New Vision Hardwood

Sanding and refinishing your wood floors will add value and beauty to your home. As with any home improvement you may experience some disruption and inconvenience. We will employ our experience, the latest equipment and the most environmentally safe materials to complete the work with the least possible disruption.

Sanding and finishing expectations:

There will be noise, minimum dust and some vapors during the sanding and finishing process. Even though we use dustless equipment, dust from the sanding process could infiltrate to all areas of the house.

Please keep pets and children away from work areas.

A typical finish job (approximately 1000 sq. ft.) takes two days of sanding. Stain (if any) is applied on the second or third day. Oil based finish will need to dry 8 - 10 hours, and water based finish will need to dry 3 to 4 hours before walking on the floor. Our work hours are from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

When the work is completed, you may need to touch-up your base and shoe moldings. Also, be prepared to remove the fine dust that may have accumulated despite our best efforts to contain it.

Although finishes may appear dry, they are not completely cured and will not support heavy foot traffic or the replacement of furniture for three days after the job has been completed.

This process is recommended for newer floors.

This process entails removing the top layer of finish, therefore residue from cleaning products; wax, polish, etc. may remain in the finish and contaminate it. If the floor is contaminated, the application of a new finish may react with the contaminated surface which cold result in the new finish peeling of not adhering in some areas. Although this is a rare condition it can not be foreseen and therefore will not be covered under any warranties.

The process of staining a floor requires several additional steps. The darker the stain the more it will emphasize irregularities in the floor. In order to minimize these problems, the floor will need to be sanded with more detail than a natural floor. The stain will need to be applied evenly through a manual process and additional dry time will be needed. Although our craftsmen strive to create a perfect product, some small imperfections may be visible (see inspection process).

Inspection should be done from a standing position with normal lighting. Glare, particularly from large windows, magnifies any irregularities in the floor and should not determine acceptance.

A finish similar to that found on fine furniture should not be expected. Trash in the finish, a wavy look along strips, deep swirls or sander marks, and splotchy areas can be indications of inadequate finishing and cleaning. The quality of the finish can be acceptable and still include some of these problems, but they should not appear over the entire floor.

The perimeter and hard to reach areas (under radiators, around cabinet cut-outs, closets, corners, etc.) are most likely to contain these irregularities.

Remove all furniture, wall decorations and appliances from the floor prior to our arrival.

Drape all openings to the area with plastic of other material if you wish.

Secure any window coverings that hang to floor level so they are above the floor at least three feet.

Remove all clothing or goods from closets.

We do not assume any responsibility for house cleaning or replacement of furniture and/or personal belongings.

If you have a mail slot connected to your home, please secure it so that mail cannot be pushed through the opening during the job.

Arrange for a plumber to remove any plumbing fixtures prior to our arrival and reset after completion if a bathroom and/or kitchen is involved. If you choose to perform the plumbing items yourself, we strongly recommend that all materials are composed of either copper or brass to insure well sealed connections.

You must have a 220v outlet (electric dryer or electric stove). If there is not access to a 220v in the home, we need confirmation of 220v availability in the breaker box. Please be aware that some homes with older electrical circuits and breakers may not sufficiently supply power, on a consistent basis, to hardwood floor sanding equipment. In these cases, breakers will trip. Our equipment is state-of-the-art and well maintained and we cannot accept responsibility for older or underpowered circuits. If you have concerns with your electrical system, you may want to hire an electrician to do an inspection.

We take care to avoid causing damage, however in some cases there may be some minor touch-up to the walls or baseboards after completion. Please be prepared to make minor touch-ups to paint, walls, trim and cabinetry should damage occur. You may choose to cover especially sensitive surfaces prior to our arrival.

Vapors from the oil-based finish may cause headaches, nausea or nervous inability. Finish is harmful or fatal if swallowed, do not induce vomiting and call a physician immediately. If possible, we recommend that small children, elderly and all pets should be kept away from the fumes. We also strongly discourage sleeping in the home within eight hours of the application. While water-based finishes emit less odor, but they still smell somewhat unpleasant.

Do not walk on the floor for 10 hours if oil based finish is used and 4 hours if water-based finish is used.

Do not replace the furniture or appliances for a minimum of 48 hours and do not replace area rugs for one week, as with any finish, 7 days is required for the product to become it’s hardest and in it’s fully cured stage.

Install floor protector pads on the bottom of all furniture

Place protective rugs or mats at all entrances to the area. These rugs help trap grit and absorb moisture before either one has a chance to damage the floor. These should be placed after the finish is fully cured (7 days).

Clean your wood floors with ½ cup vinegar in a gallon of water.

If the floor is covered with carpet or vinyl, we cannot see the wood to determine if any of the boards are damaged. If there is damage to the floor, then repairs will need to be made and repairs are not always included in the original estimate. We will however, discuss any price changes with you prior to beginning the work.

We cannot guarantee a completely flat surface. Each piece of wood is different, and depending on the graining of the wood and density, it will sand differently and accept stain and finish differently.

We cannot guarantee a dust free finish. Some dust will fall into freshly applied finish. These dust particles will wear off under normal use of the floor.

The floor will not be a monotone color. The wood varies in grain and color and will absorb the finish and stain differently from one board to the next.

While we do fill board gaps, we cannot guarantee how long the filler will stay in the floor. Any board gap wider than a dime’s width won’t likely retain the wood filler. If your wood type is Fir or Pine, we cannot fill your floor because in most cases there is no sub-floor and extra movement in the floor during the refinishing process will shake the fill our anyway. Some gaps may not retain the fill at the time we finish your job. Your floor conditions will change from season to season. Humidity in the air and floor movement will also be a factor in the way that the floor appears. The floors appear the worst in dry winter months.

It is recommended that the environment be kept at a temperature of between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Please be aware that carpet removal, baseboard and/or quarter-round work is not automatically included. If you wish to have this work done and it was not originally discussed, please call our office as soon as possible to arrange this work. A “Change Order” will be prepared and made a part of your original paperwork.