We are having somebody refinish our bamboo floor. After sanding down the Aluminium oxide finish, he stained it . It took more than2 days for the stain to dry. The problem is the water based polyurethane is not providing a uniform coverage over the stain. There are small areas all over the fllor where the polyurethane is not holding ( looks like a deck that has been sealed after it rains). Any suggestions?

Sounds as if the stain was not completely dry? Bamboo doesn't stain well, IMO. Should be done as a natural with sealer and finish only. May need to be resanded. What's your finisher say about it?

Thanks for the reply.
According to the finisher, the stain was dry. In fact ,the first time he stained it , it appeared dry and the next day, he attempted to put the polyurethane. When he tried to sand it, it lifted the stain off. So he resanded it down and stained it . After 2 1/2 days, he tried to put the water based polyurethane down and it did not uniformly adhere to the stain, even with 4 coats. He has given up and indicated he does not know what else he can do. He says he checked with several others in the area who had no suggestions. So, we are left with this unsightly floor. . Could you clarify what a sealer and finish is v/vs polyurethane? Longevity? semi-gloss v/s matt finish?
Thanks

That's the problem with medium to dark oil based finishes and water polyurethanes being mixed. That being said, I plan on doing the same thing with our floor, but will use the Bona FastDri stain under the Traffic.

How long did the installer wait after staining to try and put down the polyurethane? I still think the stain wasn't dry.

Edit: I see you said 2.5 days. In that time it probably should have been dry. Like Gary said, it sounds like the stain isn't absorbing into the bamboo very well.