I have a maple floor. As you see in the pics there is a ring. There was water damage. I sanded out the water damage as best I could and tried to stain it to match the rest of the floor. The inside of the circle matches pretty well but there is a dark ring around where i stained it. How do I get the ring to match the rest of the floor?

Image:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_ti3NHNgg8qPQPfjYGocjQk-p_PXBMjY/view?usp=sharing

Thanks
Bill

Your floor looks like a natural finish. If you scrape more off the surface you may use an acrylic finish like Varathane Diamond to keep a light look. Some universal color pigment can be used to give a slight tint mixed with another coat of finish to help match the color. It will not stand out so much. You will need to almost paint the floor with the color coat.

Thank you!
I have actually done that - but no matter what I try - i can sand out the dark rings and the natural wood shows. So you have a finished wood next to a nicely polished "Raw" wood. however when i apply the "stain"or "poly" even a clear poly - it creates the ring you see between the sanded and unsanded pieces.

any thoughts?
thanks
BIll

The color that you have after the seal coat of poly needs to repainted over with a pigmented finish that you color with universal pigment(s). A latex or acrylic finish will not amber in the future (yellow) like a poly would. Diamond finish dries fast so you can add extra coats to get the right grain look. A professional painter that does "graining" could do the job. The wood has colored deep into the grain which may be able to be removed by a refinishing process, but sometimes a board replacement is necessary.