What's the most effective way to vent fumes from refinishing a wood floor? My neighbor is renovating and the fumes are coming into my apartment (upstairs).
This happens frequently because they can't leave the windows open or use fans in the rooms where the floors are being refinished (dust or rain may ruin the finish before it dries). So fumes get sucked into the vents of the building and travel into neighbor's apartments.
Most co-ops now require the use of latex products, which are less smelly and dry faster than oil, specifically for the comfort of other tenants. Even if that's the case, you may still find the fumes from polyurethanes, paint or adhesives offensive. I'm sure you've opened your windows by now, but if you're not sure whether the work will be ongoing, I'd suggest talking to the owner.
The most effective thing is to use an air purifier (bedbathbeyond has them for about $50). Really, every contractor should have a set of these and arrange them on counters or on top of radiators to stop the fumes where they begin. I have one that I loan out to neighbors on every job where fumes are an issue. It's a courtesy that puts any contractor above the rest of the pack. If your neighbor won't offer to loan or buy you one to use in your own apartment, it's a defensive measure worth taking.
Well, I'm in a prewar so there aren't any vents, but I'm always smelling other people's dinners so fumes find a way to get up here somehow. Good point about the air purifiers - seems like the board should make that a requirement, for contractors to use them during certain stages of construction.
Fumes come through the walls but in prewar apartments, this can be exacerbated because the floor material and wall materials may have shrunk away from each other over time. You might want to consider putting a bead of silicone caulk where your walls and floors meet - if you have molding, on both sides of the molding. Also, you might fill any gaps between floor pieces. This made a difference for me when I lived above a chef in training (apparently, indian was her specialty).
These things are annoying, but you have to remember when you renovate, it works in your favor too. I had floors redone last year and it smelled for about a day max.
This happens frequently because they can't leave the windows open or use fans in the rooms where the floors are being refinished (dust or rain may ruin the finish before it dries). So fumes get sucked into the vents of the building and travel into neighbor's apartments.
Most co-ops now require the use of latex products, which are less smelly and dry faster than oil, specifically for the comfort of other tenants. Even if that's the case, you may still find the fumes from polyurethanes, paint or adhesives offensive. I'm sure you've opened your windows by now, but if you're not sure whether the work will be ongoing, I'd suggest talking to the owner.
The most effective thing is to use an air purifier (bedbathbeyond has them for about $50). Really, every contractor should have a set of these and arrange them on counters or on top of radiators to stop the fumes where they begin. I have one that I loan out to neighbors on every job where fumes are an issue. It's a courtesy that puts any contractor above the rest of the pack. If your neighbor won't offer to loan or buy you one to use in your own apartment, it's a defensive measure worth taking.
Well, I'm in a prewar so there aren't any vents, but I'm always smelling other people's dinners so fumes find a way to get up here somehow. Good point about the air purifiers - seems like the board should make that a requirement, for contractors to use them during certain stages of construction.
Fumes come through the walls but in prewar apartments, this can be exacerbated because the floor material and wall materials may have shrunk away from each other over time. You might want to consider putting a bead of silicone caulk where your walls and floors meet - if you have molding, on both sides of the molding. Also, you might fill any gaps between floor pieces. This made a difference for me when I lived above a chef in training (apparently, indian was her specialty).
These things are annoying, but you have to remember when you renovate, it works in your favor too. I had floors redone last year and it smelled for about a day max.