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Douglas Fir Flooring Blog

  • Sanding Douglas Fir: Identifying the right equipment

    Posted on June 8, 2011 by Jennifer

    So you’ve got Douglas fir flooring in your house, and maybe it’s seen better days. If you have a refinishing project in mind, sanding is in your future.

    Or, maybe you have brand-new Douglas fir floors. Even fresh from a local lumber company, to get a nice smooth finish, you’re going to need to sand them.

    Before you head off to your local equipment rental place, take a few minutes to evaluate the scope of your project and decide which kind of sander you really need.

    Drum Sanders: These are the big boys of the sanding world. These are large, walk-behind electric machines that weigh more than 100 pounds. They have the horsepower to strip off old finish or smooth down bumps and discolorations much better and more quickly than any other type of sander. They cover a wide area with each pass, so that you can do an entire room in less than a day.

    That said, a drum sander is so large and powerful that it takes expertise to use one well. Once it’s turned on, you can’t ever let a drum sander sit in one place—it can gouge deep swirls in your floor in a matter of seconds.

    When to use a drum sander:
    • If you have some training and experience with this type of machine.
    • If you have floors that are discolored, severely scratched, or otherwise need a lot of material removed to get the results you’re looking for.

    orbital sander

    An orbital sander can be used to refinish Douglas fir floors.

    Orbital Sander: Like a drum sander, the orbital sander is a large machine that you hold upright and walk behind as you move it across your floor. However, it’s not as large or as heavy as a drum sander. That means you won’t be able to remove thick layers of wood. It may take longer to go over the entire surface of the room. It also means it’s easier to use and you’re less likely to accidentally create ugly gouges in your beautiful Douglas fir floors.

    When to use an orbital sander:
    • If you have an older floor that’s been sanded several times already and you want to be sure you don’t remove too much of the remaining material.
    • If you don’t need to do get the floor entirely down to bare wood, but plan to just remove the top coat and reapply a new coat of finish.

    Edge sander: No matter which type of sander you use for the main portion of the room, you’ll need an edge sander to get where the big sanders can’t reach. Edge sanders are hand-held, but the type used by floor refinishers is heavier and more powerful than the small hand-held sanders often used for furniture projects. Like their walk-behind counterparts, edge sanders also come with an attached bag to collect the dust. If you’ve done your job right with the larger sander, there will be a visible area around the edges of the room, and you’ll need an edge sander to blend in the edges and continue your sanding project right up to the wall.

    When to use an edge sander:
    • For doing the same job the drum or orbital sanders do, but in hard-to-reach spots.

    Handheld random orbital sander: This is the most common type of sander—small, inexpensive and versatile. You might already have one in your garage. For many household and wood-working projects, small sanders such as the Black and Decker Mouse are perfect. For finishing wood floors, these don’t have the horsepower to accurately smooth out uneven areas or remove thick layers of finish. Unless you’re working on a very small area and you’re willing to take a lot of time, don’t try to sand your floors with a handheld random orbital sander.

    When to use a handheld random orbital sander:
    • For household projects, furniture finishing, or small areas of Douglas fir floor where renting a large sander would not be practical.

    - Jennifer Rouse



    This post was posted in All Entries, Douglas Fir Flooring, Care & Maintenance and was tagged with Douglas fir flooring, douglas fir floors, finishing floors

  • Finish that Douglas Fir

    Posted on May 19, 2011 by Nicole

    Never mind the aesthetics, a wood’s finish protects it from premature, well, everything. We’re talking aging, shading, cracking, warping, and everything else life throws its way. We’ve said it before and we’re happy to say it again: the finish is essential to the lifetime of your wood, like how putting on pants in the morning is essential to keeping your job. But, any pair won’t do – you’ve got to know before you go. You wouldn’t wear Wranglers to the boss’ black-tie event or tailored-trousers to Saturday’s team-building in the backwoods. The same goes for how you finish your Douglas fir.

    We’d like to point out that Douglas fir is a fine timber product. CVG Doug fir is the strongest ‘softwood’ around because of its tight-grain properties, making it more resistant to the elements and more durable for both interior and exterior projects. You’ll get the best of both beauty and brawn with Douglas fir. The weather’s nice, so we’re inclined to start with outdoor applications as you think about firing up that grill.

    Outdoor Projects
    Exterior projects include siding, decking, porch soffits, board & batt, and even patio furniture. Any outside wood needs to be made into a force-to-be-reckoned-with because it’ll be up against Mother Nature and she too, has her bad days. So, when you’re shopping for a finish, look for exterior on the label. Once you find that, consider your climate type.

    outdoor wood finish

    Whatever your wood finishing project, it cannot be as difficult as this one.

    Moist climates + Finishes
    Opt for a label that has a water-repellent preservative or WRP. Your wood will thank you by avoiding mildew growth, a nasty combination with wood. It’s also less likely to swell, split, and warp from water exposure. Choose a penetrating finish for wood that will be hard hit with H2O – these finishes stop water absorption.

    And, after the rainy season, be sure to “test” your wood. If water beads and runs off, the finish is still good. If water soaks in, it’s time to reapply the finish – generally every 12 to 24 months.

    Dry climates + Finishes
    The sun and dry climates go hand in hand as does wood that cracks, spots, and yellows when left untreated in dry places. So, choose an exterior finish that contains UV blockers. Some water-repellent preservatives (WRPs) protect against UV radiation, but double check, especially if you’re living la vida loca in Arizona, which has 300 days of pure sunshine per year.

    Keep in mind that in drier climates, wood loses moisture. Hence, the cracking and shrinking. You may see both WRP and WR – water-repellent – on labels. What’s the difference? WRPs contain mildewcides and fungicides stopping spores that thrive in moist climates. However, we recommend using a WRP with a pigment commonly referred to as semi-transparent stain for wood in sunny places. The pigment adds another layer of protection from the sun, prolonging its life.

    Tips
    • Always pre-treat bare wood with a finish or preservative before painting.
    • If using pre-existing wood, be sure to check for timber rot (dry or wet) before refinishing. Rot decays wood.
    • Take care applying that first finish to new wood. If done poorly, your wood will tell you so later down the line (and there’s really little that can be done to remedy future problems).
    • Always stick with the same type of finish – penetrating or surface – when it’s time to reapply.
    • Test different types of finishes using small blocks from your wood project to help you decide the best finishing product for your Douglas fir and your needs.

  • Douglas Fir Flooring Installation Tips

    Posted on May 10, 2011 by Jennifer

    Good things take time. Like growing a beautiful garden or painting a great picture, installing a Douglas fir floor is not a snap process. But when it’s done well, a Douglas fir floor is something that will add beauty and value to your home for generations to come. Here are some tips from an expert to help you through the wood flooring installation process.

    First, get the tools you need. Andy Burley, owner of Mr. Sandman Hardwood Floorsin Portland, recommends the following:

    Be sure to use a tape measure.

    1. A rubber mallet, for gently pounding boards into place without damaging them
    2. A carpentry pencil for marking boards
    3. A tape measure
    4. A floor level, for making sure the sub-floor is even
    5. A chalk line, to make sure you’re installing the boards in a straight line
    6. A miter saw with a finishing blade, for cutting the boards to the right length
    7. A pneumatic nailer or stapler, for quickly fastening boards into place
    8. A smaller hand-held finish nailer for fastening down the rows of boards around the edges of the room
    9. A moisture barrier, such as Kraft paper or roofing felt, to lay down between the subfloor and the flooring
    10. Small pieces of wood called shims to hold the flooring in place

    Once you’ve gathered everything you need, take things one step at a time.

    1. When your Douglas fir flooring is delivered, give it time to acclimate to the climate and moisture level in the room where it will be installed. This can take up to a week. This prevents the wood from swelling or shrinking, post-installation, and will allow for the truest fit. “Douglas fir is quite porous, but it dries and acclimates very well,” Burley says. Make sure you’ve ordered enough wood to cover your whole room, as well as extra to account for waste.

    2. Prepare the subfloor. Use your level to make sure it’s even. If there are major ridges or bumps, sand them down. Walk around and feel for any spongy areas—nail them down to prevent squeaking later. Make sure you know which direction the support joists underneath the flooring run. You want to install your flooring perpendicular to the joists, for better structural stability. Lay down your chosen moisture barrier.

    3. Starting at an outside wall, use the chalk line to create a straight edge to line up your first row of flooring. “Usually an outside wall is the straightest in the house, but especially in an older house, you can’t assume everything’s going to be straight,” Burley says. Don’t put the first row of flooring (each complete row of boards is called a “course”) flush up against the wall—you want to leave a quarter-inch to half-inch gap on all sides to allow for natural expansion and contraction of the wood. “People forget that just because the tree has been cut down, it doesn’t mean the wood isn’t still alive. It’s porous, and it will expand,” Burley says. Use shims between the wall and the flooring to keep the flooring where you want it. Eventually, baseboards will cover the gap.

    Installed Douglas fir floor

    4. Cut your boards using a miter saw with a finishing blade, not a ripping blade. “The finer the blade you use, the less likely the wood is to splinter,” Burley says. If your flooring is end-matched, then there will be tongue-and-groove pieces at the end of the boards to fit together. If it’s not, use your saw to create flat butt joints that sit flush against each other. Make sure you’re not cutting each board to the exact same length. You don’t want the ends of boards in adjacent courses to be lined up with each other—as you’re laying down the boards, try to visualize the way the finished floor will appear, and keep the lengths varied.

    5. For your first few courses, use a finish nailer to fasten down the boards—this is less powerful than a pneumatic nailer, and won’t jar the boards out of the straight line you’ve laid down. As you lay down subsequent courses, and you’re a few rows out from the wall, you can switch to a pneumatic nailer or stapler.

    6. After you’ve gone partway across the room, snap out another chalk line and make sure your courses are still straight. If you need to fit the boards together a little more tightly to make them square, use your mallet to drive the courses together tighter. If you need a little more give, don’t pound the following rows so tightly. “It’s amazing how just a little bit of space adds up when you’re going all the way across a room,” Burley says.

    7. Once you’ve done the entire room, it needs to sit before it’s finished. Burley recommends allowing at least three days for the wood to relax before the final staining and finishing process.

    Burley says the entire hardwood floor installation process can take more than a week, by the time you count in acclimatizing, installation, letting the floor rest, sanding, and staining. If you are in the market for radiant heated subfloors, more time is needed to finish the process. That’s a long time for impatient home-owners. But a perfect Douglas fir floor can’t be created overnight. If you take your time and take the process step by step, you’ll be rewarded with a stable, gorgeous floor underfoot.

    - Jennifer Rouse



    This post was posted in All Entries, Douglas Fir Flooring, Care & Maintenance and was tagged with Douglas fir flooring, douglas fir floors, flooring installation, wood flooring installation

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