
Matthew McGrew of Kenna, W.Va.-based Wood Floors by Book Smart told us about fixing this DIY fail:
"When I walked in for the estimate and saw the floor, I was quite surprised at the massacre staring back up at me. They had lived in the home for 10 years and didn't have the budget initially to redo the natural-finish oak flooring. 'So,' the homeowner said, 'I decided to do them myself! They looked great at first, but the finish wore off pretty quickly, especially with our dogs.' As I knelt down, I used my fingernail to scrape back the red film that still covered a lot of the floor, revealing that the homeowner hadn't sanded before applying a heavy layer of red stain directly over the existing polyurethane. Five months later I was back to give the homeowner the red floor she had wanted for so long. Despite the botched stain job, the floor itself was flat and in generally good shape. Planetary sanding took care of all but the last 11/2 inch of the field, and a few quick passes with the edger did the rest, making for a dramatic, but relatively straightforward transformation."
SUPPLIERS: Abrasives: Norton Red Heat, Festool Granat | Edger: American Sanders Super7 | Finish: Bona Intense Sealer; Bona Traffic HD Satin | Sanders: American Sanders Epoch HD with Hydrasand, Festool Rotex RO90 DX, Festool RO125 | Stain: Bona DriFast Sedona Red | Vacuum: American Sanders AVAC26
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