Hardwood (floors, you dirty minded people)

So quite a few months back I ripped up the carpet, sanded and stained the floors in our livingroom/dining room. The room is LARGE and in the process of staining it, I basically had to do it in sections. In spite of my best efforts to ensure proper blending, over time as the stain has aged I can notice the transitions between the sections. I am researching my options for a remedy so I don't have to go through the whole process again. The transitions aren't too drastic, more like the sections overlapped when I put the polyurethane down and some spots ended up shinier.

I think I can go one of two routes. The first using clear polyurethane over the entire floor again (which is a pain because of the furniture and animals living here) not to mention you can't get in or out of this house. The second option is using a wax product, which I read dries faster, but longer term is a pain. Since this is a rental house, I'm not really worried about "long term" specifically because I'm sure the owners are going to re-carpet. But I wanted to get any opinions since I've not used a wax based product before.

Any input or additional suggestions? I'm painting the trim work in the room today and tomorrow so I would love to get the floors finalized while the furniture in the room is shifted around for that, since I still have to put the 1/4 round down too.

What about a floor buffer? Use it to blend the shiny-ness between sections or just polish the whole thing.

I'm stuck back on the amount of work you're doing in a rental house.

A friend used that Bona stuff on her floors and it was magic. It's just a cleaner, but it also evened out some of the areas on her very old floors.

The carpet going was really for my own health to help with my allergies,and honestly,4 animals with carpet means more work than hardwood floors so it's a time saver during cleaning. I'm only replacing the 1/4 round and painting the trim because... ahem, someone in the house was motivated and he pulled up the old 1/4 before I ripped up the carpet and broke it into a million pieces.

I'll have to look into bona. I think the wax products basically buff it and smooth the finish.

+1 for Bona.

I agree, hardwood is practically synonymous with having a Bona.

Did u do two coats of poly?

If not lightly sand the first coat and put a second coat down and that should make it look

Nice- i did 2000 sf and used a orbital type sander in between coats of poly..

Okay, so Ace didn't have this bona, but I bought some clear poly. I'm heading into the larger town tomorrow for an oil change so I'm going to check at home depot, or target or lowes or someplace. I did 1 coat- stain plus poly and 1-coat clear poly, but maybe it needed another coat so I'll try that first. Moving furniture just sucks though, I wonder if I could hire someone to help me carry it all out the front door and pile it in the front yard then move it back in the next day, lol.

And there is a polyurethane specifically for hard wood floors (i made that mistake my first go round) also..

You using the lambskin applicator thing (on a stick)?

Road Guy said:

And there is a polyurethane specifically for hard wood floors (i made that mistake my first go round) also..

You using the lambskin applicator thing (on a stick)?

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I don't know if it's lambskin, but it was recommended and it's on a stick, bah ha ha

So what your saying is that it is allergic to latex?

Ummmmm....yeah!

Well, I don't have any advice not already given. But that sounds like a lot of work on a floor you are renting, and that will only get covered up in the end.

I hope you plan to rent for a while to make it worth it.

Home Depot carries Bona, if there's one close to you. If not, I'm sure you can easily find it online. Maybe use that Amazon link on EB?

CSB/SNAPE- it's a lot of work for a rental, but we've been in this house for 3 years and when you move someplace, even if it's temporary, and you hate everything about the place, you try to control what you can control... making the house nice is one of the few things I can control, so I'll control it, we couldn't find a lot of rental options because both the dogs are over 75 pounds and most places even without weight limits don't like specific breeds, including GSD's. Of course we refused to go over our budget for a nicer place as well. That said, I don't know how much longer we'll be here, but I'm unemployed right now and I might as well keep busy, time doesn't cost anything if you don't have a job.

I'll check Home Depot first Ram, we only have an Ace hardware near the house but if I drive a few miles up the high way there's both Home Depot and Lowes, thank you.

I would not use a wax only on newer style hardwood floors, i.e. the click-lock, engineered, etc. It does not offer the protection that the polys do. I have also found the paste waxes to be dust magnets by comparison. I would topcoat with a matte poly.

Supe said:

I would not use a wax only on newer style hardwood floors, i.e. the click-lock, engineered, etc. It does not offer the protection that the polys do. I have also found the paste waxes to be dust magnets by comparison. I would topcoat with a matte poly.

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This is original flooring to the house so a good 80+ years old...

the sanding in between poly is really the key,, unless it drives you crazy I would also agree to just leave it be but I know you have high expectations!

Road Guy said:

the sanding in between poly is really the key,, unless it drives you crazy I would also agree to just leave it be but I know you have high expectations!

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Light sanding like put the paper on a broom stick?

no just a small orbital sander ($40 bucks at home depot) the instructions on the poly should tell you the grit, I don't recall but think its light grit. But you have to just sort of lightly sand the poly in between coats to get that smoothness so you can slide on it in your socks, I had to buy some knee pads cause it kills your knees but it does make a huge difference..

Insert obligatory 'getting on your knees' joke here.