refinishing floors

Help! I sanded my floor down and was ready to stain it. I wanted to use polyurthene but my husband said about using vegatable oil then minwax paste. So I did, looked beautiful but it wouldn't dry. Showed every shoe mark. So, I sanded the floor again,all the way down. I put one coat of polyurthene on the floor but it is taking forever to dry. Is that because of the oil maybe still in the wood?
Thanks. Need answer ASAP

 

Tracy,

Your husband is confused about oil finishes. An oil finish is still a stain, just with a different way to carry the pigment.

I'd say yes, you need to remove the vegetable oil. Call the maker of the oil. There should be an 800 number on the label. If not, P&G has an number on their brands. They have very good info on cleaning. My guess is you'd have to remove the poly, wash with DAWN dish soap, let it dry and lightly sand.

 

I would like help, refinished our wood floors and now with the last coat of polyurthene we have bubbles and debris . What do I do to remove this? Should we re-sand them and apply
again? They are not silky smooth? help!

 

You are in luck. Your fix isn't as tough as the previous one. You can sand the poly to remove the debris and bubble. Use a fine grit.

After its sanded, remove the dust with tack cloths.

Now apply the poly. Do not shake the can of poly nor stir vigorously. That will aerate the poly (create bubbles).

 

Man, that vegetable oil topic is a toughie. Washing is not a solution as it will just raise the grain of the wood itself if brought down to raw wood which is necessary here to fix this BIG problem. I'd suggest contacting a professional in this case. Try contacting the National Wood Flooring Assoc at woodfloors.org as they have a unique locating service for members in your area. Doesn't hurt to get a pro's opinion for free.

As far as the bubbles and debri Craig has great points..I am curious? Is this a water based finish? It's very important after tacking the floor prior to and after coating that the entire area be off limits to anyone. Dust or any kind of particles will find it's way to the floor thanks to Mr.Gravity while the finish is setting up.

 

I don't know how else to get rid of the oil. It can't be vacuumed out.

BTW - one trick sometimes used in building fine furniture is to wipe with a wet rag to raise the grain and then sand.