Rachel Lower – Ask the Wood Flooring Guy

If the sealer is cured before I abrade will the sealer still retain its tooth?

Q: 1500 SF, 2 Coats of Poloplaz fast dry sealer down on stained Hickory. Licensed floor refinisher did not clean the stained floor, so the sealer is full of grit and some hairs. I need to abrade this floor now by hand because the floor is not flat. Tried 17″ rotary but it hits high places and damages the stain below, to raw wood in some places.

Will 120 grit close the grain and make the finish blotchy?

Q: I have recovered douglas fir floors from carpet and linoleum, scraping the mastic off with a diamabrush/buffer. So far so good. My sanding plan is to use the buffer machine and 60/80/100/120 discs. Then finish sand with an oscillator at 120 to get out the large swirl marks. Do you think this will ‘close the grain’ so the oil finish will be blotchy?

Socks black from hardwood floor

Q: My daughter bought a house with wood floors and the finish comes off on your shoes or feet. I have not been there to see it but do you know or have any idea what it is? It’s blackish.

I’ve used a rag with turpentine to correct scratches, is this okay?

Q: I’ve got narrow oak board floors. My dogs have taken the finish off by coming and going in and out the door. I’ve used a rag with turpentine to correct scratches, is this okay?

Scratch repair area is now lighter than rest of floor

Q: I had a scratch on my old hardwood floors (1950’s house, original oak floors). I tried to sand down to get the scratch out. I got below the poly and the floor is now the light color of the original wood. Is there a way to get the area a little darker to get a little closer to the color of the surrounding floor? There is no stain on the floor, just natural color.