I refinished my floors about 6 months ago. The contractor put 3 coats of oil-based poly on them (flooring was old in places and new floors were put in other places - all are oak). 6 months later the finish has entirely dulled in the high traffic areas. I have 3 big dogs who really beat up the floors (one 150 lbs and long nails!). We have been cleaning them weekly basically with water (as little as possible) but occassionally some other things like Murphys (which I now found out is not a good idea!) and a Bruce cleaner which didn't really do the job (just tried it once). how can I restore the shine without refinishing? can this be normal after only 6 months???? what is the best thing to clean the areas with? it seems like plain water just doesn't do the job.

Hi,

Did you see this? http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwo ... orcare.htm

I recommend the Bona cleaning system. There are others as well. Those large dogs will tear the **** out of your floor. No finish can stand up to them. You will need to have regular maintainence recoats done on the high traffic ares.

http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwo ... screen.htm

This may seem to some to be only common sense, but I have seen it done wrong way to often. Often the person cleaning the floor will try to clean 1500 sf of flooring and never clean/ rinse out the mop head. For best results I will;

1. Run the mop dry first to pick up loose debris.
2. Always use a clean mop head. ( I normally use 3-4 on 800 sf). YOU can rinse the same one out but I find it works better with a fresh one!
3. Dampen mop with warm water then wring to remove excess water.
4. Lightly mist small area with cleaner approx 4 x 8
5. Keep checking mop for buildup.
6. Repeat as neccessary

Lisa,

I agree with everything Gary said. I have gotten very good feedback from my customers on the Bona cleaning system. As far as the finish goes, whenever I'm asked for an estimate by someone with a big dog, I recommend Bona Traffic (very tough finish) and tell them to expect the finish to wear fairly quickly. Getting those nails clipped will help a lot. Every time you hear a click from those nails, finish is being chiseled off your floor.

Don't let the finish wear through to the wood. If you do, you will have to sand & refinish. By recoating before the finish is worn through, you can maintain your floors without having to sand. A tougher finish may help some.
Pete

thanks you all for your feedback. is the Bona traffic applied over the current floor or do we have to resand and refinish again and then apply it?

Lisa
As long as the finish has not worn through, it can be recoated, i.e. putting a coat (or 2) of finish on top of your existing finish without sanding. If you are considering having this done, make sure you tell the contractor what you used to clean the floor. Products like Murphy's make the job more difficult because they leave a waxy film on the floor that can interfere with adhesion of the new finish.

Traffic is very tough stuff ( arguably the toughest finish made) & is ideally suited for recoating for several reasons.
Products like Basic, Streetshoe; VerMeister, IDRO 2K; and a few others are also good choices.
Pete