Ken's Hardwood Floor Service in San Jose & Bay Area - Hardwood Floor & Engineer Contractor.

Ken's Hardwood Floor Service installs and finishes new wood floors, and repairs and refinishes existing wood floors. A new installation can take from 1 to 5 days (about 1 day for 300 square feet, an average-sized room). An average refinish job (3 rooms or approximately 400 to 500 square feet) usually takes 3 to 4 days to complete.

The basics involved in a refinishing job are as follows: the floor is rough-sanded to remove the old finish, and a filler which approximates the general color of the wood is toweled over the entire surface of the floor. In the case of top nailed or surface-nailed floors, each nail is

set by hand prior to the application of filler, in order to ensure that each nail-hole will accept filler. Once the filler is dry, the floor is sanded again with a finer sand paper to remove any excess filler and smooth out rough-sanding marks. Next, a very fine sand paper is used for the final sanding pass, to remove any sanding marks left by previous passes. The floor is then screened, a process similar to sanding, but using a milder abrasive screen instead of sand paper. At this stage, the floor is vacuumed, and the first coat of finish is applied. The successive coats of finish are then applied, often with an additional screening between coats.

Installations

There are many product choices available for new floor installations, from traditional wood types and board dimensions to numerous pre-finished and "engineered" flooring products. While there are products available in a wide price range, budget may be just one determinant in choosing a flooring material. Relative durability, design considerations, and sub floor type may also be important factors. If you are considering installing a new floor, we will be happy to send you our handout which discusses the installation process in greater detail. Also, we encourage you to make an appointment to visit our office to look at samples and speak with an estimator about the specifics of your new floor installation.

Repairs

Ken's Hardwood Floor Service can repair any voids or replace any damaged wood in your floor. We will provide the same species and grade of wood to match your existing flooring, but it is important to note that matching the species and grade will not always provide an exact match in color and grain character. Such discrepancies are to be expected, and Ken's Hardwood Floor Service cannot be held liable for any such discrepancies. Smaller imperfections, such as holes and gaps between boards, can often be filled rather than repaired. Many older floors do not hold filler well over time, and our customers should expect to do some remedial puttying, especially in high-traffic areas; we cannot unconditionally guarantee that filler will hold in your floor.

Wood stains

For customers who have a specific color scheme in mind, Ken's Hardwood Floor Service can stain oak floors to almost any color. (Staining fir or maple floors is not recommended -- ask one of our estimators for more information.) Brown-tone stains are the most common, and will add some cost and about a day to an average-size job. Pastel, white or "designer" stains will add significant cost and about three days to an average-size job. Ken's Hardwood Floor Service has extensive experience matching stains to existing wood, but our customers should be aware that staining to match existing wood is not an exact science, and that Ken's Hardwood Floor Service cannot be held liable for an imperfect match. Whenever possible, we will attempt to show our customers stain samples on their floor part way through the finishing process in order to ensure that our customers are seeing the stain they are choosing on their floor. This step is very important; we cannot lighten or darken a stain once it has been applied, and we cannot re-sand and re-stain the floor without an added charge. For customers who do not have a specific color in mind, we always encourage them to consider foregoing the added time and cost of staining, leaving the floors "natural." Please ask to speak with an estimator if you have any other questions regarding staining.

Floor Care Products

When the job is complete, we offer complimentary furniture pads and floor cleaner for customers who visit our office. Please contact our office for information about these complimentary products when your floor is complete.