I just had my oak floors refinished, the first time since the house was built in 1991. The refinisher used a natural stain and then applied three coats of matte Street Shoe coating. We are not very happy with the job. The finish is rough compared to the former finish. There are also several areas about 1 X 2 feet that are darker than the rest of the floor. These are not due to the irregular color of the oak. There is also an area that he must have resanded and it is too dark. There are also many places that you can see dark lines running against the flooring, obiviously not that wood. Obviously, we are not very happy with the work. The contractor is a really nice guy and had good references. He made a point out of what a good job he would do. I meet with him tomorrow and need some guidance as to what to demand in terms of rectifying this situation. Will these problems require resanding? And if so, will the whole floor have to be redone or just the affected areas. I hate to move everything again and deal with the dust.
Thanks

These things are best handled with your contractor, which you are going to do. CALMLY explain to him your concerns. Let him explain why the results are the way they are. Ask him what can be done and what he'll do to rectify the problems. I think that in general, a customer should allow the original contractor to repair problems with the work before looking elsewhere. If you are not satisfied with his explanations and proposals for repair, tell him so and why. This is NOT the time to lose tempers. Close communications and calm attitudes will bring about the results you are looking for. Most contractors really care about their customers being satisfied. Give him a chance and let us know how things go.

are your floors white oak? was the floor acually stained? or did they just put down a coat of finish as the sealer? waterbourne finishes will pull out the tannins in white oak if a stain or sealer was not used turning it dark in places. also poor application method can lead to start and stop marks which will appear as dark lines. Or if the conditions were very dry then the finish drys before it has time to level out like it has been designed to do leaving streaks or stop marks. take Garys advice on the approach you will get farther faster and with less stress.

Kevin, your on top of your game!!!


Good call!