Q: I had Brazilian cherry hardwood floor installed, stained with sedona red from Miniwax, and it looked great until I put the fast drying polyurethane down. I sanded it with 220 grit. The first coast went down easy and soaked it, but the second coat was hard to spread, like putting glue and now you can see all the marks where the lambswool stopped and started.
It is oil based and I don’t know how or why it looks like this and how to fix it.
A: Environmental issues can cause a finish to dry too fast. Best to have the room temperature 70-75F with no air movement and no direct sunlight. Even a cold floor can affect the flow of a finish. for example, basement floors or floors over a parking garage in high rise buildings.
I would suggest you use other than a “fast dry”, and be aware that, because of the silica flattener found in satin and semi gloss finishes, there can be issues with streaks and mop stops. There are other techniques to apply a finish which are better than the push-pull of a mop. A T bar used in a snow plough method for example. Sanding floors and coating are extremely difficult to do, and it’s is always best to leave it to a person with considerable experience. After 34 years, even I have problems at times.
By the way, thin coats are always best. The spread rate of most products is 500 sq. ft. per gallon.
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