Hello Folks, We are testing out some hardwood floor stains & finishes on a section of our white oak floors before embarking on the larger project. In the first photo below, we applied 1 layer of Minwax pre-stain wood conditioner followed by 2 layers of Minwax oil-based stain (natural 209), let it dry for 3 days then applied 2 layers of Bona Traffic HD in satin and left it to dry overnight. In checking on it in the morning, we noticed areas that became "dandelion yellow" (circled in the photo below) as noted by SJ McCarthy and wanted to know if this an artifact of not applying a sealant after staining/prior to adding the Bona Traffic HD. Any thoughts on how to avoid this? Would applying a sealant prior to the water-based Bona Traffic HD prevent the yellowing? If so, what Bona sealant would you advise using? The second photo underwent an identical process except we only applied 1 layer of the Minwax oil-based stain (natural 209) and observed minimal yellowing. Don't know what to make of that. We'd like to use the combination of the Minwax product and the Bona Traffic HD so any advice on how to prevent the yellowing would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance. Cheers, Anthony (Apologies if the photo quality isn't great)

As others have suggested, the sanding job was imperfect. The darker areas are most likely left-over finish that was never removed completely. If you bring in a professional, s/he *MIGHT be able to sand/patch specific areas. Might. No guarantees. And if this is present on every wall in every room, then the 'sand and patch' isn't going to be possible. It is faster and cheaper (labour costs for a professional) to have them sand it all down and start again. If this is left over finish then it is underneath the new application. To deal with it properly you must remove everything ON TOP so that you can sand down to raw wood once again. Sigh. Yes that means you need to do a sand/refinish once again. Edge sanding is a real b!tch to deal with. As you have discovered. It must be done in a specific way with machines (palm sander anyone)....which must follow the same grit levels as your big machine. That means if you used the 80, 100, 120 grit system on your big machine...then the palm sander must have the same 3 grit levels used as well...in the same sequence. The next question you are going to ask is, "Can't I just leave it if it doesn't bother me?" The answer is simple: "Sure....BUT you could get finish failure because of the two different chemicals decided not to bond properly." It is your decision. You can leave it as-is for now. You can move back into the space and hope for the best. The best case scenario is you cover everything up (because the issue is at the walls = furniture covers most of it) and you don't notice it for the next 20 years. Worst case scenario is it starts to bubble and peel in a short amount of time (less than 1 year) and it requires a full sand and refinish very quickly after you move all your furniture back in. It's your call. It is your home and your floor. Right now you have the benefit of an empty home and (probably) still have access to all the equipment needed. To achieve a full fix is very simple right now. If you leave it until later you will have to move everything out of the way again...

At this point, I would take the money and then 'live with it' for as long as possible. I would counter offer with, "Return my money and I will take the necessary steps to complete my floor project on my own." I can pretty much guarantee they will JUMP at this option. Your floor is fully functional with multiple attempts to get it to the colour you want. I would hate to see any more sanding done at this point. I know it isn't perfect, but it *might be "good enough". The colour you are attempting to create is EXTREMELY difficult to achieve on red oak. The Bona Craft Oil colours are ALL showing 'yellow' tones on white oak. That means there will be yellow tones showing through on red oak. Bona Craft oil advertises 'oiled floors with a finish'. An oil floor is OFTEN yellowish once completed. I'm wondering if the ambering is coming from the Craft Oil itself...simply because that is how it has been designed. The rest of the refinishing issues have to do with colour acceptance over areas that *might have received patch material...and patch (wood patch) will take colour VERY differently. I know this isn't what you were hoping for. I know this is very upsetting - especially after all the attempts to get this done - you will need to find your personal 'cut off' point. When do YOU decide that enough is enough? I would ask for my money back....which is probably what the company would consider acceptable...and move in and move on. Once the furniture is back into place and trim has been put back into place (etc.) you will find 90% of these issues will be hidden.

I have no issue with this. It is wood. It had a life before the finish. You have face nailed hardwood floors which means you can only go so deep with these guys. I personally would spend my $7/sf on something else. Ahem...yes. I said $7/sf. That's often what we see as a price tag for Bona Traffic HD with 3 coats. I would give it 6 months. If you STILL feel the floors look 'dirty' then bring the guys back in and pay for them to redo the floors. Go ahead and spend the $7/sf again...and go ahead and ask for a 3 coat system. It is MUCH tougher than the 2 coat that they have given you.