| Using DooDoo Voodoo With
"Trashed" Wood Floors Or Subflooring
We received an e-mail from a fellow who had purchased a home which had been a rental, and which had wood floors that had been trashed by previous tenants' dogs and cats, plus wild animals that had gotten into the house when it was vacant. The floors' coating (polyurethane, likely) had been degraded, thus allowing the organic material to get into the wood. The fellow intended to put carpet over the floor once he attended to the organic contamination, but he wanted our advice on the best way to attack his problem. Given that we've gotten this same general question before, we figured it was time to put our response on the website for others to benefit from.
Hi, and thanks for the questions. I'll answer them here, but please e-mail back if you're still unclear on anything.
Yes, use
DooDoo Voodoo as you describe below on the floors.
As I mentioned before, it would be a benefit to do
an extraction with a hard-surface cleaner (machine)
such as the Hoover Floormate (detailed on our site
here). If you don't have such a
machine, a carpet cleaning professional could do
such an extraction, especially if he uses a Rotovac
(shown
here on the left). This extraction
is a benefit because it (a) removes a lot of organic
contamination; and (b) draws embedded organic
contamination out of the wood, having been loosened
by DooDoo Voodoo (which helps contamination be
released from the substrate via its chemical
action).
This
isn't to say that you can't have success with simple
mopping; it's to point out that extraction is better
than simple mopping, as mopping doesn't remove
everything extraction does.
Yes, in
the "cat
pee condo" I applied Zinsser BIN over
the subfloor (OSB) after treating it with DooDoo
Voodoo. I did cover part of it with plastic, but
would not generally recommend this, as it can trap
normal ambient moisture beneath the plastic.
As with
my comments about extraction above, so goes it with
regard to your question about treating the floor
with DooDoo Voodoo alone or then sealing it with a
coat of BIN or KILZ. (BTW, KILZ used to say right
on its label that it was not recommended for odors,
but now it says it IS recommended for odor
containment. They make different "flavors" of KILZ,
so this may not apply to all flavors; read the label
carefully if you purchase KILZ instead of BIN.)
Many
people have had success (as have I in my own home)
with simply applying DooDoo Voodoo to the subfloor,
but not then sealing with BIN or KILZ. BUT...if
your floor is as bad as you say...and you know
you're not going to leave the floor exposed
(meaning, you're planning to put down carpet), it
might be more expedient (and better, long-term, as
I'll explain in a moment) to treat, the seal.
I say
that it might be better long-term because (a) try as
we might to do our best work, at times we can miss
areas or put down DooDoo Voodoo or sealer thinner in
one area than in others, thus causing a weak link in
the chain; and (b) by sealing the subfloor, you make
subsequent soiling less likely to trash the subfloor
again.
Going
back to the extraction issue and tying it into the
BIN issue: Treating with DooDoo Voodoo, then
coating the floor (assuming that it's in good enough
condition) with polyurethane can also work (meaning,
successfully eradicate as much odor as expediently
as possible AND then seal in whatever remnant odor
might remain AND protect the floor from subsequent
soiling).
It is
always prudent to use DooDoo Voodoo first, and not
just put BIN or KILZ over the contaminated floor.
Coatings degrade over time, thus allowing odor to
come back through. Also, leaving organic
contamination in the flooring is never a good idea
for a variety of reasons I'm sure you can imagine.
DooDoo Voodoo's action uses the contamination as
fuel for the fire, as it were, so there is virtually
nothing left (assuming proper application and
dilution).
At the
condo in the case study, I actually grew impatient
in one part of the living room and we coated with
BIN before the subfloor was fully dry. The BIN went
down great and I saw no negative ramifications. I
wouldn't necessarily recommend this, but it worked
for me.
So...
I am not
trying to confuse you with all these options. I'm
just trying to show you that you can perform your
treatment in a variety of ways, depending on how
in-depth you want to go. I know that time can be of
the essence to landlords, so you may not want to
treat, wait for complete drying, assess the
situation, perhaps re-treat, wait for complete
drying, re-assess the situation, etc. You may want
to apply, extract (or, at least, mop), seal and be
done with it. This is likely an adequate plan if
you're in a hurry and are going to be putting carpet
down over the floor.
Extraction (or, at least, mopping) *may* be a wise
move if you're planning to polyurethane after DooDoo
Voodoo application. As I mentioned, there is some
high-quality detergent in our formula; this *may* be
a bit soapy for polyurethaning over. Customers have
done so without extraction and have not reported bad
results, but I always like to cover myself. This is
likely not an issue with a weaker mixture (2-4
ounces of Concentrate per gallon of water).
As
to your question about coverage, I loosely follow
the same guidelines as are published for Thompson's
Water Seal (pasted below for you; note what I've
highlighted in red). They quote 150 sq. ft. per
gallon on plywood and 225 sq. ft. per gallon on
smooth-finish wood. Note that in they don't specify
whether this assumes application by rolling,
brushing or spraying. I would think that with
application via a pump sprayer, you'd maximize
coverage. NOTE: When applying these estimates to
DooDoo Voodoo, be aware that these apply to mixed
DooDoo Voodoo, not Concentrate. Here's some sample
math:
If you
bought a quart of Concentrate and mixed it with warm
water at the rate of 1oz per quart (4 ounces per
gallon), that would yield coverage of 1200 sq. ft.
if we go with the Thompson's quote of 150 sq. ft.
for application over plywood.
Now,
given your wood is admittedly degraded and has been
soiled heavily, I think it's safe to assume that
you'll need either a stronger mixture or repeat
treatments or both. Thus, a half-gallon kit might
seem to be the place to start (it would
double your coverage from the above example). BUT,
that example was figured at 4 ounces per gallon,
which may be only half as strong as you need...and
which would halve your coverage (back down to 1200
square feet). This leads me to recommend a gallon
kit, which is $163.90 including FedEx.
As I
believe I mentioned, don't forget to use a
blacklight (ours or yours) to check up the walls. I
believe you'll find further soiling there.
Don't
forget, too, to make sure to hit the baseboards
well, including shooting DooDoo Voodoo under them
where they meet the floor (if this area is
accessible). Caulking these areas once they've
dried will improve odor containment; even spraying
DooDoo Voodoo there will likely not get the product
in contact with all the organic materials that's
seeped in.
Caulk or
putty any nail holes (or tackless strip holes) in
the floor after treating with DooDoo Voodoo but
before sealing with BIN, KILZ or polyurethane.
I hope
I've answered your questions and that you'll go
ahead with your order of a gallon kit. I believe
you'll find the investment in DooDoo Voodoo to be a
worthy one, as so many have (as noted on our
Testimonials page). If you have
further questions, e-mail back.
Sincerely,
Eric
Smith
Founder
Approximate Coverage
*Actual coverage will vary considerably due to porosity of surface materials.
Brick - 275
Concrete - 330 Smooth Concrete Block - 50 *Clay Tile & Quarry Tile - 400 Stucco - 300 *Slate - Masonite - 400 Wood: Rough Sawn - 125 Wood: Smooth Finish - 225 Plywood - 150 Wood Shingles - 100
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Here's
what we advised. If any of this is unclear or doesn't address your
particular issue, feel free to
