I use a time-saving tool to spread water-based finishes quickly over the hardwood floors that I install. It is simply a 3/4-in.-thick hardwood strip covered by a length of 1-in.-thick foam pipe insulation wrapped in terry cloth. I cut the hardwood strip to fit into a wallpaper tray, which is typically about 30 in. long. The terry cloth and foam are held fast by staples.
The handle is a length of 1/2-in. copper pipe. I found that a Forstner bit drills a hole snug enough that a fastener isn’t necessary to attach the handle. This makes it easy to detach the head when the job is done.
Mark Tylinski, Big Bend, WI
Edited and Illustrated by Charles Miller
From Fine Homebuilding #190
