Royal Wood Floors helps home owners in New Port Ritchey and beyond, understand more about the different issues that can happen with their hard wood floors, how to isolate them and how they can be fixed in a new series of articles. This is the first in the series.

 
Royal Wood Floors specializes in hard wood floor refinishing and new hard wood floor installations in the greater New Port Ritchey area and has been successful for over 15 years. “After servicing or installing a new floor, we make a point of providing the following as a special series of tips for every customer in order to ensure that their floors are protected and provide that stunning hard wood beauty for as long as possible”, says Keith Allman who owns Royal Wood Floors. He continues to say, “there are a variety of problems that can affect the beauty and life of hard wood floors and once these are isolated they can be handled properly so that the hard wood lasts for years the way it should”. Different types of hard wood floor damage can often times be dealt with through hard wood floor restorations, it is important that residents be educated on it. All Royal Wood Floor staff are trained in-house on the standards set by the National Wood Flooring Association which ensures that every job is evaluated for potential situations that can occur due to a variety of different circumstances.

Buckling

Buckling is excessive expansion causing the wood flooring to release from the sub-flooring. This is an issue that is always caused by excessive moisture. This can be caused by pipe leaks, a wet slab, poor grade to the foundation and excessive humidity. Sometimes for floors that installed improperly can cause buckling. Buckling can be caused by hard wood floor installations that were nailed down incorrectly. Incorrect fasteners or incorrect sub-floor construction can all cause this issue. “Incorrect or insufficient adhesive can cause a floor to buckle”, says Allman. “We look at a variety of causes for the home owner so that floor buckling can be fully resolved in the future”, he continues. Cures for buckling include fixing the high moisture conditions that can include the use of dehumidifiers which allow the floor and sub-floor to dry to normal levels. Releasing the stress on the floor by providing relief at all vertical obstructions such as walls, cabinets and other areas is important. In many cases, if buckling is caught early enough then just spot repairs can be done. However there are circumstances where a complete new hard wood floor installation will be necessary.
 
 

Chatter / Wave Marks

Chatter or Wave Marks are another problem that can be found with hard wood floors. Basically these are constant sanding imperfections across the grain of the wood varying from ¼ to 1-inch apart. Wave marks are two or more irregularities in a floor occurring along the direction of travel of a sander. They generally are 1 to 3 inches from peak to peak. The reason for this type of problem is because the floor was previously sanded incorrectly. The sanding drum may have been out of balance or it may have had hard spots that could have caused the problem to begin with. Most wave marks are caused by imperfections already present on the floor that are transferred through the wheels of the big machine to the sanding job itself. Sometimes this has happened during wood floor restorations. The cures for this type of problem are to inspect the sanding equipment being used and ensure that there are no issues with the equipment; sander. The worker that is performing the job can use a hard plate, paper disc or multi-disc sander. A sanding screen only highlights the chatter and causes the floor to dish out. You can use a disc sander and hard plate while working right to left, traveling down and back in the same path and working the disc sander at slight angles for the best cut of the unit. Repeat the same procedure, overlapping the last cut one half the size of the first disc. “Another technique is to do a light sanding with a big machine at a 7-15 degree angle, then go over the floor again, this time straight”, says Allman who maintains standards as set by the National Wood Flooring Association.

Checks

“Checks” are separations of the wood that normally occur across or through the annual rings in the wood grain itself. These are caused by the loss of moisture during the manufacturing drying process or environmental conditions. These can happen during the initial storage of the wood floor planks or even after a new hard wood floor installation. The cure for this is to replace the wood boards and perform a recoat if necessary in order to bring back the natural beauty of your hard wood floor investment.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
For more information about this experienced and professional hardwood floor restoration and new wood floor installation company, or to schedule repairs by these wood floor refinishing contractors, or learn about custom wood styles or the company’s inlay and medallion installation services, phone Keith Allman at 727-267-2617. Easy estimates and appointments are currently available through the company’s website, https://royalwoodfloor.com/. The company provides top craftsmanship and cares for many types of custom and domestic wood. Visit the company’s website for examples of previous work.

Keith Allman | Owner – Royal Wood Floors