Since my husband and I recently went through this DIY, I can make a few suggestions, although we didn't refinish, we installed unfinished rustic inexpensive red oak floors ourselves and finished them. I don't know anything about removing a wax finish, maybe someone here can advise or you could try a different hardwood flooring forum. For the sander we rented a U-sand, which is a floor sanding machine that is supposedly made for the DIY'er. It worked great, got right up to the edges and was really easy to use. I don't know how well it would perform for refinishing, as that involves more sanding. For the stain and poly, we went with the professional grade stuff. It was so worth the extra money as the products were much more forgiving to work with, and I think will have better long term durability. We went with the Bona products which are designed for hardwood floors. We`used the Bona Drifast stain, which is an oil modified stain that dries quickly. The stain is very rich looking and was wonderful with any accidental overlap. We mixed a couple different colors for a custom stain color. We went with the new Bona waterbased Traffic HD in the extreme matte finish and I love it. I think the traffic HD has one of the highest durability commercial ratings. A matte finish will hide more imperfections and scratches than a shiny finish. Although it says extreme matte, the finish does have a slight shine with a very natural wood look, it looks great with our rustic grade floors. I've never seen a poly finish like it, it's so velvety smooth and natural looking. It's sheen is in between Bona Naturale and Bona Traffic Satin HD. The water based polys I believe are more durable than the oil base and this one is meant to go on top of Bona's oil base stain. The Bona waterbase poly also had very little fumes that disappeared with in a couple days. It has a separate catalyst (hardener) that has to be added and then you have 4 hours once you add the hardener in. We were concerned at first, but with the T-bar applicator, we were able to get one application done in about 45 min-1 hour (650 sqft+ stairs). We have two dogs who like to race around the house and hate to have their nails clipped, I have yet to see a scratch, this finish seems to be wearing like iron, I am so impressed. We applied the stain, waited 48 hours, then applied the first coat of poly, the next day we buffed it, wiped down with a damp cloth, let it dry and then applied the second coat and let it fully cure. We bought the T-bar poly applicator, which worked out well. We also bought the Bona Mixer bottle, so we could mix smaller batches when we needed to and didn't have to mix up a whole bottles worth. This was 7.00 well spent as we mixed up a gallon and a half for each application. For wood filler we tried Woodwise floor filler, and Timbermate, I thought the Timbermate performed a little better, but both products were much better than anything at Lowes, or Home Depot. The waterbased wood fillers are great because wiping off excess with a damp rag is fairly easy, even after it's dried. Plastic putty tools should be used with the waterbased fillers as some metal scrapers can discolor the filler. Since the Bona products are professional grade, we bought them through a company that sells to the general public and professionals. Their business is mostly an online store, but people can come in and buy products from them locally. Since they were local for us we got to talk to them in person. They were great, they took the time to answer all our questions each time I stopped in for products. I found them extremely knowledgeable and very caring, their how to videos on their website were also helpful. Floor Mechanics Online Store We spent about 1,750.00 total for 1,000 sqft of very rustic red oak flooring, Pneumatic floor nailer, moisture meter, sander/buffer rental, and finishing products. It was some work, but worth it for site finished, solid hardwood flooring. Good luck with your son's floors.

I never said anyone MUST have done anything. I'm saying "check" to see what you used....just in case. Here's my own quote: 'Check to see if the bottle says "Cleaner" or "Polish"'. Now...the question becomes why is Bona Cleaner doing this? Bona Cleaner is a chemical with precise properties. If it is over used it can have deleterious effects. Hazing is the most common presentation. Over use is not the ONLY way to get the haze but it is the MOST COMMON. I've seen people have great experience when they used the cleaner sparingly (1-4 times per year). I've seen people have decent results with the proscribed use (1 per month). But even then, it can have hazing results. Over use would be considered: 1. Too much cleaner used at the time of the application (too much chemical)....the application being 1 per month (which is the proscribed rate). 2. Too much cleaner can mean too many days of application per month. Anything over 2 days per month (24 applications a year) is considered 'over use'. 3. Too much cleaner can mean (and often does) a mixture of both #1 and #2. A little bit too much cleaner used too often. That 'snick' of over use can be part and parcel of ANY wood cleaner that produces a haze. Armstrong and Bruce cleaner also have this issue. So it isn't just Bona....it's just the one with the BIG name that people choose to complain about. What is interesting is, the haze does not develop if the floors are toweled dry....which is to say...the CHEMICAL is wiped off BEFORE it can dry onto the floor and create product build up. Can Bona Cleaner produce a haze on the first application with the right amount of chemical? Hell to the yah! For this to happen, there are many things that have to go very wrong...it it can happen. The most common reason it causes haze on the fist application: it was applied to the wrong TYPE of finish.

If, everyone performed work to the same standards, this would be an easy task. In order to get the color match you want. The entire refinishing process will need to be matched to the previous one. This includes sanding equipment, schedule, minerals and finish. Otherwise, expect it to be different.

It is possible you have a low-gloss finish (probably matte) which is a tough finish to live with and make look "good". If you felt that a polish would add a 'pick-me-up' then the gloss of the floor is probably what is making you feel unhappy. The polish you applied is a low-gloss polish. It makes dull floors look, well, dull. Now you need to remove the polish. Bona should have a floor stripper in their line-up...I suggest you purchase it and begin the work that needs to be done. Windex Original Formula can also work. I'm not sure which one is faster, but it is worth a try to start with the Windex (most people have this one in their cleaning arsenal). If it removes things easily then keep going. It can be a 'hands and knees' type of cleaning but it is worth it. And I've just looked up the Dura Luster Plus....it is used on Bruce's LOW GLOSS floors. It is a matte. The dullness of your floors is directly linked to the factory finish. There is no way to make then look 'shinier' without remove the flooring and starting with a floor that has a shinier finish. The Dura Luster Plus is an Aluminum Oxide (AO) Urethane finish which makes them pretty difficult to refinish. It is *possible (check the thickness of the top layer of wood on the floors) but it can be expensive/difficult to remove AO. And because it is difficult, most of the 'regular guys' won't touch a floor with AO on it. Only the most experienced, most expensive refinishers will give this a try.