I like the look of a dished out floor. Is it always considered some sort of defect? I install plenty of pre-finished stuff that is dished out. I think it adds to the look.

I am assuming there is a universal understanding of the term "dish out".


Whatsay?

Personal opinion ... don't like it. Prefer a flat look. However, I try not to impose my opinions on my customers. If they have seen that effect and like it the way you described, I screen the daylights out of the floor after sanding and before finish and that usually does the trick. When we distress a floor I 'over' screen it as well and start with 100 gt and screen again w/ 150 to ease screen marks to give the floor a realy worn look like this scraped walnut with inlay we did last summerhttp://www.excellenceinlays.com/images/welcome2_inlay.jpg

What say I?? If the customer likes it ... I like it. (But privately not too fond of it)

Good topic!

Chuck, by dishout or dishing, do you mean how the softer wood or grain sands easier (therefore causing a dish) than the surrounding wood/floor? This is my understanding of the term. It is commonly encountered on open grained woods of varying density and hardness ( Oak, Ash, some pines, etc.) Also on mixed media floors and floors of parquet and varying different woods. The idea is that some medias (woods and ?) are different degrees of hardness and will sand more or less depending on that hardness. The summerwood in red oak always sands easier than the springwood, causing dishout. Personally, I don't care for it. When I sand a wood of uniform density and hardness ( B. Cherry or Bamboo for example), I can achieve almost perfection. It is so flat and uniform without the undulations from dishout. The cure for dishing on oak is sanding at an angle except for final pass and hardplating. I am glad most folks don't seem to notice as it is quite common on oak sand in place.