Hey Everyone,
Why not post pics of what you're currently working on, done or not. Or just describe current project! Problems you're coming across, issues you're facing, successes too! I'll start but I haven't taken photos yet; I will later today. Current project: Refinishing a multilevel residence that another contractor had just done! Turns out that another contractor did such a poor sanding job that the homeowner didn't want to live with it and didn't trust the original contractor to redo it. That's where I come in, So I get to sand out all the gouges and drop marks. In the field it's been ok but aroung the perimeter it's been hell. Looks like he used a lawnmower to edge with. Steps were too far gone and had to be replaced. It's costing the homeowner big time. Sure do wish I had your dust extraction set-up Pig-Pen! Speaking of that, on Floormasters International message board (www.floormasters.com), there was talk about a Grizzly dust extraction machine. It isn't a floor specific dust extraction setup but because it moves 2300 cfm, is 3 hp 220 electric and uses 4" tubing, the fellow says it's fantastic. Set up cost him $750.00. I'll post pics of the job when I get them taken. Happy installing!

Gary:

I know most of the guys have digital cameras--could be too busy this time of the year to actually think about it and take pictures. We'll see what happens.

After I get this bowhunting bug off my back, I will be starting a 600 sq.ft. gluedown for a client that insisted on purchasing a LL, bamboo(we'll see!)

Thursday is the start date for the floor prep.

I'll have some pictures, unless I have another camera malfunction.

I finished hand scraping that 2000 feet of hickory a few weeks ago and am almost finished installing 3200 feet of Shaw Master's Mark American Cherry. It's a floating floor throughout the whole house. I hate reinstalling toilets. Got three of them. Next up is a 1500 foot sand job that the contractor laid. 3/4 x 2 1/4 red oak. At least it's going natural.
Danny

Danny, I'm in CA. also. Where is Chester? Sounds like your doing pretty good but I know what you mean by reinstalling toilets. I always worry that the old valves will leak a few days after I'm done with the job. And I never cared for sanding someone else's installs but sometimes, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I like going natural myself; avoid the staining mess. Which floor finish do you prefer to use?

Danny, Tell us about the sanding(if any) and finishing of the hand scraped floor. I also wonder if recoating this floor in the future would be a problem. I guess it would depend on how deep you scrape.

Buddy

Gary,
Chester is on the slope of Mount Lassen, about 65 miles east of Red Bluff and 120 miles west of Reno. It's on the shore of Lake Almanor. We just moved up from Mountain View. Glad to be out of the madhouse. I usually use Bona Woodline. Up here 95% of the floors go natural so I use Duraseal quick Dry sealer then 2 coats of woodline.
Buddy,
On the handscraped hickory, it was a deep scrape and I used 3 coats of Tung Oil. Great stuff to work with but expensive. Can be recoated as much as you want. Will be recoating every winter after all the company leaves for the winter. Can never sand this floor flat, as the scraping went down too deep in a lot of places. Basically I scraped all the brown grain and left the white sap wood so that the floor looks 100 years old. There is a mill in town and the owner wanted the floor to look like the mill's.
Danny

So here is something I haven't seen before. On the floors I'm refinishing, I'm using waterborne finishes. After applying the first coat, I close up and leave. Next day, there are small puddles of water below two skylights and I think they're leaking BUT; it didn't rain. I finally realized what happened!
I didn't leave any windows open or turn the HVAC fan on to ventilate the house so as the finish dried, it put water vapor into the air. The vapor collected on the skylights and at night the skylights got cold and the vapor condensed; similar to what can happen on toilets or single pane windows.
So, before applying the second coat, I opened some windows and turned the HVAC fan on. We'll see today if that helped.