BEFORE WE START

• The equipment that we use to sand your hardwood floor has a built-in vacuum cleaner for immediate dust removal. However, it is impossible for this equipment to vacuum all dust. In fact there may be a 10 to 15% dust factor, most of which will be found on the baseboards and or surface areas. This dust can be easily wiped off with a damp sponge. Ag Floors, Inc. or its staff, are under no obligation to clean. Keep in mind this is contracted home improvement work.
• Disconnect and move all electrical equipment (stereos, speakers, TV's, computer etc.) when possible. If we are doing work in your kitchen or batyhroom please be aware that we do not disconnect or connect any appliances that are connected to plumbing, gas, or electrical lines.
• Move all small furniture such as floor lamps, small bookcases and plant stands, out the area.
• Remove all small items, such as fragile items. Clean out china cabinents, drawers, and bookshelves. Remove all artwork and mirrors from wall in teh work area(s) as well as in surrounding areas.
• Empty closets of all items. If refinishing an entrance mail slots will be unavailable to mailman, please make arrangements.
• Remove window treatments as possible, especially long draperies.
• We need access to 220 volt outlet (usualy from your dryer). If not available we will use your fuse box.

THE PROCESS

Day One

• Move Furniture (optional)
• Sand floor surface
• Application of stain (optional)
• Apply first coat of polyurethane

Day Three

• Buff floor surface
• Coat and install new moldings (optional)
• Apply second coat of polyurethane

Day Two

• Move furniture back

IMPORTANT FACTS

• Please keep in mind that oil-based polyurethane takes 8 hours to dry, water-base takes 2 hours to dry and some stains take longer to dry than others. This may add a day to the process so there may be variations to this schedule. In addition summer time is the busiest time of the year though we strive to accommodate your work for the early morning, this sometimes is impossible to do, so we do not gurantee time of arrival, and we ask that you please allow access to your home as needed.
• 24 hours after we have completed our work, the finish on your floor will have reached about 75% of complete curing. Curing is complete in 7 days.
• We recommended that you stay off the floors as much as possible for that first week. However, if you must, walking on the floor in stockings of socks is preferable.
• Do not place rugs on the new floor until 2 weeks after the floor is refinished. At that time, we recommend using throw rugs and runners in high traffic areas and on the floor in front of the sink.
• AG Floors, Inc. charges a fee (though not as much as a moving company) for having your furniture moved out of the back into the work area. Please be advised we do not dismantle any type of furniture (example beds, two piece dressers, entertainment centers) we only move it. We ask that you set a time when you will be home so it may be placed where you want it, we also recommend that felt tips be used with your furniture. Once the furniture is in place, take care that it is not dragged or pushed across the floor while the finish is curing; this will leave scratches.
• Shoe molding, risers and thresholds (oak moldings) are all optional “accessories” to the refinishing and/or installation of your hardwood floors. Prices quoted material, installation labor and coating. Please keep in mind that the molding will never exactly match the hardwood floor especially when it is an older hardwood floor. These prices are for accenting, defining and decorating your hardwood floors.
• When refinishing a floor, baseboards will need some paint touchups. We can’t completely avoid polyurethane or stain on them.
• AG Floors, Inc. matches stains as close as possible to pre existing hardwood floors. We cannot guarantee an “exact” match.
• Gaps within your hardwood floor are natural occurrence. Your house contracts and expands with the change of the seasons and settles over time. The price of refinishing includes random putty work in areas most affected. It is impossible to match putty to the floor surface (you know where putty can be found on the floor, no one else can unless they look for it). Putty is a temporary remedy, over the years it hardens and gradually chips out of the floor. If you want extensive putty work (troweling) there is an extra fee.
• AG Floors, Inc. and it’s staff fully understand the phrase “my home is my castle”. If after you have read this document, you do not fully understand the preparation instructions, the process of having your hardwood floors refinished or installed and/or instructions on how to care for them, please do not hesitate to contact us.

HARDWOOD FLOOR RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE

Preventive maintenance to wood floors today involves protecting the finish from scratches, spills and moisture.

Customers who realize that their floors aren’t impervious to an onslaught of spills, grit and water will be less likely to call back with complaints in the future. That means explaining proper maintenance. (The NWFA has a floor care brochure available to members.) The key points to tell customers about maintenance include:

MAINTENANCE FOR ALL FLOORS:

• Follow manufacturer’s recommendations if known.
• Install floor protector pads on the bottom of all furniture.
• Place protective rugs or mats at all entrances to the area. These rugs help trap grit and also absorb moisture before either one has a chance to damage the floor. These should be placed after the finish is fully cured.
• High heels should be kept in good repair – if they lose their protective cap, they will dent the surface of any floor.
• The floor should be swept, vacuumed and/or dust-mopped with a recommended hardwood floor cleaner regularly to remove dirt and grit, and rugs should be shaken out frequently. (Use only vacuums that have a special hard-surface setting.)

URETHANE FLOORS:

• Most finish manufacturers do not recommend wet mopping.
• Never use a household dust treatment.
• Always use manufacturers recommended cleaning products. If the manufacturer is not known, use a recommended hardwood floor cleaner available at local retail wood flooring stores.
• Never use wax on top of a non-wax surface finish.
• Wipe up spills immediately with a lightly dampened cloth, then follow up with a recommended cleaning product.
• For stubborn stains, lightly dampen a soft cloth with a manufacturers recommended cleaner or hardwood floor cleaner. Apply directly to the stain and repeat as necessary.
• Never use petroleum-based cleaners on waterbased finishes.
• When the floor loses its luster, it’s time for a recoat.

ACRYLIC IMPREGNANTED FLOORS:

These floors come in two types: Those coated with urethane, and those that are not.

• Urethane-coated acrylic impregnated floors require routine sweeping, vacuuming or dust-mopping, as well as damp-mopping with a recommended cleaner.
• Non-urethane-coated acrylic-impregnated floors, typically used for commercial applications, should be swept, vacuumed or dust-mopped. In addition, however, they should routinely be buffed with a low-speed buffing machine and the appropriate cleaner. When the floor becomes dull, some manufacturers recommend that the floor be lightly screened, and a conditioning product and cleaner should be used.

WAX FLOORS:

Never use a water-based cleaner on wax floors.

• Wipe up spills immediately with a dry cloth. This may dull the area, so buffing may be required.
• To remove white spots caused by water spills, use a fine steel wool and a small amount of mineral sprits. Rub gently in a circular motion until the spot is gone, then rewax the area and rebuff.
• When the floor loses luster in heavy traffic areas, buff to a satin shine. When the buffer does not produce a shine, rewax only the dull areas. Note that too much wax causes the floor to scuff easily.

REGULAR CARE MAINTENANCE OF HARDWOOD FLOORS

To keep floors their best, we recommend that they be dusted, mopped, or vacuumed at least twice a week, more often on high traffic areas.

Regular dusting, mopping or vacuuming is essential to the care of hardwood floors. A good quality dust mop or vacuum attachment is the most effective tool for cleaning dust and dirt off the floor.

Spills and tracked in dirt can be cleaned by lightly damp mopping the floor with a household sponge mop. Use clean water for regular sponge mopping. ONLY USE DAMP MOP.

If necessary, weekly cleaning with a mild all-purpose cleaner is harmless. The finish manufactures recommend the following agents:

• Spic & Span Liquid 1/4 cup to a gallon of water
• Mr. Clean 1/4 cup to a gallon of water
• Persons Ammonia Cleaner 1/3 cup to a gallon of water
• Spic & Span Pine Liquid 1/4 cup to a gallon of water
• Pine Sol 1/4 cup to a gallon of water
• Lysol Liquid 1/4 cup to a gallon of water
• Windex, Glass Plus, Glass Works
• Spray glass cleaners on Water Dampened Sponge
• DO NOT SPRAY DIRECTLY ON FLOOR.

• Fantastic
• Formula 409
• Dishwashing Detergent
• Powdered All Purpose Cleaners
• Murphy’s All Purpose Cleaners
• Paste Wax
• Endust, Pledge, or other dusting products.
• Future, Mop N Glow, Brite, or any other polish