[mattsk8]

I (hope, if he accepts my bid) am about to do a 5" wide plank brazilian walnut floor w/ a 10 year finish. All I have for a nailer is the bostich stapler and I was told not to use this but to use the cleat nailer because the brazilian walnut is so hard. Is this necessary? I could definately see the staples braking off the tongue like it does to hickory but have never worked w/ this type of wood and w/ hickory I have used my stapler. If so, has anyone ever used the grizzly cleat nailer (looks just like the bostich but 1/2 the price and it's green instead of yellow) and does it work well and does it use bostich cleat nails? I would hate to have to order grizzly nails every time I had to use it!
Also w/ the 10 year finish, the guy has 3 black labs and I'm affraid the finish isnt going to hold up so I'm concidering doing a light sand and topcoat w/ a polyurethane over the factory finish. I've never done this over factory finish and was curious if it was as easy as a light sand and put down more finish? I know that's alot of questions for one post but thanks for any help...

 

[pinwheel]

Rent a quality nailer if you don't own one. Brazillian walnut is extremely hard & dense & very brittle. The tongues are going to splinter worse than hickory. I'm gonna forewarn ya about splinters. They're going to fester in your hand & get so sore you can't hardly touch them.

As for putting a coat of poly over the factory finish. DON'T. #1, you're going to void the factory warranty, #2, you're going to get finish failure. It's the homeowners job to take care of the dogs not scratching the floor, not yours. If you're trying to sell the job as being impervious to dogs, you're doing your client a big disservice. Be honest with him, his dogs are going to scratch the finish if they're at all rowdy & if that's a concern, he should choose a different flooring option.

 

[Cdat]

The bostich stapler is the only thing I use and I had no issues with it. Grizzley is Chinese junk. Use at your own risk.

 

[mattsk8]

I dont sell jobs like that, I'm very straight forward. It was actually the flooring retailer that recommended the topcoat. I told the guy the dogs are going to scratch the finish no matter what. I told him with his dogs he's prolly going to be on the every 5 year refinish plan. The dogs are why he's going brazilian walnut. He wanted american walnut which stinks because I get this waaay cheaper but oh well. Also the flooring retailer told me a topcoat would NOT void the factory warranty. I would make him put it in writing and sign it before I purchased the product however. It just seems like the finish on this floor isnt very hard. I can scratch it w/ my finger nail so I could just imagine what those muts are going to do to it!

 

[lawndart]

I dont sell jobs like that, I'm very straight forward. It was actually the flooring retailer that recommended the topcoat. I told the guy the dogs are going to scratch the finish no matter what. I told him with his dogs he's prolly going to be on the every 5 year refinish plan. The dogs are why he's going brazilian walnut. He wanted american walnut which stinks because I get this waaay cheaper but oh well. Also the flooring retailer told me a topcoat would NOT void the factory warranty. I would make him put it in writing and sign it before I purchased the product however. It just seems like the finish on this floor isnt very hard. I can scratch it w/ my finger nail so I could just imagine what those muts are going to do to it!

How about selling him unfinished brazilian walnut, and finishing the floor with something more durable, like a moisture cure product?

 

[mattsk8]

How about selling him unfinished brazilian walnut, and finishing the floor with something more durable, like a moisture cure product?

That's what I was going to do w/ the american walnut (It's unfinished) but it's only 2 1/4" planks and he prefers wide plank and I dont have a good source for the unfinished brazilian walnut. The 5" wide plank brazilian I can get for 3.70/ sq ft! That's why I was trying to make that work. If I just had to sand and top coat it would only take me a couple hours so save me labor here as well. Also, his wife's pregnant and their worried about the fumes for 2 or 3 days of finishing. The HO is fairly cheap. I got to know him cuz he had me do a bunch of work on alot of his rental properties (cheap cabinets, a floor refinish, paint, blah blah blah). I know he'll shop around and he's a cheap bid kind of guy. I HATE bidding jobs for guys like this but right now I'll take what I can get...

 

[pinwheel]

That's what I was going to do w/ the american walnut (It's unfinished) but it's only 2 1/4" planks and he prefers wide plank and I dont have a good source for the unfinished brazilian walnut. The 5" wide plank brazilian I can get for 3.70/ sq ft! That's why I was trying to make that work. If I just had to sand and top coat it would only take me a couple hours so save me labor here as well. Also, his wife's pregnant and their worried about the fumes for 2 or 3 days of finishing. The HO is fairly cheap. I got to know him cuz he had me do a bunch of work on alot of his rental properties (cheap cabinets, a floor refinish, paint, blah blah blah). I know he'll shop around and he's a cheap bid kind of guy. I HATE bidding jobs for guys like this but right now I'll take what I can get...

There is a way to topcoat aluminum oxide, but it's probably going to be a deal breaker for a penny pinchin client. http://www.basiccoatings.com/TyKote/Pages/TyKote.aspx Tykote is a bonding agent that will allow waterborne finish to adhear to the aluminum oxide. Last floor I recoated using this method, cost about $1.75/sq ft. That was my labor included.

 

[mattsk8]

There is a way to topcoat aluminum oxide, but it's probably going to be a deal breaker for a penny pinchin client. http://www.basiccoatings.com/TyKote/Pages/TyKote.aspx Tykote is a bonding agent that will allow waterborne finish to adhear to the aluminum oxide. Last floor I recoated using this method, cost about $1.75/sq ft. That was my labor included.

Thanks. I found a distributor near me. I'll call tomorrow and get the price/ details for the method of application.