Q: We just had our floors stained 2 months ago and put on 3 coats of polyurethane. Needless to say, my 128 lb puppy left paw prints everywhere. I called the gentleman back and told him our situation. He said we walked on it too soon. He told us we could walk on it a day after so we did. He came back and redid the floors, but this time we waited 12 days before allowing our pup back onto the floors.. he left marks again!
I know they are from his paws but what caused this and how do I fix it? It is driving me crazy and I don’t want to pay for the floors to be redone again. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
A: Are you saying your dogs foot pads are actually making impressions in the finish? If this is the case, I would have to call into question the finish that was used or it being applied much to thick. This would only happen if the coating was still soft. Do you leave foot prints too? Could it just be oil coming off your pets feet? Will the marks rub out with a bit of alcohol on a cloth?
Follow-up: No, they are not leaving actual ‘impressions’, but marks and no we don’t leave marks at all. I thought it could be the oils from his paws. I’ve used a vinegar solutions as well as the alcohol and they do not come up. Like I said, this is our 2nd time having the floors done within 2 months due to the marks from the pup. It’s just annoying that I spent $10k only to see paw marks on the floor. The guy keeps telling me it’s the ‘type’ of wood that we have.
The previous owner put in Australian Cyprus and when we moved in, we had them stain the house with a darker color, which I think was the mistake. They put on 3 coats of the polyurethane the first time. This time they came and buffed the whole house and put on another coat. We waited 12 days before allowing the dog to walk on the floors. I would have thought that 12 days was long enough for the floors to cure. It’s a water based polyurethane. I just can’t believe that there is nothing out there to prevent paw marks. I’ve attached a picture of the upstairs and the culprit.
A: The perpetrator has a look that says ‘It’s not me’. I don’t understand why the wood species would have anything to do with it because the finish creates a barrier on the wood surface. The only thing I can suggest is using a cleaner designed for polyurethane finishes. There are various versions of these cleaners available from floor finish manufacturers or wood flooring manufacturers. From Poloplaz to Bona Kemi or Basic Coatings and Boa-Franc, etc. Such cleaners are designed to remove surface contaminants and evaporate off the surface rapidly leaving no residue.
I have a dog n a ceramic type of floor. My floor is full of paw prints. Think the dog secrets oil from paws cause it’s oily all over , just awful. I mop n run a finger over floor n you can see the mark. I’ve used ammonia, vinegar n it doesn’t help. What shall ido.