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The Benefits of Refinishing Your Oak Parquet Floors

20161004_130742 We recently refinished two oak parquet floors in the East Bay area. In both cases, the transformation was overwhelming to the home owners. Their floors were in such bad shape that they considered a floor replacement as an alternative to the refinish. A floor replacement would have cost four to five times more than a simple refinish. These days it seems as though the traditional oak look is not IN, and the weathered barn looking oak is trendier than clear urethane finishes. Rushing to tear out a solid oak floor, no matter how old it is can be costly, time consuming and doesn’t necessarily yield a much better result than preserving the floor.

With just a few steps we took a worn, old looking oak floor and made it into the focal point of the house. Here is what we did:

With a full dustless refinishing we stripped the old finish to expose the bare wood
Carefully sanded the floor flat and repaired any damaged areas
Used the dust from the sanding we then filled the floor to minimize any gaps
Wiped on a neutral stain color to bring out the beauty of the oak grain
Applied commercial two part water base finishes to protect the wood for years to come

20161004_131553 These are two cases of how to get the most bang for your buck with hiring the right contractor (Avi’s Hardwood Floors) who can assess the floor and make the appropriate recommendation.

There is nothing wrong with a not so perfect floor. Think of how you looked like when you were a teen and how you look like today. Now think about how old your floor is. Your floor is probably decades old, had seen foot traffic from hundreds of people, furniture and food spills. If it can still take another refinish, let it be. No reason to replace it just yet.

Matching your original oak floors with new

in Avis Floors, Custom Floors, Design Styles, Hardwood Floor Finishes, Installation, Refinishing Floors, Wood Floors/by Avi Hadad

A lot of home remodel projects call for new hardwood floors in additions, repair of areas where walls were removed and refinishing of the existing floors. It takes a skilled craftsman to identify the type of hardwood floors you have in order to get a match to your 100 year old floor. We got a call just for that type of project in the Berkeley area. The kitchen had old and worn vinyl floor and the home owner wanted to replace that with new hardwood floors to match what was in the rest of the house. A quick look around and I determined the floors were solid top nail white oak. Original to the home, those floors had seen quite the use and a lot of sun light over the years. I recommended using the same white oak floors in the kitchen with the only difference of a tongue and groove product instead of a top nail. The owners agreed to my recommendation and accepted the quote. We then scheduled the delivery date for the wood to acclimate properly to the home. Approximately a week after that we removed the old floor in the kitchen and installed the new white oak floors. We took the time to sand and seal the appliances areas so that they could be installed back in place immediately. That way the home owners didn’t need to worry about the appliances being installed after the floors were all finished and accidently scratching them. After we completed the install we checked the moisture content in the new wood, comparing it to the moisture content in the existing hardwood floors. That gave us a good idea of how long we had to wait before sanding and finishing the new white oak floors. We came back about a week later to sand the new white oak floor in the kitchen and the existing floors in the dining room. The owners stayed somewhere else while the finishing was taking place for a week. This was phase one of two to refinish the floors in the entire first floor. With having no place to put the furniture, a full schedule and young kids in the house we all decided to plan out and schedule the second phase later in the year. The finish on the older floors was a one component low solids water base. The finish faded over the years and was completely worn by the time we got there to do the work. When we were done the big difference in finish qualities and look was obvious to the untrained eye ever before. Four coats of high solid polyurethane showed a smooth, clear and rich looking finish, providing this family with a floor to be used for years to come.

How often should I refinish my hardwood floors?

in Avis Floors, Custom Floors, Hardwood Floor Finishes, How To, Installation, Maintaining Your Floors, New Harwood Floors, Professionally Sanding, Refinishing Floors, Tips, Wood Floors/by Avi Hadad

Whether you live in the Berkeley Hills or Alamo, if you have wood floors they are most likely original to the house. Whether you live in San Pablo or El Cerrito, you most likely have a white or red oak solid floor. These floors are solid wood and had been around for decades, some even more than a century. The life span of a traditional oak floor is longer than what most people think. We just refinished a white oak floor that was installed in 1965. It has been around for about 50 years and has more life on it for another 50. When we refinish oak floors we get this question a lot: “how long before I need to refinish my floors again?”

The short answer is: it depends. Some floors will need to be refinished after several years and some after more than a decade. Here are the factors that contribute to the durability and longevity of the wood floors finish:

Professionally sanding the floors – a qualified contractor will only sand very little off the floor. Poor sanding can take years off the life of the floors. Also, the smoother and more flat the sanding, the more consistent the finish layer will be
Using commercial finishes – if your contractor uses cheap or DIY finishes from the local box store, you are guaranteed a finish that will wear and tear quickly
Following manufacturer recommendation for the proper drying and curing conditions. Home owners are told it is okay to move in two days after the final coat was applied. It is not. The finish needs proper time to harden and cure and that takes more time than two days
Maintenance – proper care for your wood floors will guarantee more years of use before a need to refinish

From our experience at Avi’s Hardwood Floors the average family would need to refinish their floors every 10-15 years. With proper sanding and finishing on our end, and proper use and maintenance on your end (the consumer) your wood floor finish will last a long time.

Engineered Floor Installation Process

in Avis Floors/by Avi Hadad

We were called to install, sand and finish engineered wood floors.

The house is built on the side of a hill with the closest part to the hill on a concrete slab and the suspended areas with a very out of flat OSB sub floor. There used to be a lot of leveling compound where the concrete and the OSB meet. The client asked us to install unfinished Maple floor with some borders, diagonal fields, medallion and inserts in the hallway.

There are no cells in this grid yet.

Step 1:

Remove and haul away baseboards and laminate floors. Oh my god and yes like California style oh my gooood – the baseboards were mitered around the radius outside corners. We will fix that later in this project. Once the demo was completed we discovered multiple areas with leveling compounds. I tapped with a wooden piece on those areas, which we found to be loose. We used hammers, scrapers and grinders to remove the loose areas. We then used grinders to profile the concrete for epoxy moisture barrier application. We sprayed the slab with water as we were grinding to minimize silica dust in the air, used proper respirator and HEPA filtered vacuumed attached to all machines.

Step 2:

now that the slab was free of paint, sealers and whatever else was on it we were ready to seal any cracks and holes with the proper leveling compound. We vacuumed and used a dry mop to remove any dust and then applied the compound. We let it dry overnight, then buffed the floor with 100 screen, vacuumed and tacked again. We used a two part epoxy designed for sealing concrete floors. It was part of a system so the sealer was compatible with the adhesive we were going to use. It is important to understand that the epoxy has a green grab time limit and it is usually up to 36 hours, after that you have to mechanically scratch it with a buffer for the glue to adhere.

We had to use door skin and 30lb roofing felt to feather the OSB areas where they met the concrete.

Compared to the other contractors, we probably added a good amount of time to the job in preparation and moisture control alone. In my opinion, all this work is not an option and must be done to guarantee a successful installation. I don’t care that in some cases according to the guidelines a moisture barrier is not a must. I seal the slab on every job.

Who is Avi Hadad?

in Avis Floors/by Avi Hadad

At my grandfather’s advice, I try to maintain balance between running my business and enjoying family life. In this video I try to show more of who I am as a person. I enjoy playing my guitars, listening to music, cooking with my wife, raising our boys to be gentlemen and kick boxing in the evenings. As serious and focused one can be, I always leave room for fun and foolishness.

Why Hire Avi’s Hardwood Floors?

in Avis Floors, Custom Floors, Design Styles, Installation, New Harwood Floors, Refinishing Floors, Videos, Wood Floors/by Avi Hadad

At Avi’s Hardwood Floors we offer anything and everything that is wood floors. We install, sand and finish solid hardwood floors in the East Bay communities. Our reputation had been built on quality and customer service.

Can I Refinish my Engineered Floors?

in Avis Floors, Design Styles, Fixing Hardwood Floors, Hardwood Floor Finishes, Installation, Maintaining Your Floors, Pre Finished Floors/by Avi Hadad

Over the past decade engineered floors became the go to product in a lot of areas. Manufacturers were driving more flooring products in engineered form into the market as demand grew. Engineered floors were at first just a plywood core with a very thin veneer or real wood on top. Most of them could not be refinished, so when the wear and tear took toll on the floor it had to be replaced. That was in a lot of cases very costly to the home owner.

We recently had to refinish another engineered floor. The floor was red oak veneer over plywood core. We had absolutely no wiggle room with the sanding. The veneer was very thin. We turned the yellow creamy looking red oak into a dark brown espresso color within two days. The home owner was stunned to see the transformation, especially after hearing so many other contractors say they could not refinish that floor.

When it is time to make the decision you have two options: hire a professional to sand the floors or replace it. Refinishing the floor is a small expense in comparison to a full blown hardwood floors replacement, especially if that engineered floor is glued to concrete, which is the case in most homes here in the Bay Area.

Like our past client, take the time to research the professionals in this area. You’ll soon find out that many contractors don’t know and can’t sand such a thin wood floor and so they’ll quote you on a floor replacement. Not knowing much about wood floors you might end up accepting their recommendation and spending your good earned money for no good reason on a brand new product.

Engineered floors have one thing going for them – there’s real wood veneer! If that veneer is thick enough we can refinish it. We had saved so many floors and saved so much money to our clients over the years. With a full dustless refinish process combined with our well qualified crew your engineered wood floors can also be transformed.

Click to enlarge photos

Which is the Best finish for my Wood Floors?

in Avis Floors, Custom Floors, Design Styles, Exotic Woods, Fixing Hardwood Floors, Hardwood Floor Finishes, How To, Installation, Maintaining Your Floors, New Harwood Floors, Refinishing Floors, Tips, Wood Floors/by Avi Hadad

We all want to protect our wood floors with the best finish available so we don’t have to do it all over again, right? Most our clients who choose to install new hardwood floors in the East Bay are concerned about the future of their floors. One client in Berkeley, CA asked me what finish would be best living with a big dog in the house. Another one in El Cerrito wanted to know what finish would protect their wood floors from water damage. The answer to this question is very simple: choose a professional to apply a commercial finish on your floor, maintain it properly and you should be fine. There is no one magic floor finish that does it all, after all we all walk on these finishes every day.

There are many choices of finish out there, here is a table exploring some of the characteristics of the main finishes used in the wood flooring market these days:

Finish Type	Color	Approximate Drying Time	Approximate Cure Time	Aging Color	Approximate VOC	Pros	Cons
Oil Base Urethane	Amber	overnight	7 days	Amber	500 g/L	Durable, ages nicely, easy to repair	Strong smell, dries slowly
Water Base Urethane	Clear	3-4 hours	Approximately 80% in 3 days	yellow	210 g/L	Durable, lower VOC, dries and cures fast	Results vary depend on product
Wax Oil Blend	All colors	overnight	7 days	Depends on color	zero	Easy to maintain, no VOC	No resin build up on the floor like oil and water finishes
Staining Wood Before Finishing	All colors	3-4 hours for light colors overnight for dark colors	7 days	N/A	550 g/L	n/	n/a

All finishes require regular maintenance.

All finishes will scratch.

All finishes will wear with regular use overtime.

All finishes can be repaired or restored with different results.

There is no magic product that cures in a day and will never need refinishing. It all comes down to which look you like and how you would be using the floors. Applied correctly all finishes will stand the test of time.

Five Top Reasons why Oak is still the Floor of Choice

in Custom Floors, Design Styles, Fixing Hardwood Floors, Hardwood Floor Finishes, Installation, Maintaining Your Floors, New Harwood Floors/by Avi Hadad

Many years ago almost every wood floor installed was either oak or pine, depending on where you lived in the U.S. These days you can choose whatever wood your heart desires from hundreds of wood flooring choices sourced throughout the world. Nonetheless, white oak and red oak floors are still the number one choice for many home owners, designers and architects. Here are the top reasons:

Availability – oak is sourced right here in the U.S. that means that every accessory item needed is in stock. From oak molding to your door trim to stair parts and baseboards. It would be a shame to buy a beautiful wood floor and not be able to have all these accessories available. In some cases, like exotic woods or engineered floors those items are available on special order only, which means a lot of money and long lead times.
Cost – oak has maintained its’ price over decades of ups and downs in the market. Very affordable and as such, attractive to many home owners.
Versatility – between being able to buy oak in vertical grain or flat grain, stain it to whatever color you like, get it in any width or thickness and choose between white or red oak you’re looking at endless design and color options just with one product. This right here is priceless. Let’s say you have an oak floor that is stained dark espresso and after five years you don’t like the color anymore. Well, just sand it and change the stain color. You can’t do this with any other wood.
Value – researches show that you double your investment in value when it comes to putting in oak floors in your home. Homes with oak floors sell faster than homes with other floor coverings. Buyers look for something they can work with. Even if they don’t like the honey color red oak floors in your home, they know that they can hire a professional to refinish the floors and make them look different. That is a much cheaper option than having to replace a floor they can’t work with.
Environment – oak that is harvested here in the U.S is legally and controlled harvested. What does it mean? It means that we don’t clear cut forests here like other parts of the world. Engineers mark trees they allow to be cut and that is sustained harvesting. Where you can keep going back to the forest and cut trees while still maintaining the environment in the long term. Did you know we have more trees in the U.S today than we did a hundred years ago?

Next time you look at wood floors and need to make a choice, don’t dismiss oak so quickly. If you look around long enough you’ll see that white and red oak wood floors had been here for hundreds of years and will still be here for hundreds more, for a lot of good reasons.

Fixing Badly Sanded Hardwood Floors

in Avis Floors, Fixing Hardwood Floors, Hardwood Federation, Hardwood Floor Finishes, How To, Installation, Maintaining Your Floors, New Harwood Floors, Refinishing Floors, Tips, Wood Floors/by Avi Hadad

We were called again to fix a floor that was badly sanded. After a water leak damaged the wood floor in a home in Lafayette, the insurance company brought in their hardwood flooring guys to fix the floor. The home owners assumed everything was going to be handled by the insurance company. Little did they know that the guys hired to refinish the wood floors were just plain horrible. The home owners returned to their house to discover a disaster: dust everywhere, gauges in their baseboards and an uneven floor.

Shortly after their discovery the home owners found Avi’s Hardwood Floors and contacted me for an estimate. When I got there it was obvious the floors needed a full refinish and the baseboards needed replacement. After closely inspecting the stairs we also decided to replace all the decorative molding on the stairs.

After a long while of the owners dealing with their insurance company we finally got the green light. The owners knew we were up to the challenge but like anyone who’s been through a bad experience, it was obvious they were concerned with the outcome. After all this was the second and last shot at the sanding, otherwise the floor would have to be replaced because there would not be much wood left to sand. We showed up on time and started stripping the finish off the floor while making the floors flat. This took a little while and the more we sanded the more we realized how bad the sanding job was. In some places we could not take the gauges out without replacing the boards. By looking at the scratch pattern on the floors we determined that one of the tools used on the floor by the other guys was – A grinder.

That explained the small circular scratches in the wood, the long deep gauges and the damaged baseboards. The owners were scheduled to stay at the house the first part of the sanding, then leave for the staining and finishing phase. Once we finished the final sanding I could see a big relief in the owner’s eyes. They were watching us sanding the floors at times and expressed their appreciation in our effort to keep everything clean and the floor flat. We made a custom stain color for them at their request to minimize the gold and yellow in their red oak floor. We applied the stain coat on a Friday so that we could let it dry for three days. The pigments in dark stains like the ones we used are very heavy and require longer drying times. The following week while the owners were gone we applied three coats of commercial water base finish and installed all new baseboards and stair moldings throughout the working areas. I took the time to text pictures of our progress to the owners every day.

As usual we did the best we could and the floor came out as expected. Avi’s Hardwood Floors takes pride in doing the best on every job. It makes for happy clients and life easier on everyone knowing that a project only needed to be done once.