Q: We had our apt floor put in 4 years ago when we renovated. A few months later small black spots started appearing and have grown in number. They are mostly circular and dark black and mostly around the dining room table, but not all right under it. I don’t believe they are from anything [...]
Removing Gunk
Apr 242013
Apr 032012
Q: Help! We just removed linoleum from our wood floor and the guys used 747 silicone grease remover to remove the glue. It has seeped down into the floor and I can’t get rid of it. I’ve used Simple Green several times, and then tried 409 (per the grease remover manufacturer). It looked like it [...]
747 Grease remover was used to remove glue, now it is seeping back up between floor boards
April 3, 2012
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Nov 282011
Q: Due to a hardwood refinishing job w/ improper preparation my entire home has polyurethane pooled in all the heat vents. What are the health concerns and how do I remove it? A: There shouldn’t be any health concerns. Once the finish is hardened the mineral spirit solvent has left the film. I would probably [...]
Jul 042011
Q: I inspected a job today where the oil poly was pushing up through the seams. The sanding was done in Feb., there was heat in the house. It was a sand, sealer and two coats of oil semi gloss. No stain? I am going back in August to resand, this time using waterborne product. [...]
Please don’t laugh too hard when I tell you that I applied peanut butter to my kitchen floor. This had worked beautifully on a linoleum kitchen floor years ago when I accidentally dropped some peanut butter on it. It restored the colour that had been ruined by my son spilling turpentine on it. With this information, the contractor did not want to touch my floor.
Q: I recently moved home and had several floors sanded. Unfortunately, one room subsequently required some plasterwork. The plasterer was a dirty worker and the floor is now covered with plaster stains. Is there anything I can do to remove this? Or will we need to have the floor re-sanded? A: It can be irksome [...]
Plasterer was a dirty worker and floor is now covered with plaster stains
May 26, 2011
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May 262011
Q: The sticky pads we applied to the bottom of our furniture have come off and left a sticky residue on our hardwood floors. I have been unable to remove it. How do I remove sticky pad residue? Is there anything other than hot water and elbow grease you can suggest to get the film [...]
Q: When I top-nailed the prefinished wood floors, I used colored wood putty to fill the holes, but it left a residue around the application spot. How can I remove the residue and not the putty, without compromising the prefinished floor? A: A bit of mineral spirits on a cloth and some elbow work should [...]
May 242011
Q: Our white oak wood floors have a green color coming to the surface. It is getting our carpets stained too, from the foot traffic from the wood floor to the carpet. How can we repair our wood floor? A: It sounds like tannin, but how or why it would be able to bleed through [...]
Q: I just had hardwood floors installed 3 days ago and I found the installers applying paint thinner to my brand new floors! Everyone I have spoken to has no idea why they put paint thinner on wood floors and the owner of the company is avoiding me. I have noticed that my floors no [...]
Found the installers applying paint thinner to my brand new floors
May 17, 2011
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Q: Drywall dust is embedded into our engineered hardwood floor, in the cracks and in the grain of the wood. I dry-mopped and used a shop vac. This helped the surface of the wood, but the white dust is still embedded in there. What can I do? Any cleaners? A: I would keep working at [...]
Q: Our contractor installed new hardwood floors with glue. Unfortunately, the glue got on the floors. How do we remove it without damaging the urethane finish? A: He probably used a polyurethane adhesive such as Bostik’s Best. They actually have an adhesive remover that works quite well. Don’t let it spill between the boards. http://www.bostik-us.com/products/index.asp?fa=subCategoryPages&divisionId=2&categoryId=2&subCategoryId=49&subCategoryPageId=37 [...]
An old rubber-backed carpet has left hardened residue on my pine wood floor.
Mar 102011
Since I’ve had my hardwood floors put in there is one area that has a film on the floor and I’m not sure what it is. I thought maybe glue.
Jan 272011
I recently just bought a house that was build in the 1930′s and has solid oak floors. In the living room it’s very dull. I don’t know if it’s because it was cleaned with ammonias or because it has a build up of oil, or some sort of residue. Also there’s wood floors in the kitchen that have been painted and have peel ‘n stick tile over them. After removing the tile, should I strip the paint off myself? If so, What should I use to strip the paint? Or should I hire a professional?
My hardwood floor was refinished with something called Rejuvenate. Unfortunately, the grooves between the slats were not cleaned and look dirty. What can I do or use?
Grooves not cleaned before finishing with rejuvenate floor refresher
October 7, 2010
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After pulling up old carpet from an old floor, and cleaning some white residue that I think might be a little mold with clorox, the floor dries with a chalky white talc like substance on top. What do I do to remove it?
Aug 132008
We stained our hardwood floors in the living room. The can of stain said it takes 24 hours to dry. It has been 3 days now and our floors feel sticky. How do we fix this?
What is the best way to remove adhesive from a floor with a polyurethane finish? I have felt pads on the legs of my chairs and tables. Once in a while a pad comes loose and transfers adhesive onto the floor. What is the best way to remove this adhesive without damaging the polyurethane finish?
What is the best way to remove adhesive from a floor with a polyurethane finish?
May 14, 2008
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How do you remove carpet glue from hardwood floors?
