I had my wood floors(peer and beam) professionally redone. They sanded it, applied oil stain, and then used 2 coats of water base polyurethane(all in 3 days). The floors look stunning beautiful. However, I do not believe the polyurethane fully cured. It has been six months. If I could describe the floor I would say it is mostly hard but with a very slight gummish feel. The surface is soft enough to where I can use my finger nail to scar it(long- but non deep scratch in the finish with just one swipe). When I sit at my couch with my feet on the floor or at the desk with my feet on the floor, there is a slight tacky feeling.The walk way is full of starches already from traffic(I suppose debrie from bottom of shoes). And when the weather changes or if I use a dry dust mop(nothing on it), it seems to arouse a small chemical smell.

Again...6 months later. I called up the sales man who measured my floor and gave me a price quote. He said that they just redid a coffee shop floor in a hotel and used the same exact materials and it should be bullet proof hard. I then complained to the director of the floor company and he came out to inspect it. He said that the floor feels hard to him. He said that the tacky feeling is from moisture of my feet. With the scratches I showed him I could do with my finger nail he really didn't have an answer. He recommended I buy their own brand of cleaner, clean the floor with it, and see if that helps.

I used to live in another house with hardwood floors that were redone(oil based) and didn't have this problem.

Is this normal for water base polyurethane? Is there something wrong with these floors or is it just me? Is the director of the company trying to get out of being responsible for a job that didn't go right? What coarse of action can I take(if any)?

water based cures much faster then oil, it should be fully cured in 7 days. What are you cleaning it with? Maybe it is some sort of residue.

I haven't cleaned yet....just been using a dust mop. I asked the director if there was some left over chemical that I could be feeling and he said no.

What did they use for finish on each coat?

waterbased finish on oil based stain is a no-no. the stain would have to have a sealer applied over it that is compatible with water based finishes.

On the contract is shows:



Does the "Coat, 1 coat wood sealer or stain" count as the sealer to make it compatible for the poly urethane?

Not true, I usually use Bona Drifast stains and you can definitely go over them with water based finish, I have also gone over Minwax. As long as the stain is completely dry it is OK. I count the stain as a sealer, as that is what i was taught in classes.

I agree we also put water based over oil stains with no issues.

I made a short video where I took my thumb and was able to scar the surface of the polyurethane. Notice in the end I try to rub out the scratch/scar to show that it is actually in the finish and not a blemish on the surface.

If you could please take a look and please tell me if the finish should be this soft or if there is something wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvOtNd39x0A

I wonder if it was a 2 part finish that they didn't put the hardener in.

As a consumer I know very little about this stuff, techniques, and details...that why I hired professionals. What do I do at this point? What can I do at this point? I feel cheated and stuck with a floor that is soft and a burden

Independent inspector and court.