A Floor Replacement Done Right

Our clients trust us to recommend the best solution for their floor issues. In this case, the home owner called us for advice on how to fix his squeaky floor. He already spent endless hours under the house, using squeak repair kits from the box store. Days in and out, the squeaks kept coming back and he didn’t know what to do. The hardwood floors were 5/16” x 2” red oak floors – a common top nail floor in the Bay Area. I don’t know how many other contractors he had met with before I walked through his front door, but they were many. We discussed the floor issues in length. I suggested a complete replacement, including proper sub floor fix and a full glue and nail of the new floor.

Evidently I was the first and only hardwood contractor to recommend this option. He hired us to do the work. Sure enough, as we started pulling the floor boards up we realized how thin the floor was. In some areas the wood floors was so thin, you could bend it for wood lamination. The hardwood floor in most areas were 1/8” thick which is absolutely outrageous for a top nail oak floor.

We made sure our new floor acclimated properly inside the house, while we fixed the sub floor. We repairs broken boards in the sub floor, glued and nailed loose areas and sanded high spots. We used door skin material in low spots to shim the areas up. All repairs were glued and nailed.

Upon our client approval, we started installing the floor. Using commercial polyurethane glue to serve as a moisture barrier and nailing the floor throughout, we assured a successful installation.

When done, we let the floor acclimate for a little longer and the glue to dry and cure properly, before proceeding with the sanding and staining of the hardwood.

We made four samples to our client’s satisfaction. He was happy with the first color we made, but after I decided to tweak the color a little – he realized my new blend was even better, so he told me.

With proper dust free sanding and the right technique, we finished the sanding and finished the floor.

Now our client has a new floor that is solid, and without any squeaks.