by Todd Schutte, BonaKemi Director of Training

Originally printed in Bona’s Finish Line, Wood Floor Contractor Newsletter, Spring and Fall of 2004.

Avoiding these common mistakes will make your life much easier

10. Trying to final sand or apply finish at night.

When the natural sunlight coming into the room disappears, it becomes very difficult–if not impossible–to see sander, edger, and applicator marks, even if the room is full of artificial light. However, these marks are always easy to see the next day when the sun is back up. If it’s necessary to work under these conditions, set up some floor level halogen lights. This bright, low-angle light source will help you “see” your floor better.

9. Not mixing products correctly or thoroughly enough.

Some products should be stirred, some shaken, and some shaken vigorously, while others need to be continually stirred when in use. Products that are not mixed properly may not flow, level, and defoam as expected, may have different or streaky sheen levels, or may fail completely within your system. See mistake #8 on following the mixing directions, and take the time to do it right the first time.

8. Not following directions and/or product specifications.

Examples include: applying finish at 800 ft. gallon when the label says 500 ft. gallon; double and triple staining floors; mixing stains, sealers and finishes that are not listed together on the label; adding “extras” to your products. All these miscues are usually attempted in order to get out of a situation, but inevitably get you in deeper when they fail. Know your products and the details for using them. Call the manufacturers and attend their training classes, if offered, to become an expert on the products you use.

7. Approaching every job from the same angle.

Each job has many variables and individual floor situations can vary widely. The market is changing with more and more exotic species, different subfloor systems, different climate zones, radiant heat, and more new construction with lots of windows and can lights. Additionally, different flooring materials add to the complexity: solid, engineered, floating, nail-down, glue-down, floating, or click together wood. If you approach every job the same in regard to sanding procedures, stain or sealer methods, and finish application, it won’t be long before you run into a floor that is not compatible with your way of doing things. Learn as much as you can about the different variables (attend NWFA, NOFMA, and manufacturer training), and how they might affect your approach. Then generate your game plan for each individual floor, adjusting methods as needed.

6. Leaving too many “hard” marks on the floor.

Whether they were caused by the sander, edger, scraper, or from your stain, sealer, or finish applications, hard cross-grain marks are the ones that always come back to haunt you on the job. Most of the time these will require a time-consuming spot repair or a complete resand to really appease the customer. Learn how to “feather” with every machine and applicator tool that comes in contact with the floor; not only will you leave less marks, but the ones that you do will be easier to remove.

5. Not using a Dust Containment System.

The dust caused by sanding hardwood floors is not only a problem when you are trying to put on a clean coat of finish, but is also recognized as a known carcinogen – usually causing sensitization, chronic respiratory issues, allergic reactions and cancer of the sinus cavities. Even the best masking job with plastic takes a lot of cleaning up before you can apply a good coat of finish. Control and eliminate the dust before it becomes airborne by utilizing a good Dust Containment System. This is by far the best path to a cleaner jobsite. On top of that, it is one thing that can differentiate your business from the competition and allow you to charge more money. Homeowners don’t want to deal with the dust either, and don’t have to with today’s technology.

4. Neglecting to measure and track inside environmental conditions.

Your “inside” working conditions, most notably the relative humidity level and the temperature of the floor, the room, and the finish products can all greatly affect how the products apply, dry, cure, and ultimately perform. Read the product labels for ideal conditions and try to adjust these through the HVAC system to as close to ideal as possible. Don’t mess with the chemical and application make-up of your liquid products by adding something to them in an attempt to make them stay open longer or dry faster. Instead, adjust the temperature, humidity, and air flow levels for an easier and much more effective way of controlling your finishing process.

3. Taking shortcuts on the sanding procedures.

The best finishing job will never cover a sloppy sanding job. Cutting corners (skipping too many grits in your sequence, not screening to the proper grit, etc.) during the sanding process often leads to rough, streaky floors with poor depth and poor performance. One coat of finish is approximately the thickness of a single sheet of copy paper. In order to provide optimal protection, the finish film needs to be sitting “up” on the floor and not nestled down in a poorly sanded floor. Follow the NWFA/NOFMA floor sanding guidelines for more consistent application results, less call backs, and more referrals.

2. Not making air flow adjustments.

Air flow – when to turn it up, adjust, or turn it off – is one of the most underutilized variables in the floor staining, sealing, and finishing process. Too much and finishes tend to dry too quickly, locking in bubbles, foam, and leaving the finish streaky. Too little or none at all and your stain or finish may not be dry the next day, nor the next, nor the next. Even worse, it may not be dry down in the seams and soft grain, causing failure 4-6 months down the road. General rule is zero air flow during application, then add some additional ground level airflow after the finish has leveled and tacked off to assist in the drying and curing process. Added ground level airflow is critical for consistent drying of stains, especially in cool, humid conditions

And the #1 mistake…not using a “system”.

Unless you have a finish lab in your garage, don’t assume that just because the floor didn’t peel when you used one guy’s stain, another guy’s sealer, some other guy’s finish, and your customer uses an off-the-shelf maintenance product, that there is not a huge potential problem. Manufacturers test their product systems for compatibility and to achieve the ultimate in protection within that system. Your system may not peel, but the finish may never dry or cure as hard as it should; it may scuff, scratch and stain easier; and may eventually fail (peel, chip, etc.) in the long run. Whether it is Bona’s system or one of our competitors, stick with one manufacturer’s system all the way through to assure yourself and your customers that you are providing them with the best possible finishing system. Also, if you do have a problem, by using one manufacturer’s system it makes it much easier for us to help you troubleshoot your job, recommend a resolution, and suggest steps on how to prevent it from happening again.

If you think one of these Top 10’s may be hampering your best efforts and would like to discuss them in more detail, please feel free to contact Bona’s technical services department at 800-872-5515. Keep working hard to achieve professional results, and remember that mistakes are usually not fatal unless you keep repeating them.