One of my favorite expert resources is Bill Kurek, third-generation owner of Kurek?s Hardware, a staple in Canton since 1932. He is a bountiful source of neighborhood historical references and has a great memory. I called him the other day to talk about sanding wood floors.
Years ago, he kept three floor sanders on hand to rent to homeowners who gave the equipment a workout refinishing their floors. Then wall-to-wall carpet became the rage, and the demand for the sanders disappeared. So Kurek sold them off. Over the past few years, the carpets have come up and wood floors are back. The old ones could use a facelift.
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If you decide to do the sanding and refinishing yourself, Kurek offers some advice. Begin by determining what the flooring is and the kind of finish you want. He says that once upon a time in Baltimore, that was pretty simple: Flooring was either pine or oak. The budget home had pine floors, and the premium home had oak floors. All were tongue-and-groove.
The oak looked better longer, and the pine ? being softer ? tended to age more quickly everywhere there was foot traffic. But with both these floors, Kurek says, “you could sand your heart out and not hurt them.”
Today is a different story. The hardwood planks are thinner. Some are made of maple, and still others are composites with a laminate finish that would not withstand a sanding.
Once you know your floor, decide on the finish you want. Light, medium or dark will depend on the coating you use. “Years ago, we only used varnish or shellac but they did not hold up in high- traffic” areas in the house, Kurek says. Then oil-based polyurethane came on the market and provided a resilient hard finish with two considerations. One was a downside if you did not want the amber tint it left. The other was the heavy odor that experts say is dangerous for the ozone layer and the air we breathe. The oil-based poly has been gradually replaced by latex or water-based polyurethane and is now subject to Volatile Organic Compound laws (VOCs), which limit the concentration of the odor-producing elements.
Besides a low-odor release, water-based polyurethanes also provide a clear finish, easy tool cleanup and quick drying time ? two hours, compared to the oil-based, which requires at least five hours between coats and at least half a day before the room can be reoccupied.
To get your floor looking gorgeous, cut or sand it using three grits of sandpaper ? coarse, then medium and finish with fine. If you skip any of these sanding steps, cleaning and other products may remain embedded in the floor, showing up as white streaks after you?ve applied the polyurethane topcoats.
