Dear Hardwood Flooring folks:
I had my maple wood floors refinished in July/August of 2008. They were completely sanded, puttied between all floorboards where there were gaps (nearly all) and 3 coats of poly were put down. Initially I noticed some caulking/putty was missing after first layer was put down and contractor said the sanding in between putting down new layers vibrates it out. Should that happen? And, if not, how do you avoid it?
Now I am seeing that there are lots of gaps with no putty/caulk and the poly layers have cracked leaving open gaps. The contractor is coming back but said he will just reputty since the problem is caused by natural expansion and contraction of floor. Is that sufficient or does a new layer of poly need to be added over the re-puttying?
He is coming Saturday so, sorry for short notice but if you could answer by then, I would be most appreciative.
Thanks,
Lynn

He sounds like he knows what he is talking about.


Wood shrinks and swells. The only way to avoid it, is to keep the humidity exactly the same, and never changing.

Maple is a mover, meaning it shrinks and swells more than other domestic wood species.

As long as your contractor is using a filler that is designed for prefinished flooring, there is no need to add another coat of finish. However, if he is using a trowel filler designed for use during the sanding process, you will need another coat, since that filler will dry very flat looking.