Q: We refinished 100 yr old redwood floors, 1 coat stain, 3 coats polyurethane. After 2 days, when we walk across it in socks afterwards we can see stain lines from some of the cracks on the bottom of our socks. Why is this? Will it eventually dry?
A: That isn’t something you want to see happen. And this after also applying 3 coats of polyurethane. You must have applied the stain quite heavily, possibly with a lambswool applicator. I always strap on the knee pads and apply it with a cloth, row by row. And after applying to each row you go back and wipe off the excess. Also, if you had used a fast dry stain such as Dura Seal Quick Coat or Poloplaz stains it would have totally dried.
You’ve gotten probably a significant amount of stain between the boards and because it isn’t getting exposure to fresh air it is having trouble drying. This will become even more aggravating if the polyurethane is also not dry and starts to appear on the board edges as little beads. I think I would start by having a fan blowing directly on the floor to try and force dry it. You might also dampen a cloth with mineral spirits and wipe suspected board edges.
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