Table of Contents
- Stains the color of yellow highlighter on hardwood floors
- Stain cleaner left bright yellow stains on new hardwood flooring
- Yellow discolorations coming up under finish
Stains the color of yellow highlighter on hardwood floors
Q: We just discovered stains that look to be small splatters of liquid on our light hardwood floors. They are the color of yellow highlighter. The house was brand new when we moved in, in January, nine months ago. We hadn’t noticed them until this afternoon. We cannot figure out what they might be. They seem to trail across the kitchen.
We’ve tried Dawn with water, a magic eraser, peroxide, vinegar, a scrub daddy.. Someone suggested oil soap, which we need to buy still, so we haven’t tried it yet.
A: I have no idea what the yellow spots are but the last thing you want to use is an oil soap which can leave a residue on the finish which both dulls the finish and creates adhesion issues if you want to re-coat the floor. Try a little alcohol or some floor cleaner from a manufacturer who makes products for floors finished with polyurethane.
Stain cleaner left bright yellow stains on new hardwood flooring
Related Q: We have new hardwood flooring with 3 coats of crystal finish. Our dog was sick on the area rug so I used (Spot Shot) carpet stain cleaner on the carpet only to discover that the floor under the area where I used the carpet stain cleaner is now a bright yellow. How can I remove this bright yellow stain from my new flooring?
A: I think your crystal finish is a low end water borne polyurethane. The product you sprayed on your carpet is oil based and probably contains silicone. Not a good match. I would try denatured alcohol or such to remove the discoloration but I doubt it will work. You will probably have to have at least the boards affected taken down to bare wood and re-finished.
Yellow discolorations coming up under finish
Similar Q: We just installed ash hardwood flooring and in certain areas there are yellow discolorations popping up under the finish. Small rings in spots and almost a blotch between boards. Nothing has been spilled on the floor and it appears to be under the finish. Any ideas what could cause this? It is very random, about six areas now.
A: My guess is this is a water based finish. I would suspect some type of oil based contaminant which has been able to creep into the finish.