Debris and dust in first coat of finish

Q: I had a floor guy sand, stain and finish with oil base. The first coat has loose staples, wads of steel wool, and pointy prickly type bubbles. There is a lot of dust on the blinds, in the baseboards, on the door frames, etc.

I want him to strip the first coat and reapply. Will that have an effect on the stain that was applied?

A: One coat of finish won’t be adequate. The coat he has applied does not need to be totally removed, otherwise, he would have to start the entire job over. It needs to be buffed down or thoroughly abraded with a polisher and screen discs in either 220, 180 or 150 grit. I usually use 120 grit sandpaper for the edges. This scratches the coating and knocks off any surface debris before applying another coat. It seems only common sense, before coating anything the surrounding area should be thoroughly cleaned of lingering dust and debris and the floor itself carefully vacuumed and tacked clean. After I apply a coat of finish, I take what is left and pour it through a cone shaped strainer every time so the finish is always kept clean also.

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