Solid Ash Flooring Repair & Refinish- Hudson, NH

This project features the results of our repair and dustless refinishing services. The home owner had a random-width, white ash hardwood installed, which we refinished with Bona Woodline oil-modified polyurethane. The home owner already had ash flooring throughout the entire home, and water damage required the kitchen floor to be replaced in large sections. 

We were able to repair the flooring and remove the cupped boards, successfully weaving in new flooring. In the image below, you can see the newly patched area after it was installed and before it was finished. On the right, you can see the area blends in perfectly after the entire floor has been finished. 

 

Here we are preparing our dustless sanding
equipment to sand the entire floor using
our Atomic Dust Containment System

As I mentioned, this flooring project included a random-width pattern. For a unique look, a random-width (or mixed-width) installation uses a mixture of board widths throughout the space. In this case, the floors included 3", 4", 5", and 6" white ash hardwood and had to be matched perfectly.  

In case you aren't familiar with many wood species beyond say, oak, add Ash to your list because here are some interesting characteristics about the product. White ash is a domestic product and is currently available in plentiful supply. This makes ash hardwood an affordable wood flooring product option. Don't worry about durability with ash either because it falls right between red and white oak on a Janka Hardness Chart (more on this in a later post!). 

Another benefit to white ash is that it responds well to finishes (and stains too). As you can see, the wood offers a lot of character in its grains.  

In these photos, the floor looks shiny because the final coat of finish had just been applied. It appears that we applied a finish without stain, but actually used a natural Minwax stain. 

It was an excellent choice in this case, letting the wood's natural colors and character shine through while still having a slight stain to make the grains more noticeable.  

 

Here are some really good resources for more information on Ash and other wood species: http://woodfloors.org/ash-white-species.aspx, http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/white-ash/

You can learn more about Bona products here: http://www.bona.com/en-US/

You can learn more about Minwax products here: http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/

Prefinished Oak Install with Custom-Stained Stair Treads to Match- Nashua, NH

The home owner wanted new prefinished wood flooring installed in a hallway and a room on their second floor. They had carpet, which we removed along with the padding and tack strips. 

To prepare the surface, the subfloor was screwed down in a few spots to remove some minor squeaks.
 
In addition, the home owner wanted new stair treads installed that matched the new flooring. So we installed a rich “mink” finish Armstrong Ascot prefinished red oak, then custom-stained new stairs treads to match, and then installed the treads. We also reinstalled the spindles and installed new poplar risers (which the home owner painted on their own). 

 

This project involved staining and finishing the stair treads off site. Having treads installed with the finish already applied makes for a more difficult install, but is a faster and cleaner alternative to a site finish. This way, the home owners were able to walk upstairs at night and not have to workaround the sand/stain/finish process in their home. 
 
The process of matching the color of the stair treads with the prefinished flooring was not easy. First we tried Minwax stains, but after many mixed cans and too many attempts, I decided to use a different stain. We ended up with a combination of Saman stains perfectly mixed to match the prefinished floor. Then we sealed the treads with Bona Drifast Sealer and finished with Bona Woodline Oil-based semi-gloss Polyurethane. 

Here’s a great picture the customer posted in an online review they submitted:

Quote from home owner: "Landing and top of stairs...Note that Dustin was able to perfectly match the color of the stairs to the prefinished flooring."

 
The home owner was ecstatic with the outcome, and so was I. Here are a few quotes from an online review they wrote:

"Dustin was great in explaining all of the pros and cons and we decided on a pre-finished flooring. Now, stairs are much more difficult than typical flooring and Dustin went to great lengths to make sure we understood all aspects of what was going to be done.  Originally, we were going to have the flooring installed by a competitor (you can search my profile to find the other review).  They had mentioned they would do it all in one day.  After speaking with Dustin, it was clear that was not only not possible but would have been a disaster."

Craft room installed (photo from home owner)

"We were quoted a 5 day install and that is exactly what it took.  Dustin's team did a fantastic job and Dustin himself spent a huge amount of time to make sure that the stair treads and risers were properly installed. This is a key aspect that you won't find in budget contractors.  The attention to detail was far beyond what we expected (in a very positive way).  By working with Dustin ahead of time we were assured that we understood what was being done and how long each step should take."

"We did not have the risers pre-finished so I completed that after the stairs were done.  Dustin spent a great amount of time making sure the cuts and alignment of each step was perfect.  Although this took extra time, the end result was spectacular.  The stairs are perfectly aligned and show no movement after two months of use.  There is no shifting or noise and the stairs look great. Overall I would highly recommend this company and look forward to using them for future projects."

Risers painted (photo from home owner)

 
What a great project, and well worth all the effort. Seeing the outcome is incredible and hearing such positive feedback from the home owner is even more rewarding. 


Read more about Armstrong's flooring products: http://www.armstrong.com/flooring/products

Read more about Minwax products: http://www.minwax.com/

Read more about Saman products: http://www.samanwoodstain.com/

Read more about Bona's products: http://www.bona.com/en-US/http://www.bona.com/en-US/

Prefinished Birch Wood Flooring Install- Chester, NH

This project involved a kitchen remodel that had a plywood subfloor in the kitchen. The client had prefinished oak in their foyer and dining room, but wanted something unique in their newly remodeled kitchen. 

They chose a 5" Birch Run 3/4"solid wood, color; black. This prefinished product comes in 6 colors, all with gorgeous character. 

Homerwood’s Birch Run products offer a distinct character grade that can instantly affect the look of a room and usually become the focal point. This project came out great, and I am really pleased with the result. The new cabinets were in place and we fit the flooring tight, making perfect cuts without the need of any additional moldings. Baseboard was installed around the rest of the room after the flooring was in place. 

We glued the 5" Birch with Bona R850T adhesive and stapled with Bostitch flooring staples. Important tip: Not all adhesives are created equal! Check out the benefits to using higher quality glue during installation (from the product website): 

Bona R850T is a one-component, moisture curing, water and solvent free, silane-based adhesive for wood floors. Bona R850T provides outstanding adhesion to a variety of surfaces,and allows for the natural movement of wood flooring. 

• Ideal product and application method for wide plank glue assist installations.
• Perfect alternative to face nailing close-out rows, board replacements and trim applications.
• Excellent initial “green grab” means the flooring and molding stay in place. Rapid shear strength development – Flooring is ready for furniture and foot traffic in one day.
• Easy to clean – Will not harm finish on pre-finished floors; will not stain hands.
• Easy to apply – Clean, no waste, ergonomical design GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified®. Very low VOCs – Meets the criteria for LEED EQc 4.1 (v.2.1, 2.2, 3.0)

Everwood uses the best products available to install each and every project.












For more information on Bona R850T, visit:http://www.bona.com/en-US/United-States1/BonaSystem/Adhesives/Bona-R850T/

You can learn more about Homewood’s Birch Run collection here: http://homerwood.com/products/collections.asp?CID=6


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