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Default Cleaning Sheetrock Dust from Hardwood Floors

I've read a few different things about cleaning up sheetrock dust, but
most posts were for tile floor or plywood subflooring.

I re-sheetrock'd a room with hardwood floros, much of the dust cleaned
up nice with a broom and dust pan, but the areas of the hardwood
floors that saw traffic, the dust seems to be embedded into the floor.
Mopping did very little, it almost looks like paint spills all over
the place.

Before I go crazy is there a good product or technique I can use to
clean hardwood floors of caked-in sheetrock dust? I'm sure a stiff
brush would clean it out, but hands and knees scrubbing is my last
resot.

Thanks,
Justin

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Default Cleaning Sheetrock Dust from Hardwood Floors

wrote:

I've read a few different things about cleaning up sheetrock dust, but
most posts were for tile floor or plywood subflooring.

I re-sheetrock'd a room with hardwood floros, much of the dust cleaned
up nice with a broom and dust pan, but the areas of the hardwood
floors that saw traffic, the dust seems to be embedded into the floor.
Mopping did very little, it almost looks like paint spills all over
the place.

Before I go crazy is there a good product or technique I can use to
clean hardwood floors of caked-in sheetrock dust? I'm sure a stiff
brush would clean it out, but hands and knees scrubbing is my last
resot.

Thanks,
Justin


You have just discovered why you should cover hardwood (or any
finished floor) with protection before working with sheetrock.

Your problems solution depends upon a number of factors. What
kind of flooring is it? What kind of finish does it have?

If it is a solid hardwood floor with a polyeurathane finish,
then you may have to screen and refinish the floor. This can
be accomplished by hand, but it is best left to pros if you
are not sure of what you are doing.

If it is a wax finish, then using a wax stripper to remove the
contaminated wax and rewaxing may repair it.

If it is a prefinished floor, then a scrub brush and a shop
vac with a mild detergent may get it up. If this is the
method that you use, do NOT try to wipe up the wet floors.
Apply your water and cleaning solution to the floor. Scrub
with the brush, then vacuum up the liquid. Rinse with clean
water and vacuum again. Work small areas at a time. Don't
try to soak the entire floor at once. You may remove some of
the "shine" this way, but it should clean up most of the
drywall dust.

I am not even considering it to be a laminate floor, because
even with all of laminates faults, it does clean up easily in
this type of situation.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX
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Default Cleaning Sheetrock Dust from Hardwood Floors


wrote in message
oups.com...

Before I go crazy is there a good product or technique I can use to
clean hardwood floors of caked-in sheetrock dust? I'm sure a stiff
brush would clean it out, but hands and knees scrubbing is my last
resot.

Thanks,
Justin


Call ServiceMaster or some such place that does industrial/commercial
cleaning. They almost always do home cleaning too, but may not advertise it.
These people deal with this all the time since contractors usually call on
them to do just this kind of work after a major renovation or new
construction, just prior to handing over the building to the owner.

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Default Cleaning Sheetrock Dust from Hardwood Floors

On Aug 12, 9:36 pm, "Bob M." wrote:
wrote in message

oups.com...

Before I go crazy is there a good product or technique I can use to
clean hardwood floors of caked-in sheetrock dust? I'm sure a stiff
brush would clean it out, but hands and knees scrubbing is my last
resot.


Thanks,
Justin


Call ServiceMaster or some such place that does industrial/commercial
cleaning. They almost always do home cleaning too, but may not advertise it.
These people deal with this all the time since contractors usually call on
them to do just this kind of work after a major renovation or new
construction, just prior to handing over the building to the owner.


Thanks for the info folks.

As a side note, any of it will scrape up if I scratch at it with my
fingers. I definately SHOULD have covered the floors, would of made
life a lot easier. It didnt' occur to me to cover sincei t was "dust".
I thought it would just a make mess that would be vacuumed and mopped
up. They are solid hardwood floors, but I'm not sure of the finsih. It
is NOT the thick glossy finish I've seen in some houses. It appears to
be a stain or very thin flat finish.

Thanks,
Justin



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Default Cleaning Sheetrock Dust from Hardwood Floors

If you wet it, you have a problem, it turns into a liquid and will fill
pores and grain in the wood. If it is still dry powder, good old fashioned
sweeping compound, which is nothing more than sawdust mixed with a sticky
oil/wax mixture so that it will pick up and trap the fine dust, leaving a
clean floor behind. To use it you spread a line of the compound across the
floor and sweep to the other side with the grain. Then pick it up with a
dust pan and toss. This stuff is a little out of date and old fashioned, so
you may have problems finding it.


wrote in message
ups.com...
On Aug 12, 9:36 pm, "Bob M." wrote:
wrote in message

oups.com...

Before I go crazy is there a good product or technique I can use to
clean hardwood floors of caked-in sheetrock dust? I'm sure a stiff
brush would clean it out, but hands and knees scrubbing is my last
resot.


Thanks,
Justin


Call ServiceMaster or some such place that does industrial/commercial
cleaning. They almost always do home cleaning too, but may not advertise
it.
These people deal with this all the time since contractors usually call
on
them to do just this kind of work after a major renovation or new
construction, just prior to handing over the building to the owner.


Thanks for the info folks.

As a side note, any of it will scrape up if I scratch at it with my
fingers. I definately SHOULD have covered the floors, would of made
life a lot easier. It didnt' occur to me to cover sincei t was "dust".
I thought it would just a make mess that would be vacuumed and mopped
up. They are solid hardwood floors, but I'm not sure of the finsih. It
is NOT the thick glossy finish I've seen in some houses. It appears to
be a stain or very thin flat finish.

Thanks,
Justin



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