The third rule of refinishing a floor is not to step in the
Varathane while laying it down. The contingency plan to mitigate this possible
eventuality is to lay it down in stocking feet and to carry a fresh pair of
stockings in one’s back-pocket. When changing stockings be sure not to sit in
wet Varathane. This will only make matters worse.
The floor came out reasonably well. I’m happy with it, but
there was a steep learning curve along the way. Stepping in it is no good.
The first rule is that you cannot sand enough and never be
stingy with tack cloth. Go over it twice. The corners can be cleaned with a
sharp chisel. By the time you have finished rough sanding, you will have taken
off 1/16 of an inch wood. You can shave that with a sharp chisel. But here’s the
thing about chisels. Most come from China and even brand new, they are not
sharp. Hone the chisel on a diamond stone some before going at the corners.
From there take everything down to 320 or 400 grit sand paper with an orbital
sander.
The second rule is not to trust the manufacturer’s
instructions for laying down Varathane. They are sketchy at best and almost
misleading to the point of fooling you into believing the job will be a piece
of cake. But they do warn you not drink the stuff, to be careful with fumes and
to evacuate the area should you get lightheaded and dizzy. You probably don’t
want to get the stuff in your eyes either.
They say on the can you can lay down a second coat after 5
or 6 hours without sanding. This is a hopeful lie. After five or six hours the
stuff doesn’t flow smoothly. It pools unevenly.
Lay down a coat. Let it dry and harden for 12 hours. Sand it
out and tack cloth and repeat three or four times. (It should be noted the Rust-Oleum
people who make Varathane offer no suggestions on their WEB site as to how best
apply it. The instructions are a scant three tiny sentences in the smallest of
type on the back of the can. (Even with my “readers” on, it was hopeless. I
needed a magnifying glass.)
The final and forth rule for refinishing a floor – do it in
good light. It’s impossible to evenly coat a surface if you can’t see how the
finish is laying down.
Once again a life’s lesson is relearned. There are no
shortcuts. The same thing is true with apple pancakes. (Next post. And oh, such
more tasty.)
