How long have you been in the business? (Back to top)
Don started the business in 1984. He has studied and worked in the trade since 1969 and still has notes from the mid sixties about unusual wood floors he observed even then. Though there are more kinds of wood floors than you have probably ever heard of, few floormen have worked on the variety of outstanding, solid, real wood floors that he has.
Are your workmen reliable? (Back to top)
Yes. They have been working professionally and full time on floors for many years--collectively, for well over a century.
Let me tell you more about them. Three of the eleven live in Lake County, all the others in the Napa Valley; six of them are homeowners. They hold among them diplomas from many local schools including Rancho Cotate High School, Napa High School, Calistoga High School, St. Helena High School, St. Ignatius High School, San Rafael High School and Mendocino High School, as well as degrees from the University of Oregon, the University of San Francisco, and Sonoma State University.
In their non-flooring lives there is among them: a golfer; a veteran; a scoutmaster; an amature metal smith; an instructor of sailing; a snow-boarder; a musician in a band; a bowler; an amature soccer player; a masters degree in English Literature; a spelunker; a school board member; a volunteer with a foreign exchange student organization; and many proud parents.
They are solid floormen and solid, contributing members of our local communities.
What about "acclimation" of the wood? (Back to top)
Wood is intrinsically unstable. It will expand and contract as humidity and temperature vary. We take many steps -- including acclimation -- to keep your floors stable, but do not guarantee your floor boards will not move. Though cupping or shrinking is unusual in our floors, it is not unheard of. If absolute stability is your main criterion for a successful floor you may want to consider synthetic or man-made products but not real wood.
When will you be done with my job? (Back to top)
The men on your job do this work five days a week -- some for over 20 years -- and we've learned to proceed at a steady, measured pace to maintain long-term efficiency, as well as to avoid mistakes. We meet at the shop each morning at 7:40, discuss the day's tasks, load supplies, and drive to our jobs, yours among them. We normally work until 4:30 p. m. but sometimes must leave earlier on errands for your or other jobs.
Can you finish sooner than planned? (Back to top)
Maybe. However, wood floors are a custom, not a commodity product -- basically a large project fashioned not in a factory but by hand, with care and attention to detail. They can't properly be rushed.
Will my floors be smooth? (Back to top)
Finish applied in your home, not in a vacuum in a factory, will never be completely free of dust, hairs, etc. This is not something to be suprised or shocked at. In a world where so much of what we use is machine mass-produced, people forget the qualities of a hand-made product, which can include some initial roughness. But with use, your floors, like other, older wood floors will become quite smooth and polished.
The whole process makes me nervous. (Back to top)
We understand. You don't have construction done every day. There are noise, dust and floormen in your home or work space. You're spending money and out of your normal routine and you can't walk freely where you normally would. You're on an alert, heightened awareness where often small things seem large.
But please -- be calm. Relax, if possible. Read the literature we've provided. If you still have questions or concerns phone our office. We are really very friendly people and will do our best to address your concerns and complete your job carefully and expeditiously. We don't make too many mistakes but we're just human, so when they happen we'll address them as quickly as possible.
Can you work this weekend? (Back to top)
After a full work week, we generally reserve weekends for family and leisure; then on Monday and through the week we are refreshed and at our best for you.
Will my floor look like the sample I saw? (Back to top)
Maybe. Wood is a natural product, its color and grain will vary. Each species is different and every board is different. Samples are a guide and cannot exhibit the entire range of visual effects your whole actual floor will offer. So when you have chosen your floor species and your color, please -- let go of the sample, put it away and out of your mind; its job is done. Something better has supplanted it: the actual floor! -- which after all is real, present, and preferable, not merely a few square feet of sample. No need now to keep looking back to the signpost; we're at the destination: a beautiful, highly useful, real wood floor that is truly unique and literally unlike any other. That can't be said of laminated, machined, manufactured "wood" floors, or samples, and still less of a factory product like vinyl, rug, or linoleum.
Will the nail holes be filled? (Back to top)
Yes. We will try to find them all. If any are overlooked they can still be filled. Not to worry.
When can I walk on my floor? (Back to top)
Although the finish continues to harden for a week or more after it is applied, most of our customers move their furniture on to the floors the next day without any problem. The finish we use has excellent hardness and durability, yet it is not impervious to scuffing. But again, it's not a piece of furniture, it's meant to be walked on . . . it is a floor after all.
Are there guidelines for evaluating my floor?
Yes, to warrant attention an area of concern in a floor must meet the "3-4-5" test, which means that it must be visible in a 4 square foot area within 3 seconds of looking from 5 feet above the floor. Or more generally, a visual evaluation of wood floors should simply be made with an unprejudiced eye from a normal upright standing posture.
Basically, because our product employs a natural substance--wood--with its characteristic and unique grain and colors, and is also handcrafted, it is unavoidable that you may find a "flaw" if you search. Nevertheless, you can depend on your floors being distinguished by the quality any fine handcrafted product has over a factory-made, mass-produced item. (And of course, any real defect we will quickly attend to.) Our standing operating principle is to do your job right, acording to well-established flooring practices, regardless of the time it takes. Our attitude is one of good faith and reasonableness, and this philosophy has proven most serviceable and beneficial over the years.
