Q: We had a water leak and had to replace a small section of teak flooring. The insurance contractor said that we needed to sand the entire floor down so it would all match. They put 3 coats of oil based polyurethane on the floor: satin, then a semi and then a satin since I was concerned about scratching. Our floors were beautiful and were fine prior to this work. Now there are white scratches everywhere from shoes and our dogs.. within days.
Do you think this could be from bad bonding between the coats, not enough buffing between coats? It is getting worse and worse. We had normal wear and tear with the way our old floor was but never white scratches, which really are not scratches in the floor but the top coats of oil. I am trying to figure it out between the contractors and the people who did the work. Thank you.
A: It sounds like the finish is rapidly wearing off because of a poor bond. I suspect the cause is the oil in the wood reacting with the solvents in the finish. I would instead use a water base finish such as Poloplaz Prism or similar coatings from other manufacturers who provide a barrier coat with their sealers.
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