By Chance Team Sparkle Hits an Oakwood Yard Sale And Is Asked To Refinish The Last of Her Floors

One Saturday morning last fall we were coating a floor in Medford, and decided to do a “little yard sale’ing” while waiting for a coat to dry. It happened to be Oakwood’s community yard sale. Going from house to house Wendy realizes her customer, Lynne and a friend have stuff for sale. Wendy immediately went up to her, and it was like friends hugging and reuniting like old times.

But in addition to seeing what she had to sell, Lynne pipes up, “Wendy, I’m so-so glad you are here, I’d like to get my living room and dining room floors refinished. Can you take a look?” Of course I said yes, and she was eager to take us inside to have a look.

While nothing with this refinishing would be a major concern, Lynne was excited to get the last of the carpets out, and to get the red oak floors refinished. And then she would splurge on some new furniture for the living room. As a active retiree she loves her house, and enjoys the wildlife who come to visit her. Nestled in a wooded area she has wonderful kitchen box window and porch view of the feeders she keeps. She enjoys the birds, squirrels, deer and other wildlife. Content— this is her ‘Fur’ever home, and where she wants to stay.

We Made a Few Recommendations and We Set The Refinishing Appt for Late February

We had a couple things we could recommend. One, did she want to have us install some quarter round trim (as a finished product since there is no carpet now.) Two, would she like to upgrade her floor vents from metal vents that drop in or would she prefer a more finished look of recessed vents installed in to, and as part of the floor. Click here →See How Nice The Flush Mount Vents Look

It’s nice because flush mount floor vents are permanently installed in to the floor. They, unlike the drop in vent types, don’t usually break or bend with foot traffic, and mops or vacuums don’t get hung up on them  Another great feature, is the vents come with a damper so they can be opened or closed. And finally, the inside part of the vent pops out easily so you can vacuum in the vent, or the air duct cleaners can get access to them.

We measured, gave her a plan that matches the other areas we did for her (steps, hallway and 3 bedrooms.) And with her permission, we got down to it right away.

The Only Other “Tweak” Was to Install a Transition Around The Edge of the Foyer Mosaic Tile Which is Located Just Inside The Front Door

Some years ago they had a ceramic mosaic tile installed just inside the front door. Frankly it is really pretty, and obviously saved the carpet from wet foot traffic on rainy days. Well, the tile was laid on top and was level with the carpet, so when it was torn out it would have to have a transition added so it wouldn’t become a trip and fall hazard. That would be an easy thing to do, and was put on the list.

Lynne Had Just a Few Questions To Remind Her of The Process

The only couple questions Lynne had—” how long would it take, it’s dustless right, and would it have a strong smell that would linger (she did not remember, probably because we use a finish system with low voc’s, and she hardly noticed.)

• We told her this would happen quickly
• We reminded her we use dustless technology, so there’s little mess
• About the smell, we reviewed that with her, and made her at ease. Instead we use a natural formula that performs excellently that doesn’t have strong odors.
• And the finish system we use, when we got done explaining what we don’t use, her mind was at ease. It is common that nasty chemicals are common to polyurethane finishes, but we use a safer, environmental formulation, so again that concern was settled.

After explaining we assured her, and she was confident she and her cat would not be exposed to anything harmful.

Floors Are Sanded And Ready for Stain in No Time

The floors were sanded thoroughly (according to NWFA Industry Standards,) and the decision for the stain color was fast approaching. With the landing and the stairs at the far end of the room, we could easily match the color, and did just that. The stain was applied. Now for the finish coats, 1 seal and 2 finishes applied at full strength.

After Couple Days Lynne Was Over The Moon Thrilled At How Her Floors Were Looking

Even as the sanding was underway Lynne could see the transformation already! And as she would peek at them she was also excited to begin shopping for the new furniture she wanted. Then as the stain was added, then the seal and finish see was over the moon thrilled! So thrilled, she was telling all her friends about it, and asked them to come and see (which we of course were equally thrilled to hear! LOL)

Just a Few More Details—The Trim and The Transition For The Foyer Mosaic

With all the hard work done, we were down to the finishing touches, in this case the quarter round and the transition around the mosaic foyer “landing.” After Lynne painted the trim (which she was all too happy to do,) we installed it, puttied the nail holes, and caulked it for a finished result. Then we ended the job by custom fabricating a transition that butts up next to the foyer, at the exact height, then tapers down to the wood floor.

Frankly, with the wood floors setting the tone, the mosaic foyer “landing” becomes a focal point in the room. And case in point, so much so her good friend and neighbor wondered did we install that too, or did someone else install it at the same time (Funny that Lynne says it’s been that way for about 12 years. Her neighbor, a frequent guest didn’t remember it, but now the newly refinished wood floors really sets it off.)

ps- it’s such a wonderful thing when we make friends with our clients. It was our pleasure to serve Lynne, and it is nice we have become friends. She has adored our team, from years ago to now, and gives everyone great praise. How nice that this can happen between a client and a company (how often can you say that!) As it stands I look forward to having lunch with Lynne soon, and catching up.

pss- I am pretty sure she would recommend us to you too, if you asked! I know she tells everyone about us!

Whether it’s a small job, or a larger complicated one, we treat each one the utmost care. And to prove it, it is frequent that our already happy customers call us back for more work.  It would be our pleasure to give you a free estimate too!  Call us at 609.953.0472 or contact us online.