nick,

I live in Dallas, pretty long commute for a board replacement, thanks for the offer though.

As far as your suggestion about miniwax, is that for the small gap? I am having a hard time contacting Regal to try to get a "brandywine color marker", I am guessing some other color would work, so I'll test some this weekend. Walnut is ok for grooves, but I have a small scrape I want to color in with a closer matched marker.

Hickory does have some different color tones to it, jut seemed like walnut was slightly too dark.

JB

Ok, another total mistake on my part that I have to find a way out of. I left space in the gap for a t-mold, and I didn't have the t-molding when I laid the floor, i.e. separates living room from kitchen tile. I called the installers that work at the place where I got my wood from and they said leave no more than 1/2 inch gap for the t-mold. Well they should have said leave a little more than 1/2 inch since that is the smallest t-mold base I can get from the wood company.

Here are my thoughts as to overcome this.
1.) try to reduce the 1/2 inch base on the t-mold from the manufacturer of the wood (I like this option)
2.) try to shave off some of the wood already glued to concrete to allow the 1/2 t-mold to fit (#2 option)
3.) try to find 1/4 inch plain wood t-mold and stain it with the same stain as the wood (this seems like best option, but not sure about obtaining 1/4 inch t-mold)

Any opinions on fixing this part, this is the last think that really needs to be resolved.

JB

Well, the purpose of a gap in the floor, covered by a t-mould is for expansion purposes. So, a 1/2 inch gap with a 1/2 inch t-mould seems self defeating.
I would cut the gap wider, thus leaving enough of the stem of the t-mould to remain strong enough to withstand daily traffic.

Thanks for the advice Dennis, Is the best way to cut the glued down wood wider using a circular saw? I was rethinking it as well and that seems the logical way to fix this, cut the glued down wood enough to allow the t-mold to fit and also leave a little bit of room for expansion if needed. So if it is 1/2 inch t-mold, would 1 inch gap be sufficient if I cutoff the glued wood to about 1 inch gap using circular saw? I think I have learned enough lessons in my first install to remember the hardships for life, although I am an engineer, so it's honestly fun to envision how to fix things.

JB

Try a hobby shop , they sometimes have the ink pens . Lowes or HD also carry them .
Put some blue tape on your saw so as not to scratch the finish.
And tape the cut so you don't chip it .

Nick,

I called the manufacturer of the wood, I can get the actual stain they used and touch up with that. I will also check for a couple pens too at depot to see if they have something closer than walnut. I have some scrap pieces I can mess around with to verify the colors are good.

My brother says he can use a dremel to cut the wood that is glued with, is that a good idea, or better to use something like a circular saw. I am worried that I need to be careful to not mess up the concrete during this process, as well as not mess up the wood that the t-mold won't cover.

I should be ok though, just want to do this right.

JB

1st thing is once you touch the wood , You are going to relieve the mason of any responsibility.
use what you feel most comfortable with . I prefer my little 4 1/2 " worm drive . i can set it to the depth of the wood and get a straighter cut , and use the dremel for the ends .

Nick,

I have an idea of how to cut the wood on the floor, thx for the tips, I posted a link to a few pics of the rooms I did. Definitely not the greatest pics, but gives an idea of the overall look.

http://s405.photobucket.com/albums/pp139/BrewsterJason/

Nice looking floor Brewman .

thanks, appreciate it.

JB

Harbor Freight Tools, has a MultiMaster knock off for about $60. They were on sale at Christmas time for $40

I have the Dremel one from lowes for $100.00 the blades are only $5.00
I saw the one at HF was $39.00 Not a bad choice if you don't use it for a living .

I bought one of their angle grinders about 8 years ago, just to see if it was worth the disposable price. I may not use it on every job, but I have yet to kill it. Best $9 I ever spent on a tool. Even I don't believe it has lasted as long as it has, with what I put it through. I here pros buy just to try out the hardwood nailer/stapler for kicks and then rave about it and they have not been able to kill it after constant daily use. I do believe it depends what your buying.

I was thinking of getting the nailer as a back up . Thats good to know .
I just went a bought a bunch of blades on sale for $5.00 a blade . can' beat that .

Nick,

Need some advice on touch up work.

I notice a couple scratches on the floor, not deep scratches, but maybe just the sealant layer, i.e. I can see them though. And also need to fill some minor gaps between wood in a few small places.

I have ordered a quart of the actual stain they used on my floor, will get it probably this week. Not sure if this can be used or how to touch up minor scratches without making them noticeable? Would I just find a marker size tip and apply the stain directly, or would I have to somehow apply sealant as well? I'm hoping you have some ideas a I can only envision getting more scratches as time goes on, and knowing how to properly mask them would be very helpful.

As always, thanks for your advice.

JB