Stripes where blue painters tape was

Q: I just had oil finished hardwood floors installed. The installers used blue painters tape to hold the boards down and together while installing. When they pulled the tape from the floors it left stripes. They have cleaned the area of the tape residue, but marks are still visible. Is there a way to fix this without pulling up all the damaged boards?

A: If this is an oil finish, perhaps the manufacturer has a recommendation of what to apply to freshen up the oil finish. Perhaps the tape pulled at it and left dull strips? Or, depending what kind of wood it is, some exotics change color rapidly with light exposure and if the tape was left down for several days this may be the result. If that is it, not to worry. The lighter area will catch up.

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