michaelg January 27, 2003 Share January 27, 2003 Any suggestions for protecting the floor? It has a heavy urethane finish. I am planning on using carpet directly under the stand. Other suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brobak January 27, 2003 Share January 27, 2003 I have two tanks on my hardwood floors, and to be honest, i've ruined the floors under then in the year that the tanks have been up. If you put down carpet, it will tend to hold the water if you hvae a big spill and wick it under the stand. If I were to do it over, i'd put down a bead of clear silidone around the base of the stand to make sure water doesnt wick under there (happens to me all the time) and the just be careful about wiping up the spills as they happen. You may also want to put another coat of sealer on the floor around the tank, but thats a really big pain in the *ss. Seal around the base of the tank, and just clean up as things happen, and you should be ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg January 27, 2003 Author Share January 27, 2003 The silicone should come up easy down the road, shouldn't it? Yeah- I don't want to use that urethane again- we were all fried after we coated the floors the first time. It is like bowling alley stuff- super hard and shiny. Thanks for the suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brobak January 27, 2003 Share January 27, 2003 Yeah I know, I redid 1100 sq. ft. of hardwood floors in my house. You only did one coat of urathane? I did three, and the floor still isnt sealed that well , as evidenced by the fact that its ruined under my tank. I think the silicone would come up easy enough. The floor can stand beign wet, so long as you wipe it up and dont let it sit. My big problem was that it would get under the stand, where I cant reach, and then sink in there and warp all the wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geofloors January 27, 2003 Share January 27, 2003 A few questions to start. Are there any large gaps in the hardwood floors where the tank will go? Have the floors ever been waxed to your knowledge? If the answer is no to both of these questions then the answer is apply more polyurethane. Your floors only protection again moisture of any sort on a hardwood floor is the finish. In your case I would recommed a marine varnish which will hold up to the salt water. It is thick like warm honey and will give excellent protection to spills. This is an easy project and I can do this for you if you want. You could also put a few extra coats of regular oil based polyurethane but you can only apply one coat every 10-12 hours because of dry time. Chances are eventually from the salt water this polyurethane will peel. If your floors have large cracks between the boards then the polyurethane will not seal up the cracks and spilled water will get under the flooring and cause cupping or crowning and worse case buckling. You must fill all the cracks with a latex filler before polyurethaning. If the floor has been waxed then the floor will have to be sanded down to raw wood to apply any type of polyurethane. Polyurethane will not stick to a waxed surface. It's not necessarily the flooring under the stand you need to worry about, it's all the flooring in the vicinity that can be damaged. Silicone will stop the water from getting under the stand but not between the boards. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg January 27, 2003 Author Share January 27, 2003 I was hoping our resident flooring expert would chime in here. I will look at the label on the can and more closely at the floor before I reply further. I do remember that the stuff was super thick, we did 2 heavy coats, and they have never needed a waxing. Not sure if it was marine based or not. My brother really did overkill, as we didn't want scratches from the dog's paws on the finish, and it has worked for 2+ years now. The wood is the original that was put in the house back in '46 (pretty sure it is oak). Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sph2sail January 28, 2003 Share January 28, 2003 Home Depot sells entry runners that are rubber w/carpet on top. I use a 3'x5' runner in front of the tank (when I remember) when I'm doing maintenance. The carpet wicks the spills and the rubber keeps if off my floors. They have two kinds of runners. One has a 1" rubber flange all the way around that is reasonably thin. I use this one. The flange slides in a bit under my stand so water doesn't get in there. Cheap and removable. Seems to work for me. s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg January 29, 2003 Author Share January 29, 2003 Geo- I pulled the info on the can this morning. We used 3 coats of Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane. "Indoor/Outdoor, clear gloss, exceptional protection from sunlight, rain/moisture. Ideal for door, window, bartop, outdoor funiture, planters. " Seems like it should hold up well to some minor amounts of water. I guess the question I still have is in regards to the silicone bead around the tank stand, and if I will be able to peel the silicone off in a couple years, which is when we anticipate moving. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geofloors January 29, 2003 Share January 29, 2003 Michael, That is a good urethane you used. It will definitely hold up to the water but the big question is, are there gaps between the boards where water can seep under the floor? If so then the water can still get under the flooring and create problems. The silicone should come off easy with a putty knife down the road without damaging the finish. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg January 29, 2003 Author Share January 29, 2003 Yeah- you'd like my younger bro- he's pretty hardcore when it comes to these things- with a devious grin on his face the whole time, knowing it will take a H-E-double hockey sticks of a lot to damage his work. There are no big gaps- maybe a paper thin amount? Will make sure that I promptly clean up after any spillage. One potential trouble spot would be if wate ran under the quarter round- which I will make sure to seal up. Now- just need to fool proof this thing to avoid a flood and make sure the Mrs stays happy. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geofloors January 30, 2003 Share January 30, 2003 Alot of people don't know how easily hardwood floors are damaged. Water and dogs are the two major destroyers. If your house is very old and the hardwood has shrank over the years due to the heat and AC drying out the wood the it would take a flood to make the floor buckle. When hardwood is only a few years old and installed properly there should be minimal gapping and therefor a little bit of water can cause serious swelling. I try to take this serios because I hate to see anyone damage their flooring :D I think you'll be fine with the flooring as long as you don't have a puddle every week. As far as the quarterround goes, just put some silicone around there also. If you go to Home Depot they sell all kind of colors of caulk for Pergo floors. You should be able to find something close to your floor. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg January 30, 2003 Author Share January 30, 2003 It was our dog that we asked him to make it a strong finish. In a loft that I lived in in Houston, the dog nail marks were easily seen after a short time. After 2 years, I can't see a single scratch on this finish. I will hunt down the caulk that will match. Thanks for your help on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quazi January 30, 2003 Share January 30, 2003 FWIW, I lay down a piece of pressure treated plywood under may tank. It helps with small wetness issues and protects the floor directly under my tank. You could expand on that idea, add the quarter round and calk and creat a small "spill way." :O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquariareview February 2, 2003 Share February 2, 2003 I have always used a piece of linoleum cut to about 3-4 inch larger than the stand on all sides (you can even go up the wall about 20 inchs to protect from spills). Match it's color to the room. Use a plastic threshold all the way around held down with silicone. This will totally keep the water from day to day use, off of the wood. and if you pick a good color it gives the tank more of a built in look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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