Hi,

My family just moved into our new house 6 weeks ago and we are really struggling with the smell in the house from the hardwood floors. It's also causing us eye and throat irritation.

It's summer here in the bay area, so we've had the windows open most of the time for the full 6 weeks we've been here to air it out. When the windows are open, the house smells fine. However, as soon as the windows are closed, the varnish smell starts to accumulate. Even if the windows are open, we still have some respiratory issues.

We were trying to figure out what the smell was and when I put my nose to the hardwood floor, it smells very strongly of varnish. The previous owners had the floors redone with Bona Woodline Semi-gloss, which is oil based. I suspect they contractor was sub-par, as I can see swirl marks, dust particles and the occasional small hair.

We brought in a flooring contractor that our real estate agent recommended and used, and he noticed the smell too, and said in 20 years, he's never seen anything like this after 6 months. He thought it smelled like the floor was just redone.

He suggested re-sanding down to the bare wood and refinishing. I am worried about all of the dust that is going to get everywhere (our HVAC vents are in the ground). Not to mention finding a place to put our grand piano. I was thinking maybe a light sanding and then something like AFM Polyureseal BP.

Has anyone encountered anything like this before, around a floor still smelling after months? Any other suggestions for remediation?

Thank you very much in advance for any advice.

There may have been solvent trapped under the finish. Red oak has tiny pores that are like drinking straws that could have let extra solvent into the surface. The next coat of finish cures from the top down, trapping the solvent. It may have been that the first coat of finish was thinned with mineral spirits, which some people recommend. This should not be done with the regulations for VOC.
You will be better off opening the windows during the warm part of the day and forcing the warm are through the house with fans. A box fan will move a lot of fresh air if placed in the window and baffled with cardboard to seal it. Be careful to fasten the fan so it won't fall into the room if someone closes all the windows with the fan on high.
Close the windows at night so the floor stays warm.Just moving the air around will help with curing.
Three coats of finish applied without the first two coats having a chance to start curing will also trap solvent. I always recommend that the first two coats have at least a few days to cure before the last coat of poly-urethane is applied.
You may have a thick layer of finish that will protect the floor.
Don't sand it off.

We have tried that. We have 3 box fans against the windows running during the day for a couple of weeks now. We also had several days of 90+ degree weather here, where we didn't turn on A/C and just let it bake. Still have the smell, unfortunately. The floor is maple, so not sure how porous that may be.

Thanks for the suggestion!