Wood Floor Mystery #17: What Caused This Weird Discoloration in the Floor?

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Wood Floor Mystery 17

So, the gestation period for a baby elephant is 21 months, a mouse 20 days, a camel 13 months, and a flooring mystery blog from yours truly? Nine months! How apropos … I’m back, baby!

I’ve spent the last several months actually doing all things wood floor, which includes installing a 6,000-square-foot dining hall, hand-paving my driveway, two major wood floor surgeries, refinishing 3,000 square feet of red oak, a ton of consulting and inspections, a lengthy WFB article about wood floor pro health (my apologies 😉), and a fistful of “All Things Wood Floor” podcasts.

What’s the best part of my time in the field? The crazy floor stories and mysteries. They have been piling up, so, as I like to say, let’s get to it!

Take a look at these floor photos sent to me by Michael Deloia of New England Flooring in Milford, Mass. It’s typical red oak strip flooring. Michael tells me there was a carpet when they arrived and upon removal, they found the flooring in this condition. What’s going on here? What jumps out at you?

Wood Floor Mystery 17

What are the issues illustrated by the photos? What are the causes? Can these maladies be remedied? What’s the recipe to set this floor right?

Post your comments below, and our solution and photos will follow soon.

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