Q: I recently had my old AK wood floors refinished, stained cherry, with two layers of poly. I’ve noticed that our floor finish scratches easily, VERY easy, and I’m rather concerned about my investment. I’m curious if there are major differences in various polyurethane products in their end results or ability to protect my floors from scratches?
Could I have had a weaker product put on my floors? If so, can I apply another layer of something different to add more protection?
A: Yes, of course there are differences in products as to durability. One of the biggest issues is what was the procedure used when finishing your floors? For example, was a lacquer sealer used as a base coat first? If so, the durability will be very poor. Was proper abrasion performed between coats to assure adhesion? Do you know what products and procedures were used? Another coat may or may not help in the long run, but wouldn’t hurt to try. A sample spot in an out of the way corner might be a good idea. Prep the spot. Apply a thin coat of finish. Give it a week and rub it with a coin edge and see if you have good adhesion.
Similar Q: I had floors refinished, sanded all they way down and polyurethane finished. The floors scratch more now than they did when the finish was 10 years old. What causes this scratching?
A: Scratches generally are from something which is abrasive rubbing across the finish. The larger or sharper the worse or deeper the scratches. It could be something on the bottom of a shoe. A piece of grit on the bottom of a chair leg. The better the finish the more resistant to scratching. Even with a large dog, you will get impressions or little grooves in the floor but it will take some time to degrade the finish itself.