You responded 2 one of my questions I have a little more info on my floor's. The floor now measures 3 1/16 of an inch and is 2 inches wide can this or should it be sanded.






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My water heater busted and now my floor is buckled up in dinning room. Had an insurance man come out and look at it and they are only going to try to replace the part that is damaged. Will they be able to match this up the floor is the org floors house was built in the 60's I think. The floor is not tough and grove. He said its your standard top nail hardwood floor what's that. I dont think the floors can be sanded we have sanded them once before don't know if anyone else has sanded them before. But he said they could replace what is damaged and buff out the rest to match it up!

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Gary
Most Valuable Contributor




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Your floors are most likely a 5/16" top-nailed floor that was common in some parts of the country. Depending on many various factors, they MAY be able to patch wood back in and sand and finish them to blend back in. It's possible but not always easy as floors and finishes age over time and do change color. A good floorman should be able to look at them and tell if he'll be able to repair them to your satisfaction. Do not agree to "sign off" on your claim until the repairs have been completed to your satisfaction. Do not endorse a check from the insurance company IF it says that by doing so, you accept that payment as payment in full for your claim.

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mkl315
New User

Do you mean the thickness is now 3/16"? If so, that means 1/8" has been removed since the flooring was originally installed, if it is a 5/16" faced nailed floor. Can you post some photos?

yes the floors now measure 3 1/16 inch thick.

I took photo's but can't figure out how to post them. On this site.

Sorry I am saying that wrong 3/16 of an inch.

So if 1/8 has been removed that means it has prob. been sanded 2 times right?

Probably sanded more than twice. Unless the floor has been badly abused, you would never sand a 1/16th of an inch off it for refinishing purposes. Although that sounds like not very much, it is far more than a professional sander would take off during a refinishing process.
BTW, although my name's not Gary, thought I throw in my 2 cents worth anyway.

Thanks for your 2 cents. I am just trying 2 figure out if my insurance co. is trying to pull a fast one on me. I do not want to let them sand my hard wood floors if they are not thick enough to do so.

Thanks for your 2 cents. Everybody's is welcome.

Well, the type of flooring you have is not too familiar to me, although I do know of it.
Consider that the top nails are now at or near the surface, and will need to be reset to ensure they are not exposed after the sanding. This will put the head of the nails dangerously close to the bottom of the boards.
I for one, would be hesitant to guarantee my work on this floor. If some of the nails break loose from the board, nothing will be holding the floor flat in those locations.
Just everyday travel on the floor could cause problems IMO.
I believe that Gary or Ken or one of the other experts on here may be able to advise you much better than I, on whether you will be satisfied with the end result.
Good luck, and I would not sign off to the insurance company until completely satisfied that the floor will perform as it should.

I took pic's last night to try to get on here but site does not let you upload. But what I can tell is that the nails r very close to the top.

There is no way to absolutely know without getting into it, if the floors can be sanded another time. It would depend on the condition they are in now and how much sanding is required. Dennis is correct that most likely, a lot of hand setting of nail heads will be needed. And if set too deeply, they will not hold the floor board down well. Sometimes, it is possible to punch the nail head through the bottom of the board and not realize it. Another problem will be sanding the new boards down to match up to the old floor boards. It can be done. It just needs to be done correctly. A regular 5/16" floor that has been properly installed, can be professionally sanded three times without issue UNLESS it was badly warped and extra sanding was required. Or, an amateur got on it and sanded it too much. Or, it was badly installed at the beginning, requiring extra sanding in the first place. Every floor needs to be thoroughly inspected to see if it is a candidate for a repair and refinish. Your's maybe or it may not be. It is hard to judge from here.

I hope this worked heres the photo's and thanks again for all the help.

edited by admin to show images[/img]

Well, those didn't show up. I did get your photos in my e-mail. Unfortunately, they are too blurry and close to be of any help. Can you send a photo of the floor in better focus and further away. And some the show the cupping and water damage?

the water damage is kind of hard to get a photo of because it is a board that is buckled up the rest of the damage is wear a water meter was used on the floor.

thanks for the edit to show pic's admin!!!!!!!

Thanks for everything Gary but I don't think I can get any better pic's than that they are from my cell phone and my other camera is not working right now. One more question for you is there a form or a rule list maybe about hard wood floor's that says how thin is to thin for a 3/8 inch floor. Something that I can produce to my insurance co. that say's look they say that it is not recommended to sand floors this thin.