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Hardwood floor and pet urine odor removal

10 years ago

We bought a house with pet (previous owners had cats and dogs) urine odor issues. We used vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide before sanding and after approx a month the floor was sanded and we applied enzimatic cleaners followed by hydrogen peroxide.
The baseboards are removed; there was one stain that is gone with sanding but a narrow and long black stain on a side of the room did not go away and to fix it we would need to replace a big area of the hardwood floor. We need to move in the house in 10 days and need the floors finished asap.
Would the water based polyurethane seal the smell? We are going to use AFM safecoat's Polyureseal BP. Anyone has experience with this situation?
Thanks!

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Comments (4)

brickeyee
10 years ago
"Would the water based polyurethane seal the smell? "

Maybe.

But you will not know till it does not work.

Pull up the affected boards and replace them.

Look at the edges of the boards to see how deep the stain penetrated.

If it appears to have gotten all the way to the sub-floor, paint the no exposed sub-floor area with shellac to seal in the smell.

Major urine stains from pets (or the plant that overflowed every week when watered) often require some boards to be removed and replaced.
gregmills_gw
10 years ago
Brickeye is correct. Theres a good possibility that the finish coats will not mask the smell. If the stains have been there long enough and by the sound of it they have then its probable the stain made it to the subfloor in which case theres no way the finish would work masking any smell.
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Urine off is suppose to be a very good product. All the products like Urine off may have to be reapplied a few times if it is really bad. Very important to pour a lot of the product on so it will soak. Must air dry. Many people put plastic over it so the product doesn't evaporate. Should be soaking for as many hours as possible. These products don't work within a half hour. Nature's Miracle is also highly rated. Same principle as Urine off. If you have used Urine Off correctly and tried in a few times, try another product like Nature's Miracle. It is actually more important to get rid of the odor. Depending on a number of factors, you may or may not get rid of the stain. If the stain is only on your hardwood finish, sanding will remove it. If the stain goes down to the wood, it would have to be sanded and then try these products again. Last resort, use wood bleach or replace the boards.
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There is a product that will bleach wood safely, it's called oxalic acid. We used this years ago (we had to get it from the pharmacy at that time) to bleach out stains in our hardwood floors in front of the bathroom doorway. I remember that you mixed it with water and let it sit for a few minutes (15 or so) and then let it dry before we refinished the area. I found a product on the web at http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oxalic-acid-bleach.html and this should do the trick.
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Putting laminate over will not stop the smell. Eliminating the odor is a lot like getting rid of mold. You gotta fix the problem. Not just cover it up. The stains have probably made its way to the subfloor. Only way for sure is to rip up and patch the stains. You could try sanding and refinishing but its a 50 /50 chance that they will sand clean. But if it made its way to the subfloor theres no way just a new finish will stop the smell.
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Complain to the landlord. Tell them that you are able to smell the urine and are worried that this is a HEALTH HAZARD! Ask them to FIX THE ISSUE. Put these requests in writing. Do it 3-4 times. If you aren't getting anywhere, you can then contact your local Health Officer and ask them what THEY can do to find out if you are living with a HEALTH VIOLATION. Then go ahead and let the landlord know you have contacted the local Health Agency and will be expecting an inspector to visit you shortly. See what comes of that. As soon as you have a report that says the landlord must fix it BEFORE humans are allowed to live IN the suite you are out of the contract (no penalty to you because the landlord did NOT ensure the suite was ready for human habitation). Start with telling the landlord you have an issue and that you are worried it is a HEALTH HAZARD and that you are afraid the local Health Board may have to get involved. That should move things along QUICKLY. Landlords get FINED if they are in violation of local health codes. And yes, old urine can cause breathing issues and long-term pulmonary concerns. If you can smell it, you are breathing it in. If you have asthma, COPD or compromised immune system this could be a big deal for you.
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Adac
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you so much for your responses.
Someone recommended zinsser shellac seal coat wax free (sanding sealer) before applying the polyurethane. I dont know if it'll work because as you mentioned the urine may have penetrated in between the boards into subfloor but we don't have the time and money to replace anything now. I guess if by next year the smell persists we will remove the hardwood floor and replace it. When the AC is on it doesn't smell, but if the AC is off for a while the odor is there. It is not very strong but enough that it bothers us.
bestbuyfloor123
5 years ago
Immediately blot up the urine with paper towels. Press firmly on the towels to draw the urine out of the wood. You may need to repeat this step multiple times to soak up as much as possible.

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