Shellac's solvent is denatured alcohol (or, um, real alcohol if that's handier.) If that doesn't work try mineral spirits or turp - it might just be old-fashioned varnish. Or you can have both, in serial layers. Oh, the joys of old houses! Either way, you'll know pretty quickly because the paper towel you rub the solvent on with will get sticky when you have a match between the product and the solvent. Do the tests in an out-of-the-way spot, naturally. It would be fab if it's shellac as it's much easier to lift than paint. The issue with paint is that it gets deep in the grain and between the boards and trying to sand down below it for total removal can result in sanding too deep. Believe it or not some of us actually still use shellac on floors. It has many adavantages: it's natural (it's made from insect secretions, which may or may not cheer you up!); it's almost completely reversible (as you will find if that's shellac on your floors, you'll bless who ever put it down); and it's touch-up-able as new coats actually dissolve the coat below. It is uncommon now and many (trades)people never having worked with it consider it too tricky to apply so there is much recommendation against it. It is not as durable as poly, though, and it is particularly vulnerable to water. (Though you can wax it - with well-buffed paste wax - to increase its resistance to water. It's very old-fashioned. I don't think it's as fouly stinky as poly. I like the softer, less plastic-y look to it, especially when waxed. It probably takes longer to apply (more coats) than slapping on some poly, which may be partly why it fell out of favor. Casey usually chimes with good advice about buying it dry and recommends not buying it at big box stores because their stuff is not fresh. One buys the shellac flakes in various tints and mixes with alcohol in situ. I think it is harder to apply when it is very hot and humid. At least I have more problems with uneven drying which can lead to a cloudiness. (Not fatal, but requiring another coat.) Try Googling about this. If you get beyond the anti-shellac propaganda, you'll find info and Youtubes of people who have done it. HTH L.

How old is your house? I ask because our 1925 bungalow had oak in the living areas and pine in the bedrooms, as someone else described. This was because the builder used the “showy” wood for public areas and the less-expensive option for private areas (at least that’s how the local restoration folks characterized it ;-). We loved the fact that the different floors spoke to our home’s history. Of course I don’t know if this is the case in your home, but if it is, maybe knowing the purpose behind the two kinds of wood will help you feel differently about them.

OK....whoa! Hold your horses on 'Refresher' products. If you do NOT want to do any damage to these floors then stay AWAY from Refreshers. They are, in a nut shell, temporary polishes that can prevent the full sand/refinish at a later date. Just as I suspected. The Bona Refresher is a polyacrylic + polyethylene WAX polish!!!!! Ohhhh dear. Not good. Not good at all. Here's the ingredients list: https://www.bona.com/en-US/Bona-Professional/Products/Floor-Care/Refreshers/Bona-Pro-Series-Hardwood-Floor-Refresher/ And here's the "How to use" Document: https://www.bona.com/Global/Documents/United%20States/Technical%20Data%20Sheets/TDS%20Bona%20Pro%20Series%20Hardwood%20Floor%20Refresher%c2%ae%20US.pdf?epslanguage=en Did you notice the "Use every 3-4 months" statement? Right. Like ALL temporary polishes, the Bona REQUIRES a maintenance cycle that is 3-4 applications PER YEAR!!! Is that something you want to start? Is it part of your busy schedule to move bed/clothes/shoes every 3 months just to keep the floors looking fresh? Not in my house...that's for sure. To refinish your floors PROPERLY you have to pay someone MORE to remove the gunk (don't believe the 'leaves no residue'...that's hog wash. Of course it leaves a residue...how do you think the floors look BETTER after use???) and then HOPE AGAINST HOPE the new finish will stick to wood that has been contaminated by a 'polish'. Even if it is Bona. Please oh please...NEVER EVER use any polish, refresher, 'Rejuvenate', 'Orange Glo' or anything else that says, "Brings your wood floors back to Life!". They quick fix today leads to expensive heart ache years from now. Your floors look good for 20+ year old poly. Believe it or not, it is time to do a full sand/refinish. I would plan on that for year 25. Save the money, save your sanity and just do a full sand/refinish in 2-5 years time. Do NOTHING in the mean time.

If, they had stained right away. The flooring would have been less blotchy with the wood conditioner. They could have applied the stain 10-15 minutes after completing the wood conditioner. Instructions says you have to apply stain within 2 hours, I believe. Floor is not ruined in terms of adhesion. The stain result can be better. Special Walnut should be darker.