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FlooringDesign Dilemma
skcz

Wood floor stain done correctly?

Sarah
4 years ago

I recently added hardwood in rooms off of existing hardwood. The install was beautiful, but when we returned home I saw things with the stain that I don’t see on the existing. There are swirls in places on the perimeter, there is one edge that is lighter, and on some boards there are stain ripples. Is this just variation in stain, or was it done incorrectly? If you stand back and look at the job in its entirety, it’s beautiful and matches the existing perfectly. I just want to make sure with what I’ve paid for it, it’s been done right. Thanks for your help!


swirls


Lighter edge


stain ripples


Featured Answer
  • SJ McCarthy
    4 years ago

    Agree with millworkman. The first pic is a sanding issue. The second pick looks like the ends of the boards didn't take the stain very well (ie. where s/he changed directions). The third pick is a burl pattern. It's a natural occurrence in wood. I love it...but that's me.


    As millworkman says have a look at the issues from a standing position from 5 feet away...in natural lighting. If the issues 'disappear' at that distance then the stain is acceptable. That's how a wood flooring inspector would view the job.


    And disturbing stain that already has a finish on it is a difficult thing to do. A patch repair can make things infinitely worse. If these issues are only in a small section of the flooring I would look at a discount rather than a repair. It is the least amount of hassle for small issues.

    Comments (7)

    • millworkman
      4 years ago

      First picture is finisher error. His sander messed that up. How does it look standing up approximately 5 ft away, as that is the acid test in determining acceptability for the finish. Also if that is the only spot the cure may make it look worse.


      Pics 2 and 3 appear to me to be just the base wood and the way it took the stain.

      Sarah thanked millworkman
    • Sarah
      Original Author
      4 years ago
      last modified: 4 years ago

      Thank you both so much! This has been a big help.

    • PRO
      Select Hardwood Floor Co.
      4 years ago

      #1 = poor finishing (fine sanding & edging) those swirls are "edger" marks, and should have been corrected long before the stain was applied. There's also "screen marks" which are finer than the more obvious swirls.

      #2 = looks like more of the same, although reverse... sanded/burnished more than the field area, which makes the wood less receptive to accepting stain.

      #3 = just some "wavy grain" similar to burl... you'll find that in almost all natural wood products.

      Sarah thanked Select Hardwood Floor Co.
    • Sarah
      Original Author
      4 years ago

      Thank you!! Your explanation on #2 makes sense on another issue as well. The area that didn’t take the stain very well is sanded more than the rest. They needed to sand the new floor on a plane to meet the old. New planks were about 1/8 inch thicker. This was another thing I was unsure of; the sanded plane along each perimeter is pretty drastic resulting in a slightly seam-puckered look. My husband only noticed it when I pointed it out. I am a perfectionist so this bothers me, but I don’t want to be expecting too much. Is this acceptable or should it have been sanded more gradually?

    • Sarah
      Original Author
      4 years ago



    • PRO
      Johnson Flooring Co Inc
      4 years ago

      Agree with above but want to add that wood floor refinishing will NEVER be perfect since it's done by humans. If something is 95% perfect, or very close, leave it be. The last picture indicates that your floor generally looks quite nice. Unless it has a fatal flaw in a conspicuous area, leave it alone. Redoing it could easily end up having more issues than you have now. And face it, as soon as your floor gets walked on and used, it will no longer be as good as it was when new.

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