Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Hit a huge snag in refinishing oak flooring
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guyute
08-07-07, 09:58 AM
I recently decided to tear up the old carpeting left over from the previous owner, all was great until I discovered this.
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/2305/stainii7.jpg
I made the mistake of trying to bleach out the stain (you'll see the disastrous results soon) and after realizing that oxalic acid wasn't working, I decided to replace the boards.
http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/7861/holeqz1.jpg
I purchased 20sq ft. of flooring from Menards, and went to work.
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/3472/donesy1.jpg
So far so good right? Everything was going great with the poly (I just went with the Varathane water-based) until I hit the spot with the bleach. It really shows up and looks terrible compared to the rest of the wood, and this didn't show up with mineral spirits, just the poly. I also have a few drip spots where I must have been sloppy with the bucket of bleach.
I tried to sand down the poly in a few spots, as it was only one thin coat, sand down past the bleach, and then re-apply poly. You can still see a difference in color on the small spots where I removed the bleach drips. The larger circular area where I scrubbed in the bleach is beyond sanding I think.
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4060/bleach2vc2.jpg
So....what are my options? Is there any way I am ever going to get the poly on the freshly sanded areas to match the original layer I put down? If I just proceed with coat #2 is there any chance it will even out? Could I try and stain the bleached wood to match the darker stuff? Am I fooling myself because I'm going to have to remove more boards and replace them?
As if the job isn't frustrating enough, I chose to do half the room at a time (my knees and back were killing me) and probably made a mistake in stopping half way lengthwise. So you can also see a difference in each half of the room where I stopped the poly on Saturday and finished on Sunday. I'm at least hopeful that the second coat will even that mistake out
I sure hope I don't have to re-rent that sander and start from scratch as I have already invested a lot of time and money...and sanity.
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated because I really want to salvage this job. What a learning experience this will be!
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/2305/stainii7.jpg
I made the mistake of trying to bleach out the stain (you'll see the disastrous results soon) and after realizing that oxalic acid wasn't working, I decided to replace the boards.
http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/7861/holeqz1.jpg
I purchased 20sq ft. of flooring from Menards, and went to work.
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/3472/donesy1.jpg
So far so good right? Everything was going great with the poly (I just went with the Varathane water-based) until I hit the spot with the bleach. It really shows up and looks terrible compared to the rest of the wood, and this didn't show up with mineral spirits, just the poly. I also have a few drip spots where I must have been sloppy with the bucket of bleach.
I tried to sand down the poly in a few spots, as it was only one thin coat, sand down past the bleach, and then re-apply poly. You can still see a difference in color on the small spots where I removed the bleach drips. The larger circular area where I scrubbed in the bleach is beyond sanding I think.
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/4060/bleach2vc2.jpg
So....what are my options? Is there any way I am ever going to get the poly on the freshly sanded areas to match the original layer I put down? If I just proceed with coat #2 is there any chance it will even out? Could I try and stain the bleached wood to match the darker stuff? Am I fooling myself because I'm going to have to remove more boards and replace them?
As if the job isn't frustrating enough, I chose to do half the room at a time (my knees and back were killing me) and probably made a mistake in stopping half way lengthwise. So you can also see a difference in each half of the room where I stopped the poly on Saturday and finished on Sunday. I'm at least hopeful that the second coat will even that mistake out
I sure hope I don't have to re-rent that sander and start from scratch as I have already invested a lot of time and money...and sanity.
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated because I really want to salvage this job. What a learning experience this will be!
Jack the Contractor
08-11-07, 02:57 PM
You do have a mess, and a problem. You were in good shape after you installed it. At that point you should have called a professional floor finisher.
If you want your floor to match, you need to address the entire floor. The entire floor should have been all sanded, stained with a good stain, and lightly sanded and waxed. That is how it is done. Sorry about that. You did do a good job putting in the new flooring however.
If you want your floor to match, you need to address the entire floor. The entire floor should have been all sanded, stained with a good stain, and lightly sanded and waxed. That is how it is done. Sorry about that. You did do a good job putting in the new flooring however.