# hardwood floor finishing nightmare



## bfunk13 (Apr 5, 2009)

I thought a 4 day weekend would be plenty of time to refinish a bedroom floor.
I rented a sander and started sanding. Well, our house was built in 1922 and this floor must have had a yearly coat of poly for the last 50 years.
The old finish kept gumming up the sander. After fighting this i broke down and got some paint/varnish remover. The results were fair. So i sanded, and sanded.
Finally somewhat satisfied with the sanding , more like "this will have to be good enough". I vacuumed and tack clothed the floor. Everything ive read about applying the polyurethane says use a lambswood applicator. Even the directions on the can. So i did. First coat went on fine. Let dry overnight, this morning i went to put on the second coat and this ******** expletive lambswool applicator shed all over the first coat. I quickly threw it in the trash and used a brush. The brush worked fine but the remnants of this shedding lambswool can be seen throughout the floor finish. I am wondering if more coats will eventually hide most of the sheds. The shedding is clear and only seen on the surface. Any suggestions on what to do here? I think of myself as a pretty handy guy, can tackle most projects with no problem. Ive met my match with this one. Thanks for any advice.

Brad


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## bfunk13 (Apr 5, 2009)

I am sure the lead dust has something to do with it.  :coolgrin: 
Acetone may work, i will do some research.
I was thinking letting it dry for 24 hrs and lightly sanding with 220 grit.
This job has been a total pain in the A$$.

Brad


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## webby3650 (Apr 5, 2009)

If it is real wool, I don't think chemicals will remove it. The best thing to do is either: live with it or sand it out. More poly will make it harder to remove later! The reason the sander kept clogging up is because there was wax on the floor from a previous old lady homeowner. Mopping it with lacquer thinner is the best way to remove it. This is a very common problem with rented sanders, not quite aggressive as pro models. I wouldn't wish floor refinishing on anybody, good luck.


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## mjwendorf (Apr 5, 2009)

Buy a big rug.


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## Dix (Apr 6, 2009)

mjwendorf said:
			
		

> Buy a big rug.



 :lol: 

Sorry, BF, it doesn't help, but that there was funny. 

Having done the floor sanding thing, I'd go for a resand and reseal. It's my own personal eggsperience. You don't wanna know , think hay seeds :-S


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## bfunk13 (Apr 6, 2009)

webby3650 said:
			
		

> The reason the sander kept clogging up is because there was wax on the floor from a previous old lady homeowner.



Exactly right, we bought the house from a little old lady. I wish i would have posted as soon as i ran into problems. I never thought about using lacquer thinner. 

Thanks for the advice.
Brad


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## ssupercoolss (Apr 6, 2009)

i have refinished every bit of hardwood floors i have in my home.  i never had the lambswool shed like you described.  did you sand in between coats?  depending on what product you use, i believe sanding is a pain in the ass, but the results are worth it.  was it shedding on its own, or getting caught on something?  the only ill effects i had with harwood floors was small bubbles that seem to pop up from in between the floor boards....but some foot traffic took care of them.


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## jqgs214 (Apr 6, 2009)

Dont know it this helps but with low quality paint rollers I always used masking tape to take off the loose fibers, maybe low quality lambwool applicator will do the same trick.  I find no reason to buy the expesve rollers now, never have fibers with the cheapos after masking taping them


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## Beanscoot (Apr 7, 2009)

I would borrow or buy a respirator for organic solvents if you will be using any of the volatile solvents.  Spreading large amounts of lacquer thinner or acetone out on a floor without one would be pretty intense.  I used a respirator just for applying the varnish as a room full of it was more than I could stand, and I don't usually mind solvents.

Don't smoke either.  Perhaps shutting the main electrical breaker off would be wise to avoid any spark from a light switch etc.


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## gpcollen1 (Apr 7, 2009)

Time before last I used oil based and essentially applied it with a squeegie.  Last time I used the water based stuff and used did the same thing.  You just have to be careful not to push a big puddle near the walls.  That water based poly is great, goes on smooth, dries quickly [2 coats per day] and holds up well.  It has been 3 years since I did my living room and it looks great.


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## billb3 (Apr 8, 2009)

Be very very very careful with acetone.
The fumes can knock you out in a heartbeat and I always recommend taking a match to a small amount outside to witness its flash point and result.
It doesn't take much exposure to remove all the oils from your skin, either. Your epidermis can be the least of your worries.


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## bfunk13 (Apr 8, 2009)

Thanks for the replies!

I spent a couple hours sanding with 100 then 220 grit.
I got all the fuzzies out. I will think twice about doing the other bedroom.
In the end i think it turned out pretty well. There are still some light / dark areas and a few light gouges 
here and there, but it definitely has character. Thats my story and i am stickin to it.

Brad


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## webby3650 (Apr 9, 2009)

Looks great, you won't regret resanding, even though it is a pain.


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## bfunk13 (Apr 9, 2009)

Thanks Webby


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## ansehnlich1 (Apr 10, 2009)

dang, that floor looks good! don't be afraid to do the next one, it'll turn at 2x as good due to what we call around my place...."THE LEARNING CURVE"


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## bfunk13 (Apr 11, 2009)

Hey, thanks alot!


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## johnn (Apr 11, 2009)

I`ve only done two floors myself. Had that same shedding problem,,,but perhaps not as bad, for I was able to stop, reclean and rinse the wool and start again. Maybe using too strong a solvent or perhaps I soaked it too long doing other things, just dont recall. I have two more rooms to do in another house some day, but this time I feel i`ll try the water base. Water base products have come a long way over the years!

 From my house to yours; Good Looking Floor :smirk:


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