Hi, We recently had our oak floors refinished- stained and 3 coats of satin water poly. At first glance, they looked great; but when we looked closer, there are thin swirly lines all over the floors. I sent a few photos to the contractor (who was highly recommended and has great reviews on yelp and angie's list), and he said that it was "normal"; a result of the fact that bona (they used drifast stain) recommends sanding to a certain number (150 I think?), and that if they go any higher, the grain is not as open to take in the stain/poly so the coating ends up not being as durable. This sort of makes sense to me, and I would rather have the little lines than less durability, but wanted to make sure that this is indeed "normal," as the job was not cheap! Thanks in advance for any advice!

Photos: http://s1383.photobucket.com/user/cem13 ... r%20photos

Since the fine scratches are in the field it's not from the edger, but from the buffing machine. They should not be as noticeable from the standing position. The wood will deepen in color and may diminish the lines over time. This is the quality that your company has developed.

Thanks for your reply!
They are noticeable from standing. He said that the nwfa standard was that if we couldn't see them from 15' away standing, that the marks were acceptable. I'm not sure I can see them from 15' away, but probably 5-10'?
If it is from the buffer does that mean it is in the poly, or in the wood itself? (Ie would they go away if they did a screen and recoat?) It is definitely worse in some rooms than others. Thanks again.

Looking straight down from 5-6 feet is what I would say is where no scratches should be visible. The wood is what is actually scratched and shows up from the stain coloring the scratch more than the adjacent surface. These scratches will not go away with another coat of finish, but the finish may hide the scratches as it ambers, along with the wood surface. Oil base poly will amber, but most water-based finishes will not amber. With water-based finishes more care needs to be exercised when sanding because the finish, being clear, will not hide marks that would pass with an ambering finish. Wood will change color slightly from exposure to light, in the short term, and can fade over time like it was bleached, depending on exposure to bright light.