Older homes and some new have a squeak here and there. Here is a trick for quieting those squeaky hardwood floors.
This is a two-person job: You need wood adhesives such as PL200 or similar for your caulking gun. (these also come in small tubes incase you dont have a caulking gun) Small shim shingles (wooden house shingles) a hammer and a flashlight. One person will stand on the squeak and slowly step up and down on it while the second person is in the basement with the flashlight aimed at the squeaky section. As you look at the squeaky section you will see the subfloor moving up and down. Simply add some adhesive on the end of the shingle (give it a good shot of adhesive!) and tap it lightly between the subfloor and floor joist! Repeat this procedure to all squeaky areas. This is a tried and true method I’ve used many times!
Removing Pet Stains
Pets stains can be a real problem. Hopefully, the stain is found early and cleaned with a vinegar and water solution and a mild “wood floor approved “stain remover. Always try a small out of the way spot if possible to test. The worst pet stains we see are under carpets that have been down for many years. When the carpet is removed for floor refinishing the stains are found.
In this case, we sand the section to determine the depth of the stain. Pet urine is very acidic and can penetrate into the wood fibers. If the stain can be sanded out we will sand it and feather the edges. If the stain is too deep to the sand we can remove the section and weave new flooring of the same quality and style into it. We have perfected this technique and you are unable to see the difference when completed.
Wax + Polyurethane equals Bad News
New polyurethane finishes and wax do not mix!
I have come across floors in the past that have been coated with polyurethane without checking whether the floors had been waxed previously. The result was amazing. On the worst-case floor, I saw the new finish actually peeled right off the floor like a plastic wrap! The floor had to be re-sanded and finished and all previous work for not being done properly. The end result is usually not that bad but always will result in a very poor finished product. A floor must always be checked before refinishing so the proper steps can be taken to remove any wax that may be present. This is something I always look for at my first meeting with our customers to establish the project requirements.