Hello,

I am moving into a four year old home at the end of the week that has wood floors. The floor seems to be in great shape except for the area under the kitchen table. The wood is dull, cloudy, and kinda gray in color which I am sure is just due to numerous chairs sliding in and out and people shoes in this area. Basically, high traffic wear on the floor. Before I move in I would like to treat this area and clean the rest of the floor. I am 99% sure it is a polyurethane treated floor. My question is what is the best way to "spot treat " this area so that it blends in well with the rest of the floor and without having to treat the whole floor. Any help would be appreciatted.

Thanks,

Joel

Well Joel,

You aren't going to like this but the reason that floor's grey is because the finish is completely worn away and now the wood is exposed. The only way to return the color is by sanding down to the clean wood. And even if you do it to just the worn area, odds are it will not match the rest of the floor. I am afraid your best bet is to have the floors refinished by a pro. You may be able to just do the one room the wear is in and do a cut-off in a doorway.

Thanks Gary,

Thats definetly not what I wanted to hear. I will be able to access the house for about a week before we move in, so I am going to do a finish assessment as outlined in Gary Asletts wood floor care book. I have only done a brief visual inspection, so maybe the finish isn't as bad as my description.
Thanks again.

Could be some kind of cleaning agent was applied there and damaged the finish.

If there is actual finish on this gray area, I would be steering towards an area rug, with a non-breathable backing or cushion being used in the past. You may be looking at mold or mildew, coming from beneath.