White Hazy Oily Film on Newly Refinished Hardwood Floors

Msmtee · 06-28-2009, 01:34 PM

Certain areas on my newly refinished hardwood floors have a white haze which is slightly oily on them. The guy said it was probably due to the high humidity; therefore, he came back and went over the floor again but the problem is still there. I am subject to believe that the surface was oily before applying the first coat of polyurethane and he should have made an effort to clean it off before reapplying. If I am stuck trying to remedy this problem my self, what can I do to remove these areas of dullness and oilyness? Thank you.

jaros bros. · 06-28-2009, 03:21 PM

Who is "the guy?" I think that if you paid "the guy" that "the guy" should come back and fix it. Why are trying to fix something that you are not liable to fix? It sounds like an oil coating was put on too thick or not allowed to cure, or both. If the humidity was high, this would make the problem worse. Sounds like the whole thing might need to be redone because there is no fix to this type of problem. Without knowing the products that "the guy" used and how they were applied, this is only a guess.
If this was a contractor, you need to have them fix it and not pull your hair out trying to fix someone's mistake that you paid for.

Msmtee · 06-28-2009, 04:38 PM

He is a flooring person who does this for a living. He used something called Bona oil based polyurethane. I would assume he used this for all three coats. Supposedly he sanded the floors down to the wood and applied two coats of polyurethane; therefore, I have no idea what happened in those areas. Outside of just vacuuming, should he have went over the floor to clean up the dusty look and make sure the surface was without any problems that could cause this? When I called him about the problem two days later , he came back, lightly sanded the floors and applied another coat of polyurethane. Now two days later after a third coat, I see the same problem. He did make a statement about chemical seeping out of the cracks in the floor could be causing the problem???? Or something used on the floors prior to his visit. But if he sanded the floor down to the wood, how can that be? I will probably be contacting him again and hopefully it won't be a problem. Being a female, you really get tired of having to confrontational when you need something done correctly.

jaros bros. · 06-28-2009, 06:01 PM

Some of the Bona products are a waxy oil finish that form a film over the top of the wood. They are intended to look like an oiled floor. I'm not sure exactly what product he used but it sounds like maybe the wax is showing up more than you would like. This is one possibility. I know Bona application also calls for a sealer to placed on the floor first. The sealer is a sanding sealer and would prevent anything from in the wood from contaminating the surface application. Next time have the product tested out on an inconspicious first to make sure you like it before you do the whole floor. The floor would have had to wait 24 hours between coats and had a light screening inbetween as well if this is a product that hardens up. Usually a good vacuuming will clean everthing up if it is done well. What is the specific name of the product that he used? Do you have an old container? Was a sealer put down first? Don't feel bad about asking him questions. You obviously spent some money to get this done and good contractors don't mind questions being asked. Sometimes even good contractors make mistakes or run into problems or unseen circumstances. A good contractor will be glad you did communicate rather than hiding from him.

Msmtee · 06-28-2009, 06:42 PM

Before he did any work, I did ask about a sealer. He said there was no need. I guess I need to find out what was used and if a sealer should have been used. 24 hours did go by before he applied his second coat. and 48 hours went by before the third coat. The area he did is approx. 500 sq/ft.. The whole floor doesn't have this hazy, oily look. Just certain areas in the entry way leading to the dining room. I find that strange. He seemed a bit bewildered saying it's never happened before. That can only mean that he may not want to take responsibility for this and blame it on something out of his control. Then the aggravation begins....SMILE