Shellac was used to fill dip in floor?

Q: We had oak flooring installed, stained and a matte finish applied. A few months after a board dropped (under flooring board must have cracked or something) and left a 1/4 inch tripping hazard. The floor guy came in and applied a shellac like fill which hardened well, filled the depressed area well, but is very shiny.. it looks like a patch of ice next to the matte finish. He has suggested that we sand it to dull the shine but we are afraid to do anything.

Can you please advise. He seems unwilling to return.

A: Shellac like? I need to know exactly what he has applied. I can’t imagine why he would apply a shellac over a polyurethane. If it is shellac which has not been de-waxed (shellac naturally contains wax) no finish will stick to it.

Is the sub floor accessible from below? For example, from the basement?

It is possible to dull a coating by rubbing with either very fine steel wool, say ‘0000’ or a super fine sandpaper such as 500 or 1000 grit. You get the idea.

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