Since my husband and I recently went through this DIY, I can make a few suggestions, although we didn't refinish, we installed unfinished rustic inexpensive red oak floors ourselves and finished them. I don't know anything about removing a wax finish, maybe someone here can advise or you could try a different hardwood flooring forum. For the sander we rented a U-sand, which is a floor sanding machine that is supposedly made for the DIY'er. It worked great, got right up to the edges and was really easy to use. I don't know how well it would perform for refinishing, as that involves more sanding. For the stain and poly, we went with the professional grade stuff. It was so worth the extra money as the products were much more forgiving to work with, and I think will have better long term durability. We went with the Bona products which are designed for hardwood floors. We`used the Bona Drifast stain, which is an oil modified stain that dries quickly. The stain is very rich looking and was wonderful with any accidental overlap. We mixed a couple different colors for a custom stain color. We went with the new Bona waterbased Traffic HD in the extreme matte finish and I love it. I think the traffic HD has one of the highest durability commercial ratings. A matte finish will hide more imperfections and scratches than a shiny finish. Although it says extreme matte, the finish does have a slight shine with a very natural wood look, it looks great with our rustic grade floors. I've never seen a poly finish like it, it's so velvety smooth and natural looking. It's sheen is in between Bona Naturale and Bona Traffic Satin HD. The water based polys I believe are more durable than the oil base and this one is meant to go on top of Bona's oil base stain. The Bona waterbase poly also had very little fumes that disappeared with in a couple days. It has a separate catalyst (hardener) that has to be added and then you have 4 hours once you add the hardener in. We were concerned at first, but with the T-bar applicator, we were able to get one application done in about 45 min-1 hour (650 sqft+ stairs). We have two dogs who like to race around the house and hate to have their nails clipped, I have yet to see a scratch, this finish seems to be wearing like iron, I am so impressed. We applied the stain, waited 48 hours, then applied the first coat of poly, the next day we buffed it, wiped down with a damp cloth, let it dry and then applied the second coat and let it fully cure. We bought the T-bar poly applicator, which worked out well. We also bought the Bona Mixer bottle, so we could mix smaller batches when we needed to and didn't have to mix up a whole bottles worth. This was 7.00 well spent as we mixed up a gallon and a half for each application. For wood filler we tried Woodwise floor filler, and Timbermate, I thought the Timbermate performed a little better, but both products were much better than anything at Lowes, or Home Depot. The waterbased wood fillers are great because wiping off excess with a damp rag is fairly easy, even after it's dried. Plastic putty tools should be used with the waterbased fillers as some metal scrapers can discolor the filler. Since the Bona products are professional grade, we bought them through a company that sells to the general public and professionals. Their business is mostly an online store, but people can come in and buy products from them locally. Since they were local for us we got to talk to them in person. They were great, they took the time to answer all our questions each time I stopped in for products. I found them extremely knowledgeable and very caring, their how to videos on their website were also helpful. Floor Mechanics Online Store We spent about 1,750.00 total for 1,000 sqft of very rustic red oak flooring, Pneumatic floor nailer, moisture meter, sander/buffer rental, and finishing products. It was some work, but worth it for site finished, solid hardwood flooring. Good luck with your son's floors.

Here's 3 ideas: Polish out the spots using finer grits. For final polish, I've used some auto compound (not wax) I had laying around. Lightly sand the entire floor and apply a 3rd coat. Use a fine grit paper or steel wool on the entire floor to achieve a matte finish overall.

A regular sand/refinish = $4 - $5/sf. Adding in new wood can be done with the purchase of the wood (should be easy to match without a massive price tag) and then the cost of labour to weave in. Then the full sand/refinish takes place at the above cost per square foot. Laminate, in a quality that is going to do your home the justice it deserves = $3.50/sf or more (some of the REALLY nice ones will be even more) and then cost of install is another $2 or so (not included underpad which can be $0.80 - $1.25/sf). If you do the math, the cost of laminate + install = $6.50/sf or so. And you need ALL OF YOUR HOUSE covered in it. Compare that to the cost of sand/refinish + cost of wood + labour to install wood. I would bet you come out very close to the same price once all the bills are paid. And wood ADDS value to a home. Laminate will not (a high quality laminate will not detract value...it just won't add anything). I say add more of the same + sand and refinish everything. If you need to have the species verified, you can send away a cut of your wood to a lab that specializes in this. It is about $100 for a sample and takes 2-3 weeks to get the results.

If, you have white oak , you will want to use the sealer to prevent tannin pull. Side bonding occurs when the joints are glued together by a "water base" finish. Which leads to panelization, where you end up with a 1/2" gap in one or more areas of the floor. For residential, 1 coat of sealer and 2 coats of Traffic HD is recommended. I would be concerned with applying 4 coats. Which can be too much film build and can lead to white lines in the joints. If, the installer is following Bona's instruction of making the final sanding pass at 150 grit. 1 coat of sealer and 2 coats of HD is all you need for residential. Their 4 coat system maybe to build up with cheap poly and finalizing with 1 coat of HD. Which is not comparable to what Bona recommends. You will need to sample the finish for the look you want. Everyone will have a different perspective of how their floors should look. Natural seal and Nordic seal is a good starting point for the look you want. HD is more durable than Naturale.