Hello Folks, We are testing out some hardwood floor stains & finishes on a section of our white oak floors before embarking on the larger project. In the first photo below, we applied 1 layer of Minwax pre-stain wood conditioner followed by 2 layers of Minwax oil-based stain (natural 209), let it dry for 3 days then applied 2 layers of Bona Traffic HD in satin and left it to dry overnight. In checking on it in the morning, we noticed areas that became "dandelion yellow" (circled in the photo below) as noted by SJ McCarthy and wanted to know if this an artifact of not applying a sealant after staining/prior to adding the Bona Traffic HD. Any thoughts on how to avoid this? Would applying a sealant prior to the water-based Bona Traffic HD prevent the yellowing? If so, what Bona sealant would you advise using? The second photo underwent an identical process except we only applied 1 layer of the Minwax oil-based stain (natural 209) and observed minimal yellowing. Don't know what to make of that. We'd like to use the combination of the Minwax product and the Bona Traffic HD so any advice on how to prevent the yellowing would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance. Cheers, Anthony (Apologies if the photo quality isn't great)

It has rained a lot so I am wondering if it is from moisture or even a foundation problem. Too much rain wouldn't make them separate unless you're running dehumidifiers and heaters all the time to keep warm and dry. It's common for wood floors to expand and contract seasonally if your house is humid in the summer and dry in the winter. Does this house have central AC now, when perhaps it didn't in the past? That would make it dry year round, and the floor boards wouldn't expand back into place in the summer. Some heating systems allow you to add moisture to the air, that might alleviate some of the shrinkage.

Domestic oak is a commodity and price and availability will vary by region. Any well-established mill is what you want and a reliable distributor. Check out the suppliers contractors buy from. Many times they will sell directly to you. If you can find Mullican...great. Smith and Zickgraf OK too. Don't know much about what the big box stores distribute or brands. Unfinished is packaged two different ways. Some are large bundles which contain different lengths in the bundle and some are individually bundled in specific lengths and you get what the distributor gives you, in other words a bundle of 7 footers, five footers, three footers and so forth. Pay attention not only to species, but also to grade. Decide what you want your floor to look like...color and grain pattern for examples. Do more research on this if necessary. And be VERY CAREFUL in who you select to do the sanding and finishing. A hack finisher (lots out there) can ruin your wood real quick. Ask for references and examples of his or her work. Anyone who has pride in what they do will have a list of happy customers and a portfolio and samples to show you.

Personal experience. Hard maple flooring. Took three days to install(working part time) with three helpers. Professional installers would have taken two or less days. However, I installed three bedrooms along a hall, the hall into and including the living room without transitions at the bedroom doorways---the entire floor is monolithic. Two days to sand(USand sander--a rotating orbit sander. They are slower than a drum sander but much more forgiving). Used MinWax polyurethane for floors($45 a gallon). Oil based, nasty smelling, but is designed to apply three coats in 36 hours. Does add an amber tint, but that was the color the wife wanted. Cure to walk(socks) in 72 hours, furniture in two weeks, area rugs in 30-45 days. You do NOT want to stay in the building(not a problem for our remodel) for the for two days. The odor is pretty much gone(with ventilation) in that second day. Cost was a big factor, we have dogs and I needed to do the work myself(had the requisite training/tools/tool rental) and we did not have to occupy until finished with most of the remodeling(bought a foreclosure and had up to three months to do the necessary work). Reason for the choice of wood was the color, the price(less than $1.23 a sq. ft.) and the finish was as water proof as could be found at the time. Factory finished means small gaps for moisture(new puppys/old dogs) to penetrate. The finish made a water tight seal except on the perimeters. And, I knew the light color would not show the scratches as would a darker color. No idea what a pro crew would have charged(my son/grandsons worked for meals and a pat on the back), but they would have only been about two days faster.