Sanding floors

Q: I sanded my living floor over the last two days. Last night I scrubbed the floor to prepared for putting the finish on this morning. I woke up to a disaster. There are areas where the wood looks like it’s dotted in black. Also, a ring where the pail was.

Would bleach help, or do I re-sand? Ugh, my back hurts.

A: Why didn’t you hire a professional? You don’t scrub the floor before applying the finish. Water is one of wood’s enemies! All you need to do is vacuum well, then wipe with a dry cloth or multi weave mop to remove as much dust as possible. Always buff a coat of finish with abrasive before applying another. After buffing, clean as above.
Yes, you will probably have to sand out the black ring, and at least a fine sanding to remove the other marks.