What to expect when you’re refinishing your hardwood
floors
If you are considering having hardwood floors
installed or refinished, Pelosi Wood Floors would like to let you know what to expect during and after the process. This will
also give you a chance to ask any questions about the procedure and about what our policies are with regard to working in
your home.
Sanding flooring in an occupied house is quite disruptive,
but well worth the time spent, especially if there are no "surprises" for either of us.
Procedure and Timing
It usually takes 3-4 days to complete a project when floors are sanded and finished with three coats of polyurethane,
4-5 days when adding a stain. For either procedure there can be no traffic of any kind on the flooring until it is dry. Any
demolition work required, such as removal of existing flooring, may take approximately 1 extra day. The
sequence is as follows:
Sand and Finish
Sand, Stain and Finish
Day 1 - Sanding and 1st coat
Day 1 –sanding and stain
Day 2 – 2nd
coat applied
Day 2 – 1st coat applied
Day 3 –
3rd coat applied
Day 3 – 2nd coat applied
Day 4 – 3rd coat applied
The above time
frame can vary for two main reasons – First, obviously, if your job is quite large (over 650 sq. ft. and or the addition
of stairways), it may take more than the first day to get the sanding completed and/or the polyurethane coat may not dry overnight.
Both of these occurrences add additional days to the job. It is important that you understand that Pelosi Wood Floors, Inc.
will be on your job each day in sequence, but we cannot guarantee an exact time that your job will be complete. We certainly
can reasonably estimate how long it will take. If your job takes longer than estimated we do not offer discounts or pay for
hotel rooms.
Payment Terms
Once you have scheduled an installation date, we will confirm what materials are
needed for the project. A deposit is required about 1 week in advance of any material being ordered/delivered; the payment
amount should be indicated on your estimate. Please mail a check at the time indicated on your estimate for the deposit amount
prior to the start of your project to Pelosi Wood Floors. Major credit
cards accepted. If you are installing wood, it will be delivered to your home about 3 days prior to the installation
so that your new wood floor can acclimate to your home’s humidity level.
Dust
Precautions are taken to
minimize dust; our machines have bags on them that catch the majority of dust as it is sanding, but even the adjacent rooms
not being sanded are subject to have some fine dust accumulation of flat surfaces like window ledges, shelves, etc. Taping
up plastic over doorways is the best way to minimize this, which we will do for you at your request for a nominal fee. Keep
in mind, however, that our crews must open the doors at some time to sand to the proper break point under the door, which
will allow some of the dust to shift. WE CANNOT CONTAIN IT ALL. We will clean and vacuum the areas we are working in as we go, but final house
cleaning will be YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. We use the industry standard blue painter’s tape to hang our plastic drop cloths.
The tolerance your paint or wall paper has to the tape is also your responsibility – if you have any concerns over the
tape pulling any paint off or damaging wallpaper, you must advise us before you ask to hang the plastic, because any damage
will be yours.
Shoe Molding
Shoe molding is not included in the cost of refinishing, but we are certainly able
to include it under a separate price. If your estimator has not discussed it with you, don’t hesitate to call the office
prior to the start date of your job.
Minor Paint Touch
Up
As in almost any construction related job there is
the possibility that walls and woodwork will be touched in the process. Pelosi Wood Floors, Inc. will take every precaution
to prevent this from happening; but if it does, touch up will be your responsibility. If you think it is excessive, please
CALL OUR OFFICE immediately and we will make arrangements to come and inspect the damage.
Warranty
There are no specific,
written warranties on floor finish. This is because there is no established "normal" use of floors – each
home is different. We do use what we consider to the industry’s best product – or – we are happy to provide
references. Defects that are obvious from a standing position under normal lighting should be considered reasonable. There
will most likely be some hairs, dust, etc., in the finished floor. These cannot be avoided since we are site finishing. We
do not have the advantage of working in controlled conditions.
Draperies, Windows Blinds, Etc.
We will not
take responsibility for any damage to your window coverings if they are left in place.
Area Rugs
All large area rugs
and/or runners should be left off of the hardwood flooring for a period of two weeks following the sanding and finishing of
your hardwood flooring. This allows the finish to completely cure and harden to its fullest capacity.
Electrical Power Required
Our sanding equipment requires 220 volts, which is normally a dryer outlet or possibly an air conditioner outlet.
If this is not available in your home please call our office.
Furniture
Work areas must be free of all
furniture prior to the start date of the job.
Note
With regard to warranty, as with all service business, our crews are highly trained
but occasionally a mistake is made. If you are not satisfied with a completed job, call our office as soon as possible
and before replacing any furniture. Your call will be given priority and every effort will be made to correct any
problems promptly.
If you have any questions or concerns about items not listed here, either before your job starts or during your
job, please do not hesitate to call our office. There is always someone who can answer your questions or relay your message
to your estimator or the owner.
For the Customer after
floors are installed
How to spot and avoid
trouble in hardwood floors
In a comfortable home with
slight humidity variations through the seasons, wood responds by expanding and contracting. These changes may be noticeable.
During warm, humid weather, wood expands. During dry weather, wood contracts. This seasonal movement is a normal characteristic
of wood flooring, and it never stops, regardless of the age of the hardwood. One of the best ways to ensure that wood flooring
will give the performance homeowners expect is to install humidity controls and ensure that they are functioning before the
floor is installed. (Recommended relative humidity should be between 35-45 percent)
Tape on hardwood floors
Never,
never, never use tape on urethane finished hardwood floors. Oil base or water based finishes will bond with the adhesive
in tape and cause the finish to peel off your hardwood upon tape removal. If you are planning to paint and want to cover the
flooring, ALWAYS tape paper to paper and not paper to flooring.
Working with humidity controls
A homeowner who
chooses hardwood floors is making an investment that will last forty years or more, and he or she should protect that investment
by installing humidity controls – a tool that helps the floor maintain a beautiful, trouble-free appearance. Along with
protecting your floors they also help with sinus trouble and keeping the dust to a minimum in your home.
Cracks and separation between boards
Nearly every floor endures some separation between boards. In winter, when homes are heated and the
air is dry, wood flooring gives up some of its moisture and therefore shrinks. When that happens, thin cracks appear between
the boards. This is normal, and homeowners should be forewarned of this. It is acceptable, and customers should not be calling
the installers at the first sign of cracks. Once the indoor heat goes off in the spring and the indoor environment regains
moisture, most of these cracks will close.
Cracks in the winter
in the dryer months may easily develop to the thickness of a dime (1/32") on solid 2 ¼" wide oak strip flooring.
Floors with light stained woods and naturally light woods like maple tend to show cracks more than darker wood tone finished
floors.
The cure for cracks?
Homeowners should add moisture to the air during dry periods. It’s their choice
– live with the cracks and wait until spring, or else add humidity by opening the dishwasher after a rinse cycle, switching
off the bathroom fan or hanging laundry to dry in the basement near a furnace. Better yet, install a humidifier in the furnace
or exterior air vent. Again Recommended Relative Humidity Should Be 35 TO 40 Percent.
We hope these tips make your installation run smoothly and help keep your new floors
looking beautiful. Please don’t hesitate to call us with any questions or comments you might have before, during or
after your wood floors are installed.
