Stain over poly

[Michelle]

Help! I recently had new floors put in. They were ran through the circular saw to give an old look so I did not want the saw marks sanded out. The floor finisher had never worked with these floors before so he didn't really know what he was doing. Anyways after he finished, my floors ended up being left too rough in some areas because he didn't want to sand down the marks too much. I called someone who did know about them and he recommended using a palm sander to individually sand the rough spots out without taking down the grain of the wood, then re finishing. We did this step and noticed that even with the light 220 sanding it took some of the color off in areas so we restained the whole floor, wiping off the excess as we went because I knew that the stain wouldn't adhere to the area where poly was left. Well apparently we didn't wipe it off good enough because it's been 24 hours and the stain is still tacky. Will it eventually dry or do I need to get The excess off before I put down poly. I was told (by the floor guy that originally did my floors) that if I go ahead and put the poly down it will be ok and will bond the stain that hasn't soaked in, but im skeptical of that. I'm worried that it won't adhere good and eventually start peeling. Even if it is ok, will it not show my footprints throughout it if I am walking all over it as I put the poly down? Please tell me I haven't ruined my gorgeous new floors and that there's an easy fix! I'm 7 months pregnant so I'm really hoping I don't have to go over 1000 square ft of floor on my hands and knees trying to fix this mess! lol

[Leon]

I is impossible to determine what the problem is without knowing exactly what was done and with what product. You should absolutely consult the manufacturer of the products that you have been using.

BUT if the stain and or varnish is oil based and the room was humid when applied it could take several days to weeks to properly dry.

A pro probably would not touch the project with a 10 foot pole unless he could completely sand the floor down and start the process over.

Saw marks in wood floors that you buy at a flooring store have the finish applied at the factory and they use special stains and top coats that are typically UV cured.

[nailshooter41]

And there you have it. Just about all you need to know.

To add a bit, poly is a reactive finish due to its chemical makeup, and sta in is almost always an evaporative finish. So the poly will cure on its ow n, and stain such as is used for wood of in this instance is made (not glaz es, not accent stains, not fence stains, etc)to be partially absorbed by th e wood itself, with enough oils or solvents in it for partial penetration of the surface. It doesn't cure, it simply dries up by having the carriers /solvents evaporate.

With no penetration to absorb the carriers, the oils are sitting on top of the poly. It sounds like you have already goofed up the finish by sanding it, the trying to color it, so I wouldn't worry about that. Put some miner al spirits on a rag (like a T shirt) and you will be able to wipe off all t he excess stain with some elbow grease.

Robert