Hi I have a uniquie situation in that I have ajoining rooms with a concrete ongrade subfloor in one and a plywood in the other. My contractor recommended using vinyl and Bostics Best glue then an enginnered wood in the concrete area.

I never heard of that but it seems an option.

My question is that I have narrowed down my wood choices to two engineered 5 in 1/2 thick planks. The difering specs are below.

Mannington
5 ply
Thin wear layer-cannot refinish
7 step poly/alum/oxide finish with scratch resitance
Hand scraped rustic look

and
Meridian Forest
Small company-made here in California
3 ply
4mm wear layer
uv acrylic Epoxy
Hand scraped as well

I am concerned that one has only 3 plies and the other 5.
I am worried as Meridian is a small company
I like the thicker wear layer though.
I have no clue as to which finish is better do u?

The handscraped floors I have seen will be very hard to refinish no matter how thick the wear layer because floor sanding machines are made to flatten a floor which means to refinish you will either have to do it completly by hand or take out the distressing by putting a machine on the floor then put it back by hand(ouch). On 3 ply vs 5 ply I havent heard a real strong argument on which is more stable, so I wouldn't loose to much sleep over that point. One thing I dont like about the thinner veneer products is that the core plys are usually a softer wood which can result in a floor that compresses readily, ie dents when you drop somthing with a corner on it.

I guess you can refinish in spots if any of the wear coating starts to wear through. But why sand an entire handscrapped floor? Kind of defeats the purpose and beauty of the floor where things that happen to a regular floor (which may result in sanding) only adds to the beauty of a handscrapped floor.

You have to abrade the entire floor for the new poly to bond too or else it will flake. I agree though I usually don’t “sand” a hand scraped floor rather do a screen and recoat. But even to do a screen and recoat you have to do it by hand. If you don’t you have to sand it flat to abrade all of the areas.

What I am getting at is a handscraped floor will have to be maintained at some point and there is now way you can put a machine on this floor and abrade the thing evenly for a urathane recoat. So buying a handscraped floor on the thickness of the wear layer has little to do with the possibility of a refinish. You will not be able to resand those things thick or thin. Now you can put a new coat of finish on either one because you shouldnt be able to easily burn through that veneer by hand and thats the only way I can see you pulling a refinish on these type floors.

Yeah I was agreeing with you Kevin, I was just pointing out to Steve6162 that “sand” is sometimes substituted for screen and recoat but that it still has to be done. The floor must be screened and as you said with a distressed it must be done on hands and knees a machine won’t do it.

With these new handscraped floors, you have to get with the program and use what has come to the market for such floors.

This is a system that works well for those floors that cannot be sanded.


http://www.basiccoatings.com/asp/contra ... tykote.asp

It still would be diffucult and risky, you have to get that ift on even and then get it all off, then do the same with the cleaner. then you would still be putting street shoe down with a brush I would let you have that one and move on to the next, just my opninon.

SO....with a handscrapped floor, how can you tell it needs to be screened.

I've seen these floors, some several years old and they don't appear to wear like a regular floor. In fact, you can't tell if its wear or just they way the floor is.

I've seen one 10 year old handscrpped floor screened. The owner (a neighbor) had it rescreen because "people" told him that floors should be redone at 7-10 years.

It was done by hand and cost him just as much as sanding.

I must admit and he agrees that the process was a waste of money. Nothing changed. Floor lots exactly the same.

But it is still the most beautiful and characteristic floor I've ever seen.

The reason to screen a distressed floor is not for the look but rather to protect the structural integrity of the floor. Once the poly has worn away the floor is bare and subject to moisture damage and rot (if that happens you have other problems too). If there are spots of missing or worn finish it is time to recoat. If you get an unfinished distressed you can do a Tung finish like Waterlox which is far easier to maintain than poly on a distressed as it does not need to be screened to recoat. The Tung finishes don’t protect the wood from scratching / denting as much which is no big deal on a distressed, but they do protect the wood from the elements.

what I have seen in handscraped floors is that the peaks of the valleys created by the handscraping process wear out first and because most of these floors are light colored woods with dark stains and they are fairly noticable. I would go with a tung oil on this type of floor if there is a choice this would eliminate the problem of adhesion concerns in the future.

Tykote:



APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Note - Do not use over any paste wax surfaces. If
unsure, always prepare a test patch to determine
potential adhesion. TyKote is recommended for
recoat applications only.
1. To prepare the floor for the cleaning process,
remove all caked mud, chewing gum, and other
debris from the floor. Vacuum the dirt from the
floor. Pay special attention to corners.
2. Clean floor with Basic?s Intensive Floor
Treatment (IFT) according to label instructions.
Multiple cleanings may be necessary. Be sure
floor is entirely free of dirt, oil, and other
residue.
3. Rinse the floor by damp mopping with clean
water until the rinse water remains clear after
use.
4. Clean the floor again with Basic?s Squeaky
Cleaner according to label instructions.
Squeaky Cleaner does not leave a residue. A
clean water rinse is unnecessary. The two
cleaners are specifically formulated to remove
different types of contaminants from your floor
and may not be combined into a single
treatment.
5. Allow floor to dry completely before applying
TyKote. Box fans may be used to speed up the
drying process.
6. Rinse clean sponge mop in clean water. Wring
out until damp.
7. Shake TyKote gently before use. Apply a small
amount of TyKote to an area of the floor and
use sponge mop to spread it in a thin, uniform
layer. For large floors, pour TyKote into a
clean, dry mop bucket. Soak a new, lint-free
rayon mop in TyKote and wring out. Work
around the floor until all areas have been
coated. Be sure that every area of the floor
intended for recoat is coated with TyKote. Any
missed spots may result in poor adhesion to
topcoat. The floor should have a wet
appearance but there should be no puddles.
8. Allow to dry approximately one hour with good
ventilation and air movement across the floor.
If there are areas where the TyKote has not
dried, wipe the area with a clean, waterdampened
rag. Do not exceed six hours before
applying the topcoat or TyKote may lose
effectiveness. If the six-hour window is
surpassed, tack the floor with Squeaky Cleaner
to remove any airborne dust before applying
TyKote.
9. Apply the Basic water-based topcoat of your
choice according to label instructions.
Refer to ?Basic?s TyKote® Dustless Recoating
System? brochure for complete application
instructions prior to using the system.







Not much to it if you ask me. I'd even try it, and I don't do refinishing.

It's not a complicated process I just am leary about the effectiveness of it with this type of floor, it's going to be a lot easier and effective on flat floors where you can put a buffer on it to scrub the floor clean. A handscraped floor typically has a big bevel that you are going to have be crawling around on your knees to clean this is where your problems are going to come about, similar to putting a poly coat on an old waxed floor you have to get all those years of buildup out of there before you do anything. Now You could double up on the buffer pad and get more travel with it but it's still not going to get down in those bevels where 7 years of dirt and old maintence products are hiding.

Many waterborne urethanes bond like nobody's business so some dirt down it a crevice isn't going to hamper the finish's ability to bond. But to absolutely ensure no problems, all one needs to do is clean the floor thoroughly (vacuuming, washing, maybe even with mineral spirits) then after the floor is completely dry and as clean as can be gotten, apply a coat of Zinsser Seal Coat. This is a wax free shellac. Shellac is know for is fantastic ability to bond to pretty much anything and anything will bond to it. No buffing is required. After adequate dry time, apply the finish of your choice. You can continue with this process indefinitely. And those lights spots caused by wear, simply re-stain and touch up those areas prior to the recoat. Problem solved!