dustless Hardwood Refinishing

[ACE]

this may not be the right place to post this. I tryed to become a SM, but I guess it takes time. I am going to try the dustless hardwood system. I have been refinishing hardwood using the Traditanal sanding and oil based polyurethane with good success. The dustless systems offered by Interlink and JonDon seem like an attractive alternative. I would like to know if anyone has any experance with this and what brand of finish last the longest. Interlink described it as an maintenance program that needs to be done every year but I have found other water based finishes with a catalyst that last longer. Please advise

Mike

 

[J Scott W]

These systems can certainly make a floor look great if the finish is not damaged. But they are designed to renew the existing finish. They are not as durable as the results from sand and refinish. The Bridgepoint product (available at Interlink Supply) is a water based urethane. The solids content is lower than most sand and finish products. One reason for this is that it is easier for those who are not experienced wood floor people to get excelent reults.

How long will it last? Certainly it could last longer than a year. That depends on the traffic level and how well it is maintained. If the floor gets abuse and not regularly cleaned, one year is about right. Use a dust mop and the Bridgepoint wood cleaner regularly and it will last longer. On our wood at home, we got three years, but I cleaned the wood every couple of months.

Scott Warrington
Technical Support
Bridgepoint Systems / Interlink Supply

 

[steve frasier]

you should look at some gym floor type stuff, the biggest problem you will have there is gloss but most floor finish companies carry this type of product
betco
johnson & johnson
pioneer

there is also some refresher type products out here that are sold at stores that carry wood floor sand/screen/finsh products made by boni-kem

 

[alazo1]

you should look at some gym floor type stuff

Does it last longer then the other stuff?.

On another note, for those that just do dustless, what kind of complaints have you gotten from custys after the job is done?. Does the filler and crayon kits that come with it really work or are they just Mickey Mouse stuff?.

Albert

 

[ACE]

I called and talked to some of the manufactures of water based urethanes today. There are some that have up to 28% solids. When used with a catalyst they could be used on a gym floor. They said you can run into issues with the finishes not adhering well because of reside from oil or wax of because the old finish is not ploy based. I have a fear that a day or two after the job I’ll get a call about the finish peeling, in which case I’ll have to sand the whole thing down for free. I think I’ll play around on the wood at my house and tell the customer that we need to test to make sure the finish will adhere. They have a ½ bath not more then 20 Sq. Ft. I need to find a class on this soon. Unfortunately, I learn best from my mistakes and I have a lot to learn about hardwood.

 

[alazo1]

I found this forum the other day. Seems to be fairly active.

www.floormasters.com/community

Albert

 

[J Scott W]

you can run into issues with the finishes not adhering well because of reside from oil or wax of because the old finish is not ploy based. I have a fear that a day or two after the job I’ll get a call about the finish peeling, in which case I’ll have to sand the whole thing down for free.

Your information is correct that the finishes will not adhere to "wax". But true wax is not very common on wood floors. Wax is applied as a paste wax with steel wool. Used to be common 40 or 50 years ago, but I have not seen one floor with true wax for several years.

You can learn a quick test to determine if there is wax on the floor. Just scrape the finish with your finger nail. Wax will roll up in a little ball. A polymner finish will either flake off as a thin film or not come off at all.

The cleaning prior to applying the Bridgepoint finish removes any oil. It also scuffs up the finish a bit to assure that the new finish has some grab.

Scott Warrington

 

[steve frasier]

if the gym fllor product is dustless then there is some type of manufactuer recommended process involved to get the product to adhere

it is generally used in the cleaning process, with etching or pad scaring the most common, to remove the wax

I have put catalist water based urethanes over oil based many times but yes, I would hate to have to screen one down because of peeling. If peeling occurs I have found that is it usually due to the oil based just getting to old over time. I believe one thing you have to look out for is oil based is more flexable then the water based.

With Scott's process the secret is in the maroon pad used when cleaning the floor. I have used his system and have had no problems in a couple of rentals. I am postive that I put it down over oil based. Not sure how long it lasts but upkeep by the occupiant would be key. No peeling

 

[Scott S.]

i refinish alot of floors, and i must say that typically the floors that i run into need sanded down and refinished. i used to use oil based polyurethane, but i now use waterbased poly because its lover voc and a coat will dry in an hour. i typically do not use the waterbased poly on commercial. most have very thick layers of poly that just needs scuffed and a new coat applied.

i perfer waterbased over oil because of the conveniance, i can put 2 coats of water based down in a day, compared to oil based products that are 1 coat a week.

i think that on unstained hardwood floors that the oil based poly makes the wood look richer, but water based poly is more enviromentally safe and healthier for the technician.

 

[dallasdj]

I went through the vividfinish training. Check it out @ VividFinish.com

 

[J Scott W]

I still have a few copies of the DVD training from Bridgepoint. Get me your mailing address if you want a copy.

Scott Warrington