If you continue to hire people in the hardwood flooring business who have not kept pace with emerging technology in finishes...well, you will have many of the drying and 'softness' issues of the finish films that you are experiencing with your floors. As for poor sanding jobs and the overall lack of good workmanship...well, you can find that in any business that is subject to 'cutthroat' competition. For the best hardwood flooring job (either installation or restoration) you need to hire an independent contractor who actually performs the work or closely supervises it. He or she lives or dies in the business by the quality of the work, so the work quality usually is of high caliber. Going with a company that sends a salesperson to you to 'sell' the job and then sends a 'sub' or a 'jobber' to do the work,...well that, in my opinion is not the best way to go. Perhaps there are companies that work that way and get excellent results, but I haven't seen it. Flooring work is a skilled 'trade' or 'craft' and there are good tradespeople and good craftspeople in the business. Your job as consumers is to find them, insist on quality materials and then pay them what the work is worth!

Some professionals remove the shoe and some don't...I remove it most of the time; it makes for a neater overall result. Take 'em off...very difficult to ruin the baseboards. Get yourself a molding lifter (looks like a miniature pry bar and is usually a shiny metal tool about 6" or 8" long) and slip it under the floor and molding juncture...gently pry up and it should release. You may have to go after some from the baseboard/molding juncture, and if you do then simply protect the baseboard with a piece of stiff cardboard or something else as you attempt to pry the molding loose. In situations where there is a heavy paint build-up, cut at the molding/baseboard juncture with a sharp razor knife.

My comment is directed at you however there are many who view these posts and I am trying to make the flooring world a better place. Too many people today expect something that they walk on to be indestructible. By me telling you how it really is may possibly put sense in one person out there who's about to abuse there flooring store on installer.For example tomorrow my store has to make a third trip to some nuts house over a glass back splash.It is installed and when you get at a severe angle you can see the edge of the tile through the glass itself as it magnifies it. This clown refuses to pay us, threw the inspector out of the house as he believes no one and says it was installed improperly. This type of mentality will take me to my grave as people today are just unreasonably as to what the real world of products will provide for them. So I suppose when you make the statement, even jokingly that your four year old is in time out because he played on your floor. What? Say What? You kidding me? If that 4 year old ever got sick and couldn't play on that floor you would have a different approach to those scratches let me tell you. So this is why my reaction at times gets a little harsh. i just want to say to people...don't do this stuff if you expect your floor to stay like a museum. I have a beautiful home, and damn it... we live on our floors and people come here and ooh and ah over our home and its size and the flooring and if one of them would ever mention the scratches that are on my hardwood which is only 10 months old...Ill send them on their way in no uncertain terms. But you know what, the beauty of the floors themselves do not permit anyone to notice those glare only abrasions. I am sure it is the same with yours. So the direction is not pointed towards you per say....I just hope tons of people read this. Let your loved ones enjoy that floor and go give each of them a big hug. See YA..PS I don't know what self righteous even means and Ive been around the block a few too many times to even want to look it up. Good Luck.

Thanks, glennsfc...yes, we are sure it is oak. My DH is not here right now but will be shortly; I have to ask him what kind of sander he is using. (It is not a big drum sander but also not one of the very small hand sanders.) He has refinished quite a few floors & never seen anything like this! Now, this is a farmhouse & the dirt/traffic pattern has been going on for 40 odd years so it is well ground in. But still...