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128 articles found.
Page 1 of 3.
Inspections Are Supposed to Help Our Industry, Not Hurt It
(April/May 2013 - Kevin Mullany)
A wood flooring inspection is supposed to be a service to the industry—a process that figures out why things went wrong when a floor fails and fairly determines ...
Shear Problems: This Floor Doesn’t Seem to Like Mountain Air
(April/May 2013 - Brett Miller)
I was called to inspect an engineered floor in Colorado that the homeowner said was “peeling and...
Workers’ Fear of Finish Bubbles Creates a Problem
(February/March 2013 - Steve Crawford)
We received a call from a contractor with a complaint about an uneven sheen in different areas...
Why Won’t This Wood Floor Finish Adhere to the Previous Coat?
(December 2012/January 2013 - G. Brent Sorbet)
A contractor was attempting to recoat a gym floor at a college facility but could not get the finish to stick on a portion of the recoated ...
Tales From the Front: Creating Kindling
(October/November 2012 - HF Editors)
Keith Cudmore, technical services manager at Kent, Wash.-based Metropolitan Hardwood Floors Inc., once traveled to inspect...
Why Is This Prefinished Wood Floor Rotting in Place?
(October/November 2012 - Matt Skowron)
I received a call to look at a 3/8-by-4-inch prefinished smooth Brazilian cherry floor with a dark brown stain in a Southern...
Unwelcome Popping Noises Come From This Engineered Plank
(August/September 2012 - Mark Lamanno)
A remodeler in Houston called for guidance on fixing problems with an existing hardwood floor. The floor made popping...
Why Does This Wood Floor Finish Have a Milky Cast and Uneven Sheen?
(June/July 2012 - Mike Sundell)
I got a call about a floor with finish that showed a definite milky cast—sometimes described as a hazy look—in the overall...
It Varies: We Can’t Expect Solid Prefinished Wood Floor Widths to be Perfect
(April/May 2012 - Peter Fahey)
As an NWFACP-certified inspector, one of the most common installer/retailer/consumer complaints I see is regarding width variation in solid...
Dirty Poly Beads Appear in This Trouble-Plagued Gym Floor
(April/May 2012 - Robert Gamble)
An old gym floor in the Southwest was resanded and coated with poly, but the finish was peeling off. A second attempt at resanding and finishing the floor...
Tales From the Front: 'Inferior' Finish Sends Flooring Back
(April/May 2011 - HF Editors)
Bruce Uhler, environmental ambassador for Kährs Hardwood Flooring, remembers a customer service call that left everyone shaking their heads. The person called to...
Tales From the Front: Complaint Emerges From Shadows
(February/March 2011 - HF Editors)
Eric Butler from West River, Md.-based Butler Flooring Solutions recalls a memorable complaint: The customer called and said she had darker areas on her floor. His company had just sanded ...
Tales From the Front: Cats Multiply on Job Site
(December 2011/January 2012 - HF Editors)
Recently, a crew at Barnum Floors in Des Moines, Iowa, was installing hardwood floors for a family who had decided to schedule a vacation during the process; they were excited ...
Tales From the Front: Levitating Vent Causes a Callback
(August/September 2010 - HF Editors)
Avi Hadad, owner at El Sobrante, Calif.-based Avi's Hardwood Flooring, recalls one job with a unique problem. It started typically: He got a call from one of his GCs to see ...
Tales From the Front: Change Leaves Contractor in the Cold
(June/July 2010 - HF Editors)
Scott Hembree of West Chester, Ohio-based Hembree Hardwood Floors often wears shorts when he's working on a job site. Once it gets colder, after Thanksgiving, he wears pants to travel in ...
Tales From the Front: Contractor Encounters Naked Homeowner
(April/May 2010 - HF Editors)
Contractors are full of stories involving being seduced by bored housewives, but here’s a story about an encounter with a naked homeowner you can actually believe. Andrew Griffiths ...
Tales From the Front: Burglar Tries Duping Contractor
(February/March 2010 - HF Editors)
Fred Timberlin, manager of Wood Pro Inc.'s Albany, N.Y., branch, recently had a flooring delivery with an unexpected twist. He received a call from a builder to deliver a load of hardwood flooring ...
Gaps Appear in this Wood Floor After a Fire Restoration
(February/March 2012 - Patrick Burke)
I was called to do an inspection on a 3-inch solid prefinished Brazilian cherry wood floor installed over OSB. The homeowner said there were gaps left all over her floor...
Problematic Pooches: For Dog Nails, Booties Could be the Answer
(December 2011/January 2012 - Doug Dalsing)
Karen Luther sees the difficulty in owning both wood floors and a heavy dog. “The unfortunate thing is that I don’t think people realize dogs can damage wood floors before ...
Vintage Moments: Simple Moisture Management
(December 2011/January 2012 - Doug Dalsing)
Compared with the electronically sophisticated humidifiers of today, this model is uncannily simple. In Reichow’s words: “The felt wicks ...
A Buckled Wood Floor Results in a Kitchen Demo
(December 2011/January 2012 - Avi Hadad)
I received a call from a homeowner who wanted me to look at his newly installed floor. He said the floor was cupping and buckling. The homeowner decided to remodel his kitchen a few months ago...
Forest Products Lab Takes Guessing Out of Wood ID
(October/November 2011 - Doug Dalsing)
Wood flooring contractors have many lifelines out in the field: NWFA technical support, manufacturer and distributor reps, and this magazine ...
Understand What Causes Checking in Solid Wood Floors
(October/November 2011 - Michael B. Harde)
The age-old misconception is that there are many conditions that can cause wood to check. The fact is...
The Case of the Dimpling Bamboo Flooring
(October/November 2011 - Bob Middleton)
Recently, a frustrated customer who was distraught with her bamboo floor installation reached me for technical support. In tears, she said, “There are tiny bumps...
Slab Moisture, Heat Create Finish Blisters in a Floating Floor
(August/September 2011 - Roy Leach)
Sometimes, just when we get to the point we think we have experienced everything in our careers, we face something new. Last year I encountered one such occasion...
Inadequate Inspections Lead to a New World of Education
(June/July 2011 - Selva Lee Tucker)
What you are about to read was written by an addict. In a national publication, I am about to reveal a deep, dark secret about myself: I am...
This Wood Floor Can't Take the (Radiant) Heat
(June/July 2011 - Keith Cudmore)
Recently I made a visit to a home that had a problem with a European-style floating floor. The homeowners complained about some shrinking...
Crawl Space Moisture Leads to a Cupped Floor
(April/May 2011 - David Paal)
I was commissioned by a central Indiana homeowner to inspect a 1,500-square-foot main level hardwood floor showing generalized cupping...
An Inconsistent Stain at Wall Lines
(February/March 2011 - Jon Namba)
I received a call from an installer who was having problems with inconsistent, splotchy stain on a new...
Cleat Angle Gone Wrong Makes a Squeaky Wood Floor
(December 2010/January 2011 - Tom Elliott)
A look under this loose, squeaky floor reveals that the angle of the cleats is wrong
Inspectors as Consultants Can Help Prevent Problems
(October/November 2010 - Roy Reichow)
Inspectors can act as a consultant to help installers prevent problems and resist pressure from builders
A Plank Floor Buckles, but Where's the Moisture?
(October/November 2010 - Howard Brickman)
A plank floor buckles, but where's the moisture?
Is the Wood Floor to Blame for This Ant Invasion?
(August/September 2010 - Peter Fahey)
A customer gets antsy about this insect problem.
Avoid Common Callbacks with Imported Species
(June/July 2010 - Kim M. Wahlgren)
Avoid these common callbacks with imported species
Uncontrolled Moisture Causes Problems for Beech Wood Floor
(June/July 2010 - John Shepard)
Uncontrolled moisture doesn't agree with this beech floor
Low Moisture Ruins This Engineered Floor
(April/May 2010 - Greg Burleson)
What happens in Vegas wreaks havoc on this oak floor
Why are These Wood Floors so Noisy?
(February/March 2010 - Mickey Moore)
Why are these wood floors so noisy?
Buckling Leads to Tear-Out of this Engineered Wood Floor
(December 2009/January 2010 - Linda Lockwood)
Buckling and other problems cause the tear-out of this engineered wood floor
Q&As: Gaps, AC & RH, Sanding Engineered Wood Floors
(December 2009/January 2010 - HWF editors)
Q&As on gaps in an oak floor, air conditioning and relative humidity, and how many times an engineered floor can be resanded
Q&As: Nailer Depressions, Autoscrubber Tips, Flattening Subfloors
(October/November 2009 - HF Editors)
Q&As on avoiding nailer depressions, autoscrubber tips, and flattening subfloors
The Cause of 'Dry-Cupping' in Engineered Wood Floors
(October/November 2009 - Dan Blake)
When you're talking about problems with wood floors, nothing gets more attention than moisture and its consequences, like cupping. But lack of moisture...
Bad Maintenance Causes Ripples in an Engineered Floor
(October/November 2009 - Steven Johnston)
Bad maintenance creates problems for this engineered floor
Dark Spots Take Over an Engineered Wood Floor
(August/September 2009 - Jerry L. Kuehn)
Dark spots take over this engineered oak floor
Q&As: Finishing Parquet, Racking Prefinished, Butt Joints
(August/September 2009 - HF Editors)
Q&AS on applying finish on large-scale parquet, staggering joints in prefinished flooring, and industry standards for butt joints in prefinished flooring
Q&As: Janka Ratings, Repairing Scratches, Cement Board
(June/July 2009 - HF Editors)
Q&As on how Janka ratings really relate to wood floor performance, repairing scratches in prefinished flooring, and whether you can use cement board subfloors under wood floors
A Moisture Barrier Flaw Causes a Wood Floor to Cup
(June/July 2009 - Ray Darrah)
A misunderstanding about moisture barriers leads to cupping in this wood floor
What Made This Prefinished Oak Wood Floor Buckle?
(April/May 2009 - Samuel Zarcone)
A prefinished solid oak floor buckles after installation
What to Expect—and Not Expect—During a Wood Floor Inspection
(April/May 2009 - Don Conner)
What to expect—and not expect—from an inspection
Q&As: Random-Width Flooring, Painting & Cupping, Using a Moisture Meter
(April/May 2009 - HF Editors)
Q&AS on the right way to order random-width flooring, how whole-house painting can cause cupping, and how to use a moisture meter correctly
What is Causing Cupping in this Kempas Wood Floor?
(February/March 2009 - Tim Moore)
What is causing the cupping in this kempas floor?
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