Vinyl runners left 1000’s of holes in the hardwood – how can I fix?
netrate
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
Well, my father’s best intentions of pulling up the carpet, leaving the underpadding and then putting back down the vinyl runner really hurt me in the end. I know he meant well when he insisted I do it, but now that is has come time to pull up the underpadding and the runner, I see thousands of holes (well, it seems like that) running 2 feet by 9 feet up my front hallway. I am not sure why this runner was made of titanian vinyl nibbs (another exaggeration), but now I have the uneviable task of either trying to fix it myself or call in an expert.
Since the rest of the floor (and there is a lot of it) is pristine under the carpet, I am not sure if I can only do a strip that is damaged or I have to redo the entire floor? Sigh.
Replies
David.
Man, if I were you...........
I'd absolutely would never play the horses, the lottery or bet on any sports team
short of the Pittsburgh Steelers..............
I'm sure it'll take a hopefully light sanding over the hole area and out onto where ever this floor runs.
Not seeing it, I cannot say that you could get "lucky" and only have to putz with that smaller area.
or
leave as is and use a carpet runner to lay down on that beat to shit area.
Best of luck.
haha, my luck hasn't been great, but overall it is ok. I can't get stressed about things I can't change now. I talked to a floor guy and he said to redo the entire floor, but again, that is in his best interest. I am hoping a small repair job (small being 2 feet by 9 feet long!) will do the trick.
david
if the wood is pressed in from the surface, you need to take the floor down a hair to smooth it out. Doing that means you aint no way no how going to "blend" in this resurfacing.
If it's by slim chance, only marking the "finish", you could screen it (no sandpaper, more like a round scotchbrite pad on a floor polisher) and maybe blend the finish.
Highly doubtful on all accounts.
I would find that fictitious "inconspicuous location" and try successively stronger repair efforts -- first just a heavy scrubbing with a "non-scratch" kitchen scrubbie, then maybe fine steel wool, then various weights of sandpaper, until you find what it takes to clean/smooth it to an acceptable level.
Another doubtful, but worth-a-try method: lay a damp cloth over a small area and heat it with a clothes iron set on med-high.
The steam that 's driven in may swell the dents.
sweet jeezus.....
I hope he uses his noggin with the heat and a damp rag thing.
David has this perpetual ladder he walks under.
He's ambitious to beat the band, wish I had some of it.
But things just happen.
I hope he gets to a fest one of these days, really like to meet the guy.
You too.
Merry Christmas!
Fix with steam
Does anyone think steam from a wallpaper steam remover would swell the wood, allowing minimal sanding? For only 2'x9' might be worth a try v's taking off a lot of meat with sanding or redoing the floor.Edit: Just read that it's been mentioned already. Oops.
Taking out 'dents' from wayward hammer stricks in lumber with steam was a FHB tip a while ago I think.
I guess I am left scratching my head as to how a vinyl runner could make holes in a hardwood floor. If the finish is that soft that the runner impacted it, then you should be able to go just about anywhere on the floor and make similar marks with your fingernail. I suspect that what you have is a finish that from the start or from the chemicals in the carpet/pad is really soft and subject to this type of damage. First I would try to determine what type of finish it is so that you can best determine what new finish to put over it.
Next, I would rent a floor buffer and a screen and screen the whole floor. While you have describe it as "holes" in the floor. I just can't believe it goes into the wood itself. Been wrong before though.