q) Isn't oil-based urethane
better than water-based urethane?
A) For a long time oil-based urethane was
considered better than water-based urethane, but that was a long time ago.
Especially over the past 5 years the water-based urethane manufacturers have
improved their products - especially those who have introduced the catalyzed
products. We feel that the water-based product that we use is much better
than the available oil-based products - harder, longer lasting, and more clear.
It is used by Brunswick on their bowling alleys. Also, it costs 8 times
more than oil based urethanes. You have to know that you're paying for
something.
Q) Will the gray
areas in front of my sink be eliminated?
A) These gray areas are caused by the deterioration of the finish which
then permits dirt to build up and/or water damage. We get the dirt out,
but the gray areas may still be visible even if they are greatly improved.
If it is water damaged, we may be able to hand-scrape the individual boards,
stain them to match, and then do the process. The hand-scraping is an
extra charge, but usually well worth the effort.
Q) I think I have nice
wood under my carpet, what can I do?
A) We've been very pleased to find out that
protecting the wood underneath, is one of the great qualities of carpet.
In our area, we've been blessed with really good wood that was installed from
the thirties through the seventies. The wall-to-wall carpet has protected
it beautifully. We've found that when we take up the carpet, we can, with
only a little extra work, fill the nail holes from the tackless strips and
repair isolated boards. So, the first step is to schedule us to take-up
the carpet and pad. We can determine the condition of the wood, and see if
a SandFree™ process will work. Most of the
time it does. We'll then schedule the SandFree™
process in 2 or 3 weeks, and you'll have great looking floors.
Q) How do you determine
the price?
A) It's very simple. The lowest price is
for an empty work space - you are moving the furniture. A work space is
all of the areas that we are going to be doing. If our workspace is empty,
we can do 3-5,000 feet in a day! The next pricing level occurs if we are
moving furniture, but we can move all of the furniture out of the work space.
The highest price occurs when we are moving the furniture from one half of the
work space, to the other. Then, we move all of the furniture to the first
half, after it has dried, and finally move half of that furniture back into the
final area that was completed. We are always less than sanding, but
sometimes, especially if furniture is involved, we are up to half of the sanding
price.
Q) How can a
sanding price compare with a SandFree™
price?
A) It can't. It is impossible for a sanding price to compare to a
SandFree™ price because of the difference in the
cost of labor. Sanding is labor intensive. SandFree™
is labor efficient. If the pricing is close, you need
to find out what the hidden charges may be. Are they moving the furniture
out of the room? Are they moving it back into the room when they are done?
Are they using water-based products? Will there be odors? Are the
products environmentally friendly? Have they asked you to get a truck to
store your furniture? Is there an extra charge for the steps? The
landings? Access charges? Trip charges? Minimum charges?
Have they quoted time and material prices? Have they given you maximums
for the time and material work? If the prices are close, there are charges
that are going to be coming later. You need to protect yourself and make
sure that you have maximum amounts on any labor that is open ended.
Q) I have been waxing my floor. Can you SandFree™ this floor?
A) Yes! Over the past years, we've figured out how to remove wax. We do a number of apartment buildings in the Philadelphia area that have been waxed for decades. We've developed a Phase 0 - which treats the floor and removes the wax. Then we do the rest of the 5 Phase process. Wax is not only applied as wax, but is also available in any of the quick polish products. It is most helpful if you can tell us what, if anything, you've been putting on your floor.
Q) "I understand the floors are not completely stripped of the existing finish - wouldn't this lead to a bit of unevenness if some of the original finish comes off and some doesn't?"
A) We haven't had a problem with unevenness. The abrasion of the pads in Phases 1-3 has a smoothing action - something like wet sanding. Any unevenness is taken care of by the filling nature of Phase 4 and Phase 5.
Q) If I have dogs and children, which
sheen - satin or gloss - is best?
A) I feel, because Gloss is more reflective than
Satin, Gloss shows more dog nail scratches. I'd go with Satin.
Q) Which sheen should I use?
A) I like to use gloss is the wood is more than 50 years old. The
floors look well kept and maintained. For floors younger than 50, I think
satin looks the best.
Q) Can you plug into the wall?
A) The SandFree™ machines plug into the wall - they use 110 power. If we are sanding your floor, 2 of the sanders plug into the wall, but the large drum sander needs 220v current. Our men will ask to use your circuit box where they can clip directly into power from the electric company. If, for some reason, that is a problem, they can use your dryer connection. Using the dryer connection isn't our preference, because sometimes the electricity at that point is corrupted and the machine won't get a full 220v.
Q) Do I have to sand the floor if I just want to take care of a few scratches in the wood?
A) No. Some of our customers have gotten very acceptable results by going to the local hardware store, and getting a stain that most closely matches the wood. They then apply this, as carefully as possible, on the scratch. Because the scratch is opened, raw wood, the stain will adhere. If they get stain on the areas surrounding the scratch, normally the stain comes off during the SandFree™ process in the areas where it was put on top of urethane, as opposed to the raw wood. The end result has worked well, and it saved the cost of our sending a technician out. One note - this must be done 3 days before we do the SandFree™. The stain is oil-based, and because we are using water-based products, the stain must be completely dry.
Q) Why is it that your stripping process doesn't eliminate the original finish? Wouldn't it be easier to start the refinish with raw wood?
A) You don't need to remove the finish. You need to prepare it to receive another coat of finish. Any finish that is present after Phases 1-3 has a good bond and is providing protection for the floor. We add to that protection. There isn't any reason to remove all of the finish.
Q) Other than the lack of fumes, dust, and inconvenience, are there other advantages to your system over refinishing in terms of durability or appearance?
A) An unappreciated advantage is that, if there is an existing finish, you end up with more finish - because we don't remove it, we prepare it to receive another coat - an you haven't lost 10 years of wear on the wood by sanding away 1/16th of an inch of the wear layer.
Q) How do you deal with stair treads and risers?
A) We do stair treads and risers by hand.
Q) Do you guarantee against certain negative appearances which my pop up later, like clouding, cracking, or peeling?
A) We don't guarantee against clouding - but clouding is generally a condition of maintenance. Cracking and peeling is guaranteed. If there is any cracking and peeling, we will credit you for the Sandfree expense and charge you to sand the floor. The sanding charge is normally twice the Sandfree charge.
Q) Another situation in our house is this: the floor in the kitchen appears to be stick-on vinyl tile. I do not know if there is wood floor under the tile. In the event that there is wood underneath, is it possible to remove all the glue and residue from a vinyl floor using y our process?
A) No. The floor would have to be sanded.
Q) What do I do if I'm not sure if I should SandFree™ or sand my floors?
A) If you have concerns, especially with really worn wood, we can do Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 and then evaluate how the floor is going to look. If you decide to SandFree™ the floor, we can move ahead with the process. If you decide to sand the floor, we won't charge you for Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3.