Q: We have manufactured hardwood floors, and the previous owners did a shoddy job of refinishing them by slapping down polyurethane on top of the original coating of the manufactured wood.
Wood Floor Sanding & Refinishing
Almost 200 Q&A on wood floor sanding and refinishing. We’ve have more Qs regarding installation, so perhaps people take refinishing on themselves far less often. Scroll through these and you will see why we’re pretty insistent on hiring a qualified and recommended pro.
Shiny spots left before last coat of poly
Q: I am sanding a wood floor and I’m between coats. I’m before applying the third and last coat of oil based polyurethane. If there are a few spots that remain shiny even after using 320 grit sandpaper, is that okay?
Applying oil based over water based finish
Q: I applied 2 coats of water based sealer and finish on an unfinished ash floor. I’m not happy with the results and want to use oil based finish instead. I bought Zar semi gloss. Is there a certain length of time I need to wait before applying the oil based polyurethane?
Hiding chatter marks
Q: I sanded my hardwood oak floors with a slotted drum sander, then put on 2 coats of polyurethane. Now, I see a lot of chatter marks. Should I rent a square random orbital sander to remove these marks?
Flexible clear coating other than polyurethane
Q: I’m restoring a 120 year old barn that has 1×12 rough cut CVG floors. I’m repurposing it for a wood shop and office. I plan on sanding then sealing the planks with a clear, heavy sealer so it looks like a gym floor. Should I use polyurethane or would you recommend something else?
Fish eye bubbles and sanding sealer on top of polyurethane as a fix
Q: Please help. We hired a floor refinisher with over 30 years of experience to refinish our 24 year old red oak floors. He is having one problem after another with the finish which is an oil based polyurethane satin finish. He has put on 3 or 4 coats of poly in some rooms and he keeps getting fish eyes, cloudy spots, etc. and debris in the finish.
Can’t recoat over existing poly unless fully sanded down?
Q: I just bought a house and I’m trying to get it move-in ready. The oak floors are currently stained with an oil based poly coating in a satin/semi gloss finish. I want to try and re-coat (buff the existing poly and apply new coat) in a matte finish for a more natural look. I’m looking for the right product and process to achieve the matte finish.
Stepped in wet finish and left a sneaker print
Q: I completely sanded and stained by living room floor. I then laid down one coat of polyurethane and surprisingly, as I am a first timer, it looked great. I put a second coat on, but then I accidently stepped on a couple of wet areas with my sneakers. I tried to roll it out and thought I did. But after it dried I could see the sneaker print.
Correcting spots where stain and poly have completely worn off
Q: Six years ago in an entire home remodel we matched our existing 1949 Red Oak flooring and had it installed throughout house seamlessly. We stained the oak with Dura seal to even out dark staining from the decades of use and spills. There were 4 coats of poly used to seal. Now we have a few spots where the stain was never “correct”. The poly and stain are completely worn thru and back to natural.
Finishing with Bona
Q: I am using BONA products to finish pine stairway. Should I use a sealer first and if so which one?