spot where waterbased recoat didn't stick

11 years ago

Hello, my old bedroom oak floors were in pretty good shape, just dull, except for one spot that I always assumed was the result of a fingernail polish remover spill or something like that -- there when I bought the house.

I had a company come in to just do a screening and recoat with water based poly to bring back the shine. However, the recoat wouldn't stick to that spot which now looks worse than ever. It is rough to the touch and dry looking. The floor guy said he thinks it must have been an oil based stain and will need more work than he does (this company doesn't do full refinishes)

Can anyone advise me what to do to treat and blend this spot in with the rest of the floor, which is looking really good now?

Comments (4)

brickeyee
11 years ago
Does water bead up on the area?

Silicone contamination is one possibility.

You want to try and find what is on that area.

Some furniture polishes contain silicone oil.
Years of over spray may have contaminated a spot on the floor.

It could be wax also.

A wash coat of shellac may seal it well enough to allow the new finish to spread out and stick.

For silicone the big gun is 'fish eye eliminator' (pure silicone) added to the new finish.

The problem is if that is NOT the contaminant you have made things even worse.
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks brickeyee

Water does bead up, acts just like if on the newly recoated areas

It would have been from a product available decades ago (yes I have lived with the spot that long!)--would that be silicone --- and would silicone have marred the original finish so badly? Discolored and loss of shine. It is sort of in the middle of the floor.

I always assumed it was nail polish remover; it looked a lot like a spot my DD created in another room. I suppose it could have been oily remover? Would that keep the new water based urethane from sticking?

Do you know of any other way to test it to tell what it might be, or a way to possibly remove the contaminant. I will try sanding it down more if there are no other suggestions, then recoat with some poly -- what to use?

Thanks, Raee
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brickeyee
11 years ago
Unless you can determine with reasonable surety what caused the spot all you can do is try various fixes.

A coat of shellac and another coat of finish is often adequate.

Silicone itself should not have dulled the finish, but the carrier it was in (solvents) may have.
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks again, I will try the shellac. There will be no way to know what caused it, it could pre-date the previous owner for all I know! Judging from the shape though, I would guess it was a spill of some kind. Perfume? Liquid furniture polish? surely something with a solvent component as you suggested.

Considering the age of the floors (70+ years), not knowing if they were ever refinished before, what sort of finish would have been on them originally ?