Hi, I just had a new hickory "Rustic" floor installed by a friend that has installed floors for a living. He says he hasn't installed a rustic hickory before though. I got the wood from a saw mill near my home. floor looks great as far as appearance. but it feels like it isn't smooth, it feels like "with socks on" like it wasn't sanded good. feels catchy with socks. One thing he said was that it dried really fast. he used Basic coatings Emulsion pro Satin sealer on it. Probley wouldn't notice much but we have a oak floor also and it is smooth. Do I have a problem with dry time? sanding? or the finish? or is it normal? please help, thanks robb

Probably all of the above is accurate.

Improper prep of floor, of finish and if applying to coatings too quickly, the attributing factors will be worse resulting in a rough floor.

How many coatings were given.
Minimally 3 should be applied with Waterbase.. but 4 is better.

and quite Frankly, Emulsion sucks as a topcoat..ok as a sealer base

Most waterbase finish will raise the grain making it feel rough after its been sanded. He probably needs to buff it with a maroon pad with some 220 strips and recoat.