When fine sanding maple floors, always reduce drum pressure to its lowest setting and slow the drum speed if your machine allows for it. How do I find someone who can do a good job. Oil-based polyurethane produces a beautiful shining effect on your floor and since it has 40 to 45% solid substances, it is more durable than the water-based finish. Debris in the finish coats accounts for many complaints when finishing maple. Today floors are being sanded with belt sanders to 120 and 150 grit and screened with 180 grit on rotary and orbital machines. On wood flooring, explains Angie's List, ammonia tends to discolor an otherwise beautiful finish. If you offer the ability to dye floors and your competitor doesn’t, then you will have a leg up on them. If you’re interested in DIY stains, check out our video about making a homemade gray-aged stain for white oak floors. No matter whether sandpaper strips or screens are used, it is the sharpness of these materials that causes marks, even in fine grades such as 150 or 180 grits.
Difficult to refinish (must use … The extra steps to stain maple take more time- considerable more time. The safest approach is to first ... Tim Nathan, market specialist/upper Midwest regional manager at Basic Coatings, shared this tip:
Maple is one of the hardest hardwood flooring … Many finishers then think that the material was bad or that the flattening agent was not mixed in sufficiently. He has bought new equipment to avoid old machine problems and has tried to keep up with newer tools and techniques. However, with enough delicate and meticulous care, it can be done and done well. When you find a process and product that works for you, don't change unless you can see a significant improvement. Screens were not yet invented. In the 1950s and '60s, most final sandings on wood floors were done with 60- and 80-grit sandpapers. Step 5: Sand Down the Floor Surface. https://householdadvice.net/best-engineered-hardwood-flooring Hand-sanding between coats with used sandpaper,screens or abrasive pads in the direction of the grain helps to avoid screen marks. Click here for great deals on hardwood floor stains and dyes. This finisher has been in business for many years and in recent years has found customers are becoming more critical. Use a high powered light to investigate your sanding to make certain you do not have sanding marks . We recommend you use a traditional resin stain over your dye to lock in the color and this will also create good protection from fading. Would this work with the appropriate 4148 hour dry times? It is recommended that all dye dry at least 24hrs before staining with oil base stains. Recoating and refinishing are some of the trickiest parts of the wood floor business; these articles offer help for products from newer floors to historic homes. The safest approach when abrading between coats is to always use worn or old sandpaper or screens. Although the floor looks great, it is hard to keep it clean and over the last few years we find that it makes the house too dark. Many contractors feel that it is"old fashioned" to get on their knees and hand-sand a floor. Water soluble aniline dye will work for maple. The T-bar type waterborne applicator has become popular with almost every type of finish, and is a fast way to get a uniform coating. After the resin stain coat has dried seal your maple floor with one coat of dewaxed shellac sealer, OMU sealer, or acid cure sealer. Recently a wood floor finisher asked for some advice regarding a job he was about to begin. Most residential floors were oak. Many people find that applying dye is a two-person job. Screen scratches or swirl marks seem to have a way of showing in the final finish. Additionally, it is highly advisable to practice, practice, and practice some more on test panels before beginning work on a client’s floor. Finishing up with Woodline from Bona. Oak wins over maple when you want a dark or dramatic, but for neutral tones or to lighten up a space, oak is less popular. A sample was made, and the designer wanted the stain more uniform. Water popping maple will help raise the grain and make the wood is more receptive to the stain or dye. Your email address will not be published. RELATED: The Basics of Sanding Wood Flooring. When you learn how to dye or stain maple, you have the opportunity to create a truly unique floor for your client. Before you completely write off dyes in favor for stains, remember that dyes will allow you to create nearly any color imaginable. For example, some hardwood species may really thrive when coated with a rich oil finish, whereas other species may be complimented by the natural clear and cool look that is derived from a water-based hardwood floor finish. Staining maple is not an easy proposition. Product Overview With its light-toned finish, the Bruce Natural Maple Hardwood Flooring can brighten the look of any room for an overall cohesive look in your space. When carpeting adjoins your work area, cover the carpet with a drop cloth to avoid stirring up carpet fibers and tracking them in. This procedure is still recommended for many floors, and especially for floors being stained. Educate customers about the difficulties involved in the staining of maple so they are warned of possible appearance issues. Minimal abrasion is preferable to aggressive abrasion. When staining a hardwood floor, it's crucial to make sure the stain is dry prior to applying the finish. Ah staining maple. Using this hardwood floor finish … Because of its clean, light appearance that is easy to decorate around, maple has become the flooring of choice when a light design is required. '> This comes from either trying to avoid an extra sanding or a fear of being too aggressive. Leave plenty of time between steps. It's tough enough to handle constant traffic and is resistant to almost everything. Keep sharing! Before applying the stain to the client’s floor, you might want to try the whole process on a test panel so you can find the best application process — whether it’s a rag, t-bar, or some other applicator. and,"Why do we have more problems with maple floors than we have with oak.". Some species, such as oak, are more likely to help the flooring contractor by hiding some of these mistakes. The most commonly used finishes were shellac, varnish and seal-and-wax. Thoroughly vacuum not only the floor but all baseboards, window sills and any adjoining areas. Industry Leader in the Professional Floor Sanding Market. Whether or not you decide to screen, it’s important that you don’t close the grain of the wood. Work from one end of the room to the next going with the grain cut as exactly as you can on a board edge. Determining when the stain is ... Motors 101 & What Wood Flooring Pros Should Know, Part 1. Lacquer, moisture-cured polyurethane, oil-modified poly and Swedish finishes were gaining popularity. The floors have what is called a dog-finish. Once this is done then you can move onto applying the stain or dye. For both applications the best way to start is by sanding the maple floor flawlessly. As the flattening agent settles to the bottom of the applied coating, any area where there is a heavier film appears glossier due to the additional film build in that spot. Chatter marks with drum machines have been around for almost 40 years, and while waves in belt machines are newer, they can be just as frustrating. The popularity of using wood as flooring has ebbed and flowed throughout recorded human history. Also, as the number of coats increases or as the coats become heavier, the higher the sheen level. This is especially true when using non-compliant oil-modified polyurethane or VOC-compliant oil-modified urethane. 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