Frequently Asked Questions
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- How do I schedule the stairway refinishing work?
Work may be scheduled immediately upon your request.
- Acting as your own general contractor?
Helpful hints -- When homeowners hire us as part of an overall remodelling project, they're often serving as their own general contractor. At times, however, the scheduling is too tight. It is better to add 10 or 20 percent to every time estimate in your project. Then surprises will not rush the project.
- When can I walk on the stairs?
During the sanding process you can walk on the stairway anytime, except as we are doing final prep and cleanup prior to application. During the staining and finishing process you can walk on the stairs in process in the morning before we arrive, and before our coating preparations have progressed to the cleaning stage (when we don't want any contaminants tracked onto the surface), however, too much traffic in and out of the stairwell usually knocks the plastic sheeting down which helps confine dust).
- Does the trim have to come off?
The refinishing process may scuff trim which then may require some touch up. However, if trim is removed it usually gets broken and damaged worse than if it had been left in place. Of course, if the trim is going to be replaced with new trim, then the old trim is best removed prior to refinishing.
- How can we facilitate the process?
Help out?
- Remove all old flooring and fasteners or staples from the stairway;
- Help finishes dry properly by heating your home to 72 deg. f. around the clock during the cooler months.
- If your furnace is programmed to cycle down at night, bypass that programming during the finishing process.
- This applies only during the finishing process and staining.
- The furnace need not be adjusted during the sanding process; in the warmer weather when it is hot and humid, run your air conditioning around the clock to lower the humidity and help the drying process of the finish.
- When should I paint or wallpaper?
Painting after refinishing allows for better colour range as you can get your colours to click with the wood surface. Painting after refinishing means no dust on newly painted surfaces and no scuffs from the refinishing process to touch up.
- Is there any dust?
Yes, although more than 99 percent of dust goes in the dust bag of the sanding machine, some does not. Some of this gets in the air and the work space is not air tight. Although we put up plastic, closed doors are the best way to confine dust within the refinish area.
- When should I do ceramic tile?
Ceramic tile is best done prior to refinishing. The reason is that it is a wet, messy process and ceramic installers often get a little mortar or grout on a new wood surface, if they come after us.
- Can other work be done during the refinishing?
Certainly, other renovations may be done while stair refinishing is underway. However, within the stairway, little other work can be done during the refinishing process. Generally we process the entire surface as a single unit, step by step. Stopping to move an extension chord, pick up a screwdriver or screw or nail left behind or to clean up a little plaster grit or what have you, knocks the process off stride. This puts pressure on the process that can affect the quality or lead to accidents. The refinishing craftsman needs to watch what he's doing and he can't do that while working around other workers and their tools, materials and work debris.
- When should I install carpet, hardwood or other flooring?
Carpet, hardwood or other flooring (except ceramic tile, marble, or slate) are best installed after refinishing your stairway. This will avoid any problems from scuffs, spills, dust...etc from the extensive sanding, scraping, stripping, staining, and finishing the stairs.
- How long will the refinishing take?
This varies from job to job but is noted on your quotation near the bottom.
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Serving: Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Dundas, Ancaster, Stoney Creek, Grimsby, Caledonia, Greater Toronto Region
with Quality Wooden Floor and Stair Refinishing since 1987.
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