Hi all,
Been coming here for a few years, but this is my first post. I do buff and recoats with the Bona Recoat System. It is designed to apply maintenance coats on factory or site-finished hardwood floors that are in good condition. However, nine of ten jobs I get are 30 to 40 year old site-finished (poly) 2.5" red oak plank stained with golden oak. The floors always have gray areas where the finish has worn through exposing the wood to oxidation and dirt.

I explain to the owners that a buff and recoat will not fix this damage and that the floor needs a complete sand and refinish, but they usually have me do the work anyway. Has anyone tried sanding the damaged areas out and restaining prior to applying the finish coat. I know it won't be a perfect match but I would think it would look better than black and gray areas under the newly finished floor.

Anyone have experience here and possibly some advise to offer?

Thanks

Sorry, most people with hardwood floors will wait too long to re-coat their floors. Another couple of coats will make them look better and easier to clean, but they will need a complete sanding and refinishing to make them look like new. After your deep cleaning which will remove the dirt from the surface the wood fibers that have been exposed from wear will be stained and can only be sanded to bare wood to get the surface clean, again. A couple of coats of tinted yellow finish will help restore the color. Then a finish coat over the whole floor will make it look the best it can. Area rugs need to be used where the floor will get the most concentrated wear, keeping the rugs clean, also.
Usually the look that shows when the floor is wetted with a damp sponge will be the color that will prevail when the floor is re-coated.