Preferred method for prepping hardwood install

[Ken]

sounds like a bromance to me, lol

 

[FloorMaven]

... Him applying and me wiping........... wow, what a workout. Ya need to move fast from one end of the house to the other without a break. You gotta get it right so the color comes out even...

Cut a piece of wool carpet to fit under your buffer. Poor some stain on it and spin away. No hand application or wiping necessary.

 

[highup]

sounds like a bromance to me, lol

Coal in your stocking....... I just wrote Santa about you.

 

[highup]

Cut a piece of wool carpet to fit under your buffer. Poor some stain on it and spin away. No hand application or wiping necessary.

I like that one............ what about the shedding? There must be at least some.

 

[FloorMaven]

I like that one............ what about the shedding? There must be at least some.

Negligible...nothing that wouldn't be evacuated. Loop piles fair a little better. You'll get a bit of lint using a cloth as well. Something I picked up at a finishing class. Normally classes are just more of the same...it's the golden nuggets that people sometimes share at these things that make it worthwhile.

 

[highup]

Thanks. I will definitely look into that. My machine is a small one, a 13inch Clark. Anything beats hand rubbing the floor.

 

[Ernesto]

Anything beats hand rubbing the floor.

Cept it can splatter.

 

[FloorMaven]

Thanks. I will definitely look into that. My machine is a small one, a 13inch Clark. Anything beats hand rubbing the floor.

Size doesn't matter, speed does. Buffers are usually around 175 rpm which is just right. I've used my 6" bosch orbital sander to stain smaller projects- works great.

If you need multiple cans of stain be sure to mix them all together for color consistency. I use a power mixer too and remix often.

You might want to make some color mock-ups prior for your customer just so there are no free do-overs.

Cept it can splatter.

That's why wool is the best choice as it is super absorbent...can hold 30% of its volume in moisture without feeling wet.

 

[highup]

Size doesn't matter, speed does. Buffers are usually around 175 rpm which is just right. I've used my 6" bosch orbital sander to stain smaller projects- works great.

If you need multiple cans of stain be sure to mix them all together for color consistency. I use a power mixer too and remix often.

You might want to make some color mock-ups prior for your customer just so there are no free do-overs.

That's why wool is the best choice as it is super absorbent...can hold 30% of its volume in moisture without feeling wet.

Customer is a friend, and he's picking the color, and he's helping do the work. Whatever we end up with, he owns.

 

[Jeff]

I use a white pad under my buffer when staining. I also use a sponge mop with a paint tray...just fill the tray with stain, apply with the mop and buff it off. Seems like you use a lot less stain doing it that way.

 

[highup]

I use a white pad under my buffer when staining. I also use a sponge mop with a paint tray...just fill the tray with stain, apply with the mop and buff it off. Seems like you use a lot less stain doing it that way.

When using a white pad, how to you apply the stain? Pour it on, or use a squirt bottle?
I'm liking the wool carpet idea because it's absorbancy seems like it would be easier to control the amount applied. The white pad doesn't seem like it would hold on to much stain, but as a positive, I can't see it leaving any fibers behind during the process. .....hmm.
I'm now thinking that thinking since there's two of us, I could apply the stain with the buffer, and my friend can get on his knees and wipe up the excess left behind by the pad.

 

[Jeff]

I use a sponge mop (the kind with the long handle and a replaceable head). I put the stain in a large paint tray. The process I use is - I "cut in" the edges with another small sponge, then use the mop on a handle to stain a section 3'-4' wide, use the buffer and white pad to buff off the excess. I use a 17" pad on a 16" buffer that way it gets right up to the edges. The only thing I have to wipe by hand is the corners. Done it this way for years, since I work alone.

 

[highup]

Thanks guys. My mind is rethinking the hand applied rag method and seeing a new light.