It is not the color, but the type of wood, in your case, oak. The grain differences are large enough that two or three(or even five or six) coats of sealer/finish will not leave a smooth surface. It is possible to get that smooth surface, but to do it with normal floor finishes means sanding down to the surface after each application. That way the finish fills the grain. But, floor finishes are often very thin, and water based varieties are among the thinnest. So, it will take many more than three coats, even with sanding, of that finish to produce a smooth surface.

Now, dirt and paint are several different things. Paint is designed to adhere to surfaces, while dirt can be washed off/away with soaps/cleansers/etc.

Thanks. It's so good to have an answer and I'm glad it isn't my installer's lack of skill.

I hope the paint comes up when we sand for the third coat and that the drywall dust currently kicking around doesn't get trapped in each pore.

I had no idea white oak would do this and that's definitely one of the best arguments I've heard against using water based poly. Too bad that combo of information didn't come up before I made my choices!

I might have been better off with a pre-finished floor considering my pets and lax house keeping. I'm imagining all the dirt that's going to work its way into those grooves. Ugh. Oh well. Too late now.

Thanks again for the quick answer!

One of the attractions of many woods like Oak is the surface texture. Having some texture on the floor helps hide scuffs, scratches and wear, when compared to a smooth floor like Maple. If you want to fill in the grain, pay the finisher to apply extra coats, sanding in between each one. Even floors finished with oil based poly should have texture on the surface.

How long did the urethane cure before the paint was dripped on it? How quickly was the paint wiped up?

Floor has cured for two months or more, I think the paint was wiped up immediately. Is there something I can use to get the paint out of the crevices?

I'm cool with seeing the grain and that hides dirt, but feeling the grain seems like it hinders more than helps - but again I'm glad to know it's normal.

I'd start with some Simple Green and a toothbrush then rinse with water. If needed, a little GoofOff would help but it can affect the finish. Next time someone drips paint on the floor, if they wipe it up thoroughly right away, this should not happen.

Sadly annoying they simply didn't cover the floors well enough. Argh. I'll try it, thanks!

I had a problem similar to this, where we had to get paint up from the grain of the wood. I used (of all things) a toothpick to scrape it out. Might not be the best idea, but it worked great for me, and the toothpick wood was plyable and gentle enough to not leave scratches but rigid enough to keep its shape when in the grain. Goo Gone also helped a bit. Keep trying, you'll get it out.
Primer is a different story!

Cool idea. Ugh, it might actually be primer. I'm hoping the next round of sanding would take it out though?

Ok. I'll do it. Thanks all, it's on the list!

Did you call the installers and ask?

If there were going to be more sanding and no stain, I might be inclined to try a golden fleece with water and maybe soap, but it is abrasive and the water might damage the floor if it reaches it. That's why I would ask the installers how to clean it.

You could also call Bona and ask.

I have the same problem! It's so frustrating.

We 104 year old white pine floors that we refinished and coated with Bona. A sealer and two coats.

We used a sealer and two coats on the Doug fir floors elsewhere in our house and they are VERY smooth, the floor is like one continuum.

We refinished maple floors in our former home - no problem there.

The oak has tons of grain rise. So so bumpy.

I thought it might be due to a) the large-ish gaps between most of the boards - the poly got thinned out as it sank into the holes and b) short cure time of the sealer since the weather was cool and damp.

I lightly sanded between the coats of poly.

Our plan is to buff, recoat and repete.

Do you guys think the rentalable buffer would sand it down enough?

You cannot sand oak smooth. The grain irregularities are throughout the wood. The only way to get a smooth finish on oak is to apply a layer of finish/filler material, sand to wood(the uppermost parts of the grain---leaving the material in the grooves), and repeat until the grooves are filled with material. Depending on the depth of the grooves and the thickness of each coat of finish, that will take a lot of coats---as much as 20 or more.

"I hope ... the drywall dust currently kicking around doesn't get trapped in each pore."

I was reading some specs and care instructions for a white oak flooring that I was interested in and it said to be very careful about drywall dust as it could become imbedded in the grain. Your floors should be covered if drywall work is going on.

Floors were finished after drywall was done but still just a lot of dust swirling around. I just decided today to push back the last coat of poly until everything is done and get a hotel room for three days (with the cat). Not fun but just seems like there's so much to go wrong. I'm also going to prioritize finding the right rubber wheeled canister HEPA vacuum to get the dust under control.

Time to tackle this. Was at a bona dealer anyway yesterday - they said check with your paint manufacturer on what would be best. Stopped at Sherwin Williams on the way home and a pro painter was at the counter as well.

They both said try plain warm water and a sponge first since it's only latex paint and everything else is likely to mess with the finish. I'll let you know if it works.