Thanks for responding Patser. I guess the floors must about 50 years old but I'm really not sure. I think they've been covered with carpet for most of this time. I plan on using water-based due to health issues but if this wasn't a concern I'd probably go with oil-based. The entire area is about 337 sq ft. with about 14 sq ft. that needs to be replaced/installed. The area in question is not just spots or small areas but an entire section that is much darker than the rest of the floor so it will not blend in if it remains darker. The one contractor yesterday told me that after sanding, it will all look uniform but after the process the water damaged area might once again appear much darker. The 1-800 contractor did not even mention that this might be a problem. lol I have another appointment with someone highly recommended in my area tomorrow. From what I've heard his prices are very competitive and now I just hope he gives me good news about the water stained areas. He quoted me $950 on refinishing and staining the floors although he has not actually seen or measured it yet and this does not include the small area that needs to be installed. Even as I was writing my original post and wanting very much to take the easy way out and go with the 1-800-woodfloor contractor, I knew on some level that this was not wise. lol Does anyone have any thoughts on floating, engineered flooring in case I cannot have the floor refinished? What would this cost to buy and have installed? My ex tells me this would be a good way to go but I'm not sure I should believe him. lol Thanks and please wish me luck!

I paid to have an independent, certified flooring inspector come in to evaluate my floors. His final report noted that the pinholes were caused by an improper finish. The flooring contractor applied 2 coats of polyurethane on the same day and did not allow sufficient time for the first coat to fully dry before they applied the second coat. The inspector noted a hazed appearance in numerous areas that were indicative of the previous coat not being fully dry before the second coat was applied. The wood was not a number 2 grade selection and the inspector contacted a technical adviser from the National Wood Flooring Associate and he said that there was nothing inherent to the red oak that would have caused the extensive pinholing in the finish that was observed and that this was due to either incompatible finish products being used or improper application procedures. I had a second company come in and redo the entire refinish - sanding down to bare wood and reapplying stain and 3 coats of poly and there are no pinhole visible on any floors in the house. The fact that the issue could be corrected by completing redoing the work lends credence to the original job having been poorly done. The original company tried applying a 4th coat of polyurethane but this did nothing to fix the pinholes. If you look at page 59 of this PDF, pinholes can appear in the finish of a floor if the previous coat was not fully dry (http://www.crescenthardwood.com/nwfa/ProblemsCauses.pdf). The bottom line was that I was out a lot of money from the first contractor, which was a large reputable company in my area, because they refused to fix the issue or even test to see if their finish job was the issue and had to go through the aggravation of having the entire job redone. The second company came out and sanded the floor of a closet and reapplied stain and 3 coats of poly to ensure that it was the previous finish and not inherent to the wood. The test area showed that when done correctly no pinholes in the finish formed.

You should have your banisters stained at the same time. On the sheen we did satin. I can't remember the brand name because the wood floor person brought it, but I think it started with a "D."

Even the water based polyurethanes require sanding prior to use. The sanding machines are going to be LOUD. If you are BELOW them you are going to think their machines are going to come down on your head at ANY minute. It would be best to take a day or two off and be elsewhere while the work is happening. I like to see customers stay in town during a flooring refinish. It means they are close enough to visit the site in the morning and evening. They can keep an eye on progress and are within a short drive should the installers come across something unusual that needs the owner to view it and then approve it. Dogs are territorial. They can be traumatized by super loud events in their home that they are not allowed to 'deal with' (ie. not allowed to bark, not allowed to chase the people away, etc). Again it is a good idea to have dogs and cats out of the space while the work is being done. The 'fumes' of the water based polyurethanes can be bad (if your finishers went cheap) or it can be tough but with enough dry time/airing out time it is livable within a day (high priced stuff). Without knowing what product you are getting on your floors, we cannot comment any further on odour. Odour is the number 1 cause for homeowners to leave the house for the first few nights after the job is finished (and the nights DURING the work). Again, the PRODUCT dictates odour...not your nose or your lungs. Personally I would make sure I have a stay-cation during the work/application of the finishes. And remember: the colder it gets the longer it takes for the finishes to cure and the less likely you are to open up all the windows (yet keep the heat pumping) to let the house air out. All of those factors will add up. Dogs' noses are many thousand times more sensitive than ours and their lungs are smaller. That means they can have more issues then humans when it comes to odour and off-gassing. Cats are the same. Besides, you need to stay off the floors until the full cure happens. The dogs have to as well....and the furniture. Area rugs are to stay off for SEVERAL months (many refinishers will tell you to leave the rugs off the floor for 6 months or more). As you can see, all of this adds up to the decision to leave the home (overnight stays) during work and while the floor is curing/off-gassing. Please tell us which finish you have paid for.