Hi Folks,

I've searched all the forums and can't quite find my problem.

I hope that all you can give me some sound advice.

Our kitchen floors are white oak in a natural finish. They were completely redone 13 years ago.

My problem area is directly in front of the refrigerator. Most specifically in front of the door that dispenses ice and water.

The stray ice cube and/or water drip that wasn't immediately picked up has caused some discoloration and damage to the oak floor directly in front of that door.

It is a small area, approx. 6" inch wide by 12-18" length.

When I rub my fingers across the grain of the wood in that area, I can feel the grain versus the smooth feeling on either side of the damaged area. When I run my fingers length wise, it is rougher, (but not as rough when I run them against the grain) and then smooths out out as I go from damaged to non-damaged area.

Big Box stores tell me to just lightly sand the area with 220 grit and follow the minwax poly urethane finish directions. Just don't sand to the bare wood.

That is my concern - In that if I can feel the grain when I touch it against the grain, it seems to me that any sanding would bring it down to bare wood. (Naturally, any sanding would be done with the grain).

Lastly, any tips on how to tell if your oak floor is satin, semi-gloss or high-gloss finish?

When I look at our floors, the can lights from the ceiling reflect a muted shine. In other words, the light on the floor is shiny but there is no mirror like reflection of the light fixture from above. I would expect that a satin finish would have no shine at all.

Let me know you thoughts on all of this.

Thanks.