Replies

1. 
   sailalex | Oct 27, 2003 01:55pm | #1

   I had the floor installed  (didn't do it myself) and as far as the seam is concerned, its there. Not real noticeable but its there. I tried to add a coat of polyurethane to get a glossier finish to match glossy hardwood adjacent but also to see if it would fill the seam.

    After 2 months, I don't notice any dust buildup but if you were concerned I would suggest adding more coats of poly and it would tend to fill the seam.

2. 
   blindau | Oct 27, 2003 02:13pm | #2

   Others will reply that know way more than I do about this, in fact you might want to go over to Breaktime(the Fine Homebuilding site) for this one. Here's what I know. All the prefinished floors I've seen look just fine. All four edges should have a slight bevel which helps to underplay any discrepancies in the matchup between boards. I would not try gluing the pieces down. No matter how careful you are, the wiped areas will loose some sheen and stand apart from the rest. Anyway, the stuff is basically plywood, so it's very stable, little or no movement after it's installed. Laying down a single layer of tar paper (between the underlayment and the prefinished flooring) helps to lessen the number and volume of squeaks, and acts as a vapor barrier for the underside which is probably unfinished.

   Bill Lindau

   
   

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   Edited 10/27/2003 7:16:05 AM ET by BLINDAU

1. 
   VeniciaL | Oct 27, 2003 06:06pm | #3

   Bill and Sailalex,

   Thanks. I'll try a "finishing" coat of poly.

   I would not have thought of doing that! Because we would not be sanding the Bruce floor, adding a finish coat just didn't occur. Dumb!

   The product does have a slight "valley" at the seams, starting to slope about 1/8 inch on either side.

   VL

1. 
   JohnWW | Oct 27, 2003 11:33pm | #4

   Vernicia,

   I would be very careful about doing anything with the installation of this floor that isn't approved or recommended by by the manufacturer.  There are a few reasons for this: 1. The warranty won't cover any problems you have if you don't follow their installation guidelines.  2.These floors are highly engineered, if the company thought that there was a better way to install their flooring they would probably include it in their instructions.  3. Both of your ideas have potential problems.

   Gluing the boards together defeats the ability of the boards to individually shift slightly as they expand and contract.  Instead of the joints opening and closing slightly the floor may instead buckle or pull away from the walls.  The laminate construction of the boards means that expansion and contraction are less of a problem but it will still occur and a ten foot expanse of floor can move a surprising amount.

   The factory applied finish is probably very tough and has been given a coat of wax, there is a good chance that a coat a poly won't bond to the existing surface and will quickly flake off.

   There are a lot of flooring options available these days, you should shop around and do some additional research rather than trying to make the Bruce flooring be more than what it is.

   John W.

1. 
   VeniciaL | Oct 27, 2003 11:58pm | #5

   Good points, John.

   I imagine these floors were made to be refinished when necessary - there's 1/8 inch of hardwood there. But I assume sanding is going to be necessary to remove or abrade the existing top coat.

   VL

2. 
   sailalex | Oct 28, 2003 02:34pm | #6

   FWIW, my floors were scratched with steel wool before applying the poly and there is absolutely no sign of flaking or lack of bonding.

1. 
   VeniciaL | Oct 28, 2003 06:22pm | #7

   Sailalex,

   How did you do the steel wool? Power buffer?

   I never like to steelwool a piece before it is completely finished because the steel gets in crevices like a filler and accentuates them. And it's the unfinished seams I'm worried about to begin with. Maybe a nylon abrasive pad would work?

   Anyway, I now have four small samples to work with. So I'll experiment a little.

   VL