Help! Is this an acceptable hardwood floor refinish?
Monique
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Hi friends, my husband and I came back to a refinished floor and are really disappointed. There's cloudy areas of color, swirl marks around edges, and rooms with a pimply-looking and feeling top coat (debris? dust?). Photos attached. Some of this is on brand new wood. It's a 50/50 of ebony and jacobean.
Any advice on how to proceed? This is through our contractor's flooring person. I'm not sure what's acceptable and how nitpicky I can get about this.
Thanks for your guidance!
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (9)
Related Discussions
Help! Refinishing hardwood floors nightmare
Comments (3)Sounds like a whole boat load of miscommunication between you and the finisher. What kind of "poly" is being applied to your floors? For the clearest look you need a non-yellowing two-part commercial quality waterborne polyurethane. Most oil-based polyurethanes are not clear and will impart a yellow cast to anything you apply it over and it will continue to darken with age. It is OK to use the first coat in gloss or semigloss. Some of us claim that you get a cleaner-looking result if the first coat is gloss or semigloss. I don't like putting two coats of gloss or semigloss on a floor where I will use a satin as the final, as any missed areas with that final coat show as glossy areas. If you want your floors to be given a 'clear coat'...then you must use a "quality" two-part waterborne polyurethane; oil-based is not going to give you that....See MoreHardwood floor refinishing tips/sources
Comments (3)Harvester Chemicals of Irvington NJ will ship most anything to you UPS. Search the internet for their contact information, as I am away from the office for a few days. You can say that Sohm Flooring Consultants referred you to them. Foam brushes from a True Value hardware store are the best applicators to use with waterborne sealer and waterborne polyurethane when doing stairs. They will allow you to 'dry brush' sealer and finish on the vertical wood parts (stringers, risers, balusters). BonaKemi has a new sealer called DTS, which they claim imparts a little color and richness to a floor that is finished 'natural' (no stain). I haven't used it yet. I do use their DriFast stains and won't stain with anything else. I don't buff stairs at all. I finish sand to 120 grit, stain or seal and then just knock down grain raise with a little hand sanding with 180 grit or higher. Traffic will stick to most anything and... so long as your next coats of Traffic aren't more than 24 hours old, there is no need to buff between coats unless you are knocking down grain raise or attempting to remove debris. Remember that Traffic or any other floor chemical is a dangerous substance in its uncured state, so be sure to provide for sufficient fresh air as you work. Open windows and fans to exhaust fumes is a good idea. I use an organic respirator when working with Traffic and although the respirator is not rated for use with isocyanate compounds it does work to some degree....See MoreHelp w/ Refinishing Upstairs Hardwood Floors in Colonial
Comments (15)Time to choose stain samples. The upstairs has four different types of wood, so that’s fun. We’re thinking Early American for the downstairs office to try to match the current pine floors (photo 1). Anyone prefer Special Walnut, Provincial or 50 Provincial / 50 Neutral? Upstairs, 3 of the bedrooms have a very red (cherry?) wood so early American didn’t look very good (photo 4). The other bedroom has a mix of woods (photo 3) and the stairs are red oak (no pic). We’ve been advised that a darker stain might work better given everything going on so we’ve been looking at either Provincial, 50 Provincial / 50 Neutral, or 33 Jacobean / 33 Provincial / 33 Neutral. Anyone have a preference between those three? Using water based poly in Satin finish....See Morerefinish existing hardwood floors or pull up to do continuous flooring
Comments (4)OK...if the current oak is solid (3/4") you have a 20 year old floor that can live another 60 years. If you pull it you have wasted 60 years worth of flooring. That's a bit of a shame. To refinish oak/wood floors = $5-$7/sf. That's it. That's all. That includes labour and materials. Now, to remove it = $2/sf. And you still have NOTHING. To replace it = $7 - $12/sf for material + $4-$5 for labour = $11 - $17/sf. Hmmmmm. That $7/sf sounds pretty good right now, doesn't it. Right. Here's the best case scenario for wood everywhere. 1. Get species match (not all oak is white...just sayin'). 2. Get plank width/cut/grade match (yah...they are all different) 3. Get a wood flooring pro (someone who ONLY does wood floors...not some person with a hammer) to come in a do all the removal of all your other materials ($1-$2/sf...depending) 4. Have him/her lace in all the new wood into the existing wood (do the 1/2 bath and kitchen...no issues there) 5. Have everything sanded and finished all at once. When a wood flooring pro is offered a big, juicy, well paying job, they often give a small discount on the refinishing bit for the old hardwood. In other words, they are already there for a big job...what's it to them to sand an extra 400sf of old stuff? Not much. All their tools are already on site. They are making their income on the BIG stuff (install/demolition) what's a $1/sf on the old stuff between friends? See where I'm going with this? You can save a snick of money on the old floors by adding in a BIGGER job for the wood flooring PRO...something s/he can really sink their teeth into for several days worth of work....See More
Monique
6 years ago
PRONational Hardwood Flooring & Supplies
6 years ago- PRO
User
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
Related Stories
GREAT HOME PROJECTSWhat to Know Before Refinishing Your Floors
Learn costs and other important details about renewing a hardwood floor — and the one mistake you should avoid
Full Story
MATERIALSWhat to Ask Before Choosing a Hardwood Floor
We give you the details on cost, installation, wood varieties and more to help you pick the right hardwood flooring
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESContractor Tips: Smooth Moves for Hardwood Floors
Dreaming of gorgeous, natural wood floors? Consider these professional pointers before you lay the first plank
Full Story
FLOORSHow to Paint Your Hardwood Floors
Know how to apply nail polish? Then you can give your wooden floors a brand-new look
Full Story
HOUSEKEEPINGHow to Clean Hardwood Floors
Gleaming wood floors are a thing of beauty. Find out how to keep them that way
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESTransition Time: How to Connect Tile and Hardwood Floors
Plan ahead to prevent unsightly or unsafe transitions between floor surfaces. Here's what you need to know
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESYour Floor: An Introduction to Solid-Plank Wood Floors
Get the Pros and Cons of Oak, Ash, Pine, Maple and Solid Bamboo
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESWood Floor Care: Polish Your Skills
Help your wood floors stay gorgeous by learning how to keep stains, dullness and warping at bay
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESDesigner Confessions: Torn Between Wood Floors
19 Photos to Help You Choose a Wood Floor Finish
Full Story
FLOORSWhat to Ask When Considering Heated Floors
These questions can help you decide if radiant floor heating is right for you — and what your options are
Full Story
Johnson Flooring Co Inc