Hello,

I am new to this forum and a total immature with hardwood flooring. I am seeking advice on two problems:

1) A small section of my wood floor was repaired so the wood is bare. I first use water based satin poly, then I quickly realize the color is not the same. I should have used oil-based semi-gloss. I sanded down the area and use oil based semi-gloss poly, but the wood remain lighter than the rest although the center of the patch is slightly darker. Is this because I didn't completely remove the water based satin coat? How can I fix this?

2) Another spot was also repaired and this time I use the oil based semi-gloss and the color and shine match beautifully. Can I use a water based semi-gloss to finish the entire floor, or do I have to stick with the oil based since a patch was done in oil based?

Thank you in advance for your advice.

Sorry, I meant to write I am a total amateur.

It is hard to get all the water based poly off the floor every time because you don't know how deep to sand. Any residue of the water base which has penetrated the wood has to be sanded out. Finish doesn't just sit on the surface, it soaks into the grain penetrating below the surface to hold on to the fibers. This needs to be sanded or you will have residue that keeps the oil base from wetting the bare wood fibers. It may look like all the finish is sanded off until the coat is applied.
Once you get the color right over the whole floor, you can coat it all with water base.Call your distributor to find how much time it needs to dry before the water based finish is applied. There may be an 800 number somewhere on the can of water based poly-urethane.

That makes sense. Once the oil base poly can go onto the wood (in one patch area), can I go over the whole floor with the water based poly? Or, do I have to finish the entire floor with the oil based, then let dry completely, before applying the water based poly? Once again, thank you for your advice.

After the patch is sanded and the right color and has cured somewhat you can coat the whole room with water base poly. It sticks to most cured finishes. A test patch is recommended in an inconspicuous area. After the patch area is dried, try to gently slice into the coat of finish with a sharp utility knife of razor blade and then stick a piece of packing tape to the criss-crossed scratches. Press down firmly on the tape, then pull up quickly. If no finish peels off with the tape, you have successfully coated the test patch. You should have a clean floor to test the area. After you have cleaned the entire floor, you will be ready to coat it.