Fixing Dull and Shiny Spots in Hardwood Floor Finish

Dear Rob:

I recently had my floors refinished and the poly came out very uneven. Some places it’s really shiny and others, its very dull. Any ideas on a quick fix to even it out? I have to move furniture into these rooms this weekend.

-Lacey G. from Merrimack, New Hampshire.

Dear Lacey:

I assume that you have a polyurethane floor, so I will base my answer on that. The dull and shiny spots in your hardwood floor indicate that your installers did not apply the finish correctly.

Dull spots in polyurethane floors usually indicate that the finish was not applied carefully, the applicator had a dry spot on it, or the finish was thinned out with a solvent such as mineral spirits. The latter is a big mistake, but a common shortcut in the industry among people trying to save money on materials.

Shiny spots in polyurethane floors can be caused by the finish not flowing out properly and pooling in areas, or inconsistent screening between coats of finish.

There is no quick fix for this, what I recommend is that you have the refinishers come back and screen and coat the floor. A screen and coat is a procedure where the floor is lightly sanded (or screened) with a floor maintainer or buffer, instead of a floor sander. This light sanding evens out the finished, cleans away debris, and roughens the surface, so another coat of finish will be able to properly adhere to the existing finish.

There is no other way to even out the finish.

-Rob

It’s Bad Idea to Stain Hickory and Maple Floors

Dear Rob: I want to stain my maple hardwood floor to match my stained maple kitchen cabinets, but my hardwood guy refuses saying that they stain will not take. I know my kitchen cabinets are stained maple, so what gives? Why is he pulling my leg?

-Jared H. from Orem, Utah

Dear Jared: Your installer is not really pulling your leg and is actually trying to make you happy with your floor and his workmanship.

In my own flooring business, Natural Wood Floors, I have been asked to stain many maple and hickory floors when refinishing, but I usually tell my customers no. That usually makes them unhappy, but the reason is that the grains in both maple and hickory flooring can be very hard in spots and very soft in others. When trying to stain these woods, the hard spots will not absorb the stain easily, and when that happens, you will have a light patch that looks blotchy.

When maple or hickory kitchen cabinets are stained, it is done in a factory controlled environment, and they use different types of fast dry, spray-on coatings. They are then dried with UV lights so that the color is consistent. These conditions are impossible to reproduce in your home because the coatings we use on site are gravity permeable and are slower drying.

This is what the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association says about the subject:

“Due to the extremely tight cellular structure and variable grain patterns inherent in northern hard maple, the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association (MFMA) does not recommend staining or bleaching maple strip flooring under any circumstances.

While small areas of individual flooring strips may accept stain without difficulty, it has been our experience that much of the maple surface will appear uneven and “blotchy” following the application of most stains or bleaching agents.

MFMA strongly suggests contacting your floor finish manufacturer directly for specific tinting product recommendations and application instructions.”

I think the risks are too high to move forward with staining maple and hickory, but if you are really dead set on the stain, there is a trick that some very skilled refinishers have used to successfully stain a hickory or maple floor that is called water-popping. When water-popping, the floor is actually dampened with a sponge so the grains can be opened. The wood is more likely to absorb stain. This is a very risky thing to do, and many younger installers have not been taught how to properly do this, so I still do not recommend it.

-Rob