Anyone who works with wood ought to have known that glue will seal wood fibers and prevent stain from penetrating. Too bad about your situation there. You can still get that authentic aged look, but you will need a flooring expert to rework your floor and prepare it appropriately to take the finishing products as was originally intended. Not impossible at this point, but very labor intensive and would require much detailed hand work. The preparation must be done evenly and the sanding brought up to a very fine level.

Maybe others will have some advice that may help you.

However, I can't criticise your installers' work practices as I know how difficult it is to prevent glue contamination somewhere on the surface, no matter how careful you may think you're being. Perhaps a solution to that may be to finish before installation and then top coat after. But that suggestion doesn't help your situation.

I too would like to hear others experiences with glue/nail white pine installations.

glennsfc - Thanks for your replies. I was so despondent last night when we got home that posting on this forum felt like crying out for a voice in the wilderness.

Things are looking a bit brighter today. My husband was able to contact a person from the flooring company who assured us that all is not lost. Our GC contacted a pro floor installer from our area who is coming in tomorrow to sand the floor. It's a more delicate process than DIY'ers like us should attempt at this point. The stain should take well after that, and though we won't have the same milled finish we would have gotten had there not been a problem, one look at those beautiful planks indicates to me that we will have lovely (though glossier) floors in the end.

We took your suggestion about finishing all the treads and risers for the stairway before installing. Another tip the pine guy told my husband was that instead of wiping down the floors with a dampened tack cloth, he uses a rag wrung out with mineral spirits and goes over the surface with it before staining. Supposedly this helps remove any dastardly glue spots - or at least lets you spot them so you can gently and discreetly sand them down before staining. They are nearly invisible buggers that bond with the wood in an instant. Wish we'd known that one day earlier!

Again, thanks for your responses - I appreciated that you took the time to offer an ear and some help.

amck,
I can imagine how you must've felt at the thought of something you no doubt spent many many hours researching and planning for end up a disaster! I'm so glad it's going to turn out OK!!
I am hoping to use pine planks in our new construction as well and would love to see pictures of your finished floor. What stain color did you choose for that "old" look? I really would love to get reclaimed or antique flooring but don't know if our budget will allow by the time we get to the floors! There are so many fabulous sounding suppliers of eastern white pine. Who did you get your's from? I'm assuming you've been happy with them, especially since they've been able to advise you on rescuing your floor?? What type of top coat are you using? Poly? Oil?

Good luck with your project, and don't forget to post some pictures! =) Thanks!

I don't know about pine...but my red oak floors also has dried glue on it and I used rubbing alcohol to remove it( took alot of elbow grease). I had Bruce pre-finished floors ...not sure if your pine floors could stand that remedy...NJ

vondab - We purchased our wide planks from Carlisle. Their website is: www.wideplankflooring.com if you want to take a look at the products they offer.
Their customer service has been outstanding from start till now. The problem we had with our floors was not connected to them or anyone they recommended.
They offer an array of products at different price points, though they were pricier than many wood flooring products we considered. But each one of those planks we have looks like a piece of fine furniture.

I can't wait till they're done and I will certainly post pictures. The stain we chose was Plymouth Pumpkin which is a traditional warm medium brown tone. Carlisle provides a beautiful catalog that shows different finishes in different home settings. I'd bet they'll send you one upon request.

The finish they suggested for the look we want is one coat stain, 2 coats tung oil, followed by 2 more coats of a tung oil/satin resin mix.

amck,
Thanks for the info! I've been to Carlisle's website in the past and needed a cup to catch the drool! I figured you may have purchased from them. After I read this thread I came across some of your old postings while searching here for flooring info! Your place on the lake sounds wonderful! =) We're in the process of building a new old farmhouse and I would love to get flooring from Carlisle. I'm afraid to ask for samples because then I know I won't want to settle for anything less! We've overspent so much already! If we can't afford the real thing, I'm considering face nailing dimensional lumber, bringing in the 4 kids and 3 dogs to site distress, and then stain to make it look old!! Now if we lay it before the drywallers come, I KNOW it will get distressed!

Thanks again for your info, and can't wait to see the pics!

Vondab-As much as we would have liked to go with the Carlisle planks for the family/rec room above our garage, we are going with yellow pine from a local millyard for that. We're not using the same stain - thinking it would detract from the Carlisle floors in the main living areas.
We had not originally planned to finish off that space right now. I was hoping to replenish the coffers so that we could afford Carlisle if we did it a couple years out.
When we saw firsthand what a mess sheetrocking makes, and since we had the crew onsite, we made the call to have them finish that room, too. Better to have all that sanding done - walls and floors - before the house is furnished.
As beautiful as the Carlisle is, I'm sure the family room will look nice, too, as will yours. With 4 kids and 3 dogs you will likely have a lovely "patina" in short time. Good luck with your project!
Speaking of patinas, one more interesting note - The salesperson we worked with at Carlisle (he travels worldwide and deals with some very well-heeled clients)told us that that the floors people are most lusting over these days is from reclaimed wood from old factories. Here in New England, there are a number of these abandoned mills. The planks that are most coveted are the ones where heavy machinery has been pushed around and have dinged them to high heaven. Who would have thought?!

amck, I am so glad the company was able to give you advice to fix the problem. I can only imagine how beautiful your floors will be. I can't wait to see pictures.