Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Wood floor nightmare....Help

Hey guys, last night I finished a urethane job on a section of my living room floor? Using the lamb wool applcator was a breeze. This was the second attempt to do my floor.
Well I woke up to find the same problems when i attempted it the first time 2 months ago. Below you can see the pictures. You can see all the streaks. They are not from the urethane job........ I know this, once i finished spreading down the urethane, it was an even coat that dried even. There are no brush strokes or hazing or overlapping. Its my sanding job.


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a115/acblue94/CIMG1152.jpg
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The left of the bue line is the untouched floor that was done 6 months ago.

I finnaly realized my sanding job is good at all. What am I doing wrong, its not a large area so im using a small sanding block and 220 grit and sanding with the grain. Should I be sanding in a circular motion like an orbital sander

Is that just one coat of poly?

No its the 4th coat. Im almost sure the problem is that I used 220 grit for the final sanding. Instead I shoudl of used 320 or even 400. Even though the surface was smooth to touch. The thick coarse sandpaper of 220 left its marks...


I think I need to sand again with 400 grit or maybe with steel wool and poly the surface one last time. Correct me if im wrong.

I don't think the 220 grit is your problem, unless you're sanding for hours.

Perhaps you are not applying a thick enough coat with your applicator- wiping off what you've put on.

Do you have any extra pieces of flooring left over? Why don't you take a couple of those and try applying poly a little thicker and see how that works. I've also had good luck using a foam roller on large piece of furniture...try that on your flooring.

I wouldn't keep doing the entire floor until you can figure out exactly what the problem is.

I'm sure you know by now to keep a wet edge and not to drag over just finished areas with your applicator, as the applicator may "pick up" tacky poly.

Let's see how your experiment works!
C.

Your right. I did put on a very thin coat of poly. But I also beleive that i should of used a 400 grit or steel wool for the finishing coat. Less scratches..

I will apply a thicker coat of poly, or maybe 2 thin coats without scuffing in betwen coats..


Thank you very much for you knowledge.
And i dont have left over pieces unfortunally..

Yes I know about the wet edge concept...

BMW, it really would behoove you to get some extra pieces of flooring. It would be so much easier to test on a small piece, because once you start on the main floor, you just about have to keep going.

Also, in the unhappy event something disastrous should befall your floor, like a burn or water damage, you'd have replacement.

Almost any project I've done results in storing some additional pieces, mostly because you may not be able to replace your specific part at a later date.

If you are just refinishing...this is not a new installation...you still should be able to acquire some planks in the same species of wood.

If you try again to do the entire floor and it still doesn't turn out the way you want, you're going to be mightily frustrated.

This is just my opinion, and you certainly needn't feel obliged, but I think it will be a big help to you in the long run.

yes, you make complete sense. i will test this out on a seperate plank of wood. thank you

BMW, sorry to hear about your results. Two thoughts: 1) are you following manufacturer's instructions? Sorry, had to ask. Some brands call for sanding between all coats, some only call for sanding just prior to the last coat if all others came within 24 hours of each other. Just an idea that perhaps you've sanded too much a long the way. 2) lose the sanding block and lightly, lightly hand sand prior to the last coat. The final sanding is for adhesion purposes, not surface leveling. A quick pass that does nothing more than dull the prior coat is all that is needed. Good luck.