The Missing Link: Are You Skipping a Step in Your Recoats?

This article was originally published in Hardwood Floors.

Recoating wood floors is a great option for finishes going through a midlife crisis. Quick and clean, it is still gaining in popularity and acceptance with homeowners. Those of us who have been in the industry for awhile have seen a noticeable spike in interest since a couple of manufacturers of waterborne finishes started promoting it, as they saw an expanding recoating market and started putting products out there to support it. These products include liquid cleaners, synthetic pads, test kits for acrylic waxes, auto scrubbers and bonding agents needed to prep an old finish and promote adhesion. The process has evolved dramatically over the last 10 years.

However, recoating has an identity problem that needs to be faced. Contractors, decorators, real estate agents, designers, etc., don’t talk about “recoating” a wood floor. They talk about “screen and recoat.” The term “screen” refers to using a screen-backed disc (worn, in most cases) to prep the floor prior to applying a fresh coat of finish. That’s an option if the finish is new. However, if the finish has years of use and layers of dirt and grime, just screening old finish without cleaning it first will increase the potential for problems and even failure. In essence, if all you’re doing is screening a floor without a deep cleaning prior to recoating, your chances for failure skyrocket.

Read the full article here to learn more about recoating wood floors. 

Finish Flaws: Avoid Common Wood Floor Finish Failures

This article was originally published in Hardwood Floors.

It's crucial to be confident in understanding what the realistic expectations are for a site-finish wood floor and translate that confidence to your customer. Have you ever had a customer tell you there’s a problem and you need to come see it at a certain time of day when the sun hits it from a certain angle with your head cocked to one side just right? Per our industry standards, this perceived “problem” that needs to be viewed under specific conditions may not necessarily be a problem at all. It’s unrealistic to think a site-finished floor will end up looking like furniture or cabinets. It’s also unrealistic to think the finish on furniture or cabinets will perform the same as wood floor finishes. We don’t walk on furniture and we don’t (usually) eat on our wood floors. These finishes are manufactured to perform for different purposes and are applied using different methods; therefore the final results for wood floor coatings are completely different from cabinets or furniture.

When assessing wood floor finish issues, the standard is to evaluate the floor under these conditions:

• The floor should be observed from a standing position on the floor being assessed.
• The evaluation must be conducted with ambient lighting, meaning the general illumination present in the room. As contractors we need to take into account what the lighting situation is specific to the job we’re on, whether that includes a big window or a row of can lights, and adjust our methods accordingly. 
• Glare from direct light sources must not be used during evaluation. You can’t introduce new lighting sources or wait until a certain time of the day to be able to evaluate the problem. 

Before you start the job, paint a picture for the customers of what to expect during the project and, more importantly, when the job is done. This opening conversation with your customer is extremely important and will ultimately affect how your entire job will flow. They need to know ahead of time that wood floor finish is designed to be walked on and that it will not look or perform like their kitchen table. Once your customer understands the complexity of applying finish in an uncontrolled environment and the potential unexpected pitfalls we can endure at the time of application or during dry times, they will better accept minor inconsistencies in the finished product.

Read the rest of the article here to learn about common problems and how to fix them.

When Making Green Marketing Claims, Tread Carefully

This article was originally published in Hardwood Floors. 

The popularity of eco-friendly products touches nearly every part of the U.S. economy, and the hardwood flooring industry is certainly no exception. Consider Americans’ keen interest in alternative flooring products such as those made of cork or bamboo, or the rising demand for traditional flooring products certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). Likewise, consumers these days are far more receptive to the environmental drawbacks of carpet: A generation ago, few people other than scientists knew about VOCs (volatile organic compounds), but today some Americans are concerned about the possibility that their living room rugs are harboring allergens and releasing dangerous compounds.

Thanks to the green movement, the hardwood flooring industry is constantly playing both defense and offense on the environment. Companies are under the gun to highlight whatever eco-friendly qualities their products might possess, and they feel the need to compare their own products against various alternatives available in the marketplace. As the hardwood flooring industry engages in these green marketing efforts, though, it must carefully consider the risks associated with doing so. In today’s regulatory environment, even seemingly modest claims can carry legal risks. Indeed, in recent years the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been more closely scrutinizing marketers’ green claims under the FTC Act, which gives regulators the mandate to ferret out unfair, deceptive or unsubstantiated environmental claims.

Read the full article here to learn more about green guides, certifications and seals in the hardwood flooring industry.