Q: I have recently had my floating floors fully sanded back to bare wood then recoated with a base and 2 coats of poly. I have lots of bubbles all over the floor. He has since re-sanded lightly and recoated with another coat of poly, though this has only slightly improved the finish. To the eye there are ‘bits’ everywhere. I don’t know whether this is fish eye bubbles as you describe or dust between the layers.
I am unhappy, but should I expect this kind of finish or should it be flawless?
A: Flawless? 🙂 Working in an open environment, I don’t think you can expect flawless. You can always expect an occasional fleck, pimple or bubble. That is a far cry from ‘lots of bubbles everywhere’. This could be caused by allowing air flow too soon after applying, using the wrong applicator which is injecting air into the finish, dirty finish or a contaminated environment, or even a problem with the finish itself.
Bubbles everywhere indicates a problem exists that needs to be corrected.
Similar Q: I had new oak floors laid after a water problem at Christmas. Today the 2nd and 3rd coats were applied and non one was in the house from 8am-8pm, just flooring guy. I came home to pimpling on floor, looks like acne! The flooring guy says this is normal and wear and tear will fix it. Is this a lie? Should I be worried or is this really OK?
A: It’s not unusual to get an occasional fleck in the finish when working in an open environment. Occasional fleck, perhaps a fiber coming loose from the roller or applicator. If a person does not clean the floor well, does not clean their finishes and has wind blowing across the floor you can get bubbles and pimples. So, I would definitely not call this normal. If my finish did this, I would want to know why.