“The entire team did a great job in keeping the dirt and dust down as much as possible and they went out of their way to make sure that the work area was safe for our two small children.”
Angela A., Lutz>

Scheduling

The floor is usually the last item to be addressed in a construction project, so the schedule is often already seriously stretched. But we ask you to give us, the flooring contractor, the time we need to complete the job without interference from other trades.

We know that our work in your home can be disruptive and inconvenient. To minimize your discomfort, we schedule work so that it can be completed as quickly as possible. Our crews will be at your house daily and will work steadily until your job is completed, before going to the next job. Sometimes they will be able to do only one step in a day, such as applying a coat of stain. They will then leave to allow the stain to dry, and return the next day to perform the next step, before leaving again. Otherwise, you will be able to count on their being on your job until it is complete.

Jobsite Preparation

The building should be completely closed in, with outside windows and doors in place and ALL wet trades (drywall, paint, ceramic tile, etc.) should have completed their work.

The air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems should be operating so that the temperature and relative humidity are at "normal living conditions"- that is between 60 & 80 degrees (F) and between 30-50 percent humidity- for a LEAST 6 days prior to the wood flooring being delivered. The wood flooring materials should then acclimate to conditions at the jobsite for 3 to 5 days. An especially important step here in Tampa Bay, we will test the moisture in your home and the moisture of the wood before we commence installation.

For Your Safety

Keep your pets away from work area at all times. They could be frightened by the noise or injured by the equipment. We have had to sand paw prints out of a new finish, causing distress for everyone, including the pet who didn’t like having sticky feet.

If you have children, please keep them out of areas with tools and where we are working. At the end of the day, we will unplug all equipment and store saws with the blades in a locked position. However, a locked blade is still very sharp, and could cut small, curious folk.

Installation

The length of time that it takes to install a floor will depend on the size of the area to be installed, the layout of the space, and the complexity of the pattern. Our men will be using power saws to cut your wood and the saws make a great deal of noise and the cutting generates sawdust. If the floor is being nailed, the compressor that runs the nailer is very loud and will be running almost constantly for the duration of the installation.

Finishing

If your floors are being sanded, finished or refinished, be prepared for some noise and disruption. We offer a HEPA-filtered dust containment system as an option. Its use can minimize debris, but no system is 100% effective, so cover or remove any items that you want to keep dust-free. Our customers who have chosen the HEPA option are pleasantly surprised at its efficiency.

We will mask the areas where we are working, some dust will escape, so you’ll want to cover some things in rooms that are nearby. We clean at the end of the job, but expect that you will need to do some additional cleaning.

Because fumes will be present during finishing, pilot lights must be turned off. When the finish is applied, there will be finish fumes in your home for several days.

No one should enter or open any doors or windows for at least 12 hours after the final coat is applied. The next morning is usually the best time to enter (no shoes for 2 days) and open doors and windows to air out any remaining fumes.

We recommend waiting at least 2 days to place furniture on the floor. The time required will vary depending on the type of finish used and weather conditions. Dennis will let you know when you can expect to be able to walk on the floors and when it will be safe to move your furniture into the room.

We highly recommend felt glides for the bottom of all furniture to avoid scratching the floor. Place scatter rugs at all entrances, avoiding those with rubber backs, which can discolor your floor. Rugs should not be placed on the floor for 30 days, if possible. Avoid walking on your floors with cleats or high heels in disrepair.

Standards

Your floor is a product of nature, so no two floor boards will be identical. Variations in appearance are completely expected and make your floor unique.

Though your floor will be beautiful, it will not have a tabletop finish because your house is not a sealed environment. After we sand your floor, we vacuum it thoroughly and wipe it with damp rags, but the finish will have some small particles in it that you may be able to see when the sun is streaming onto a section of floor.

As pointed out in the National Oak Flooring Manufacturers’ Association finishing guidelines: “Sander marks can be an indication of inadequate finishing, but the finish can be acceptable and still include this and other problems provided they do not appear over the entire floor.” Wood flooring inspectors state that surface irregularities should be evaluated from a standing position in normal lighting.

Our craftsmen are trained and expected to deliver the most floors beautiful possible, and our state-of-the-art equipment is designed to assist them. We have seen many wood floors in Tampa Bay and can state with no hesitation that ours are the most carefully and beautifully done, and our customers have the widest smiles.

As Time Goes By

A wood floor can indeed dent, scratch and even change color over time. Dogs’ toenails can scratch the finish of a floor, dulling it, and a large enough dog can even dent a floor.

As your floor ages, some color change can occur, especially with our brutal Tampa Bay sun. This can be minimized by limiting exposure to direct sunlight by using window coverings, and periodically moving furniture and rugs. Some type of clear or tinted window film will help dramatically in cutting down UV exposure. Areas of wood floors exposed to intense light and UV are much more subject to color change than those not being hit by the sun. This color change can include, turning darker or more yellow, and sometimes the wood can even become bleached.

Cracks and Separations Between Boards

Here In Tampa Bay, we experience great variations in humidity through the seasons to which wood flooring, in fact all wood, responds by expanding and contracting and 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 wood. It is important to install humidity controls and ensure that they are functioning before the flooring is installed.

In winter, when homes are heated and the air is dry, wood flooring loses some of its moisture and therefore shrinks producing some separation between boards. These separations, or cracks, may easily develop to the thickness of a dime (1/32 inch) for solid 2 1/4-inch wide strip oak floors. Floors with light stained woods and naturally light woods like maple tend to show cracks more than darker floors.
Cracks that are filled may experience some loss of filling material during this expansion and contraction. This is most likely to occur in older, solid wood flooring and less likely in engineered products.

In our air conditioned homes here in Tampa Bay, the humidity can be quite low. A good solution is to add a humidification control to your HVAC system to keep the moisture level in your home even throughout the year.  This is more important if you have solid wood floors than if you have engineered, but this control system will also help keep your wood furniture and cabinetry in good condition.

A Long and Beautiful Life

You will be able to keep your wood floors looking their best by properly maintaining them. Of course we are always happy to answer your questions about how to keep your floors looking their best for a long, long time.

To find out more about our beautiful floors, call us at 813.232.3985 or click here.