/Story
First time homeowner, split level built in '63, had what could be beautiful 1 1/3" strip red oak wood floors but had suffered from at least 10-15 years of neglect. Had some severe water/urine damage. and one area where the previous owner, a regular DaVinci of sorts who thought a pneumatic nail gun and some 6d's would cure floor squeaks. He proceeded to put 2 nails where the installers had put one the entire length of the hallway. I don’t know how other too explain it than I could have used the hallway a 4 solid core conductor for at least 8 feet.

First, I ripped apart my mini power station distibution grid and patched roughly 75 sqft split into 4 locations. I have new respect for those people in the business and fully understand the prices charged. I started with the 4 orbital buffer tower (recommended by the guy at home depot)... that after coming to this site and reading I now understand that it should not be used to do anything besides mix cake batter. Went back to the store and rented a Clark Drum sander. I was originally hesitant to use however, I found it enjoyable to use minus cord control issues, doing this solo I found ceiling fans to be my friend.

The edger, I knick-named Damien. This little guy is clearly hell spawn bent on making computer geeks such as myself relive the picked last in gym class except on chess and swimming days. Actually after trying to excavate the second Erie canal in the closet where I started and going up a grit level I got the hang of it after about 10 minutes but my arms still ache.

I bought 10 gallons of Lenmar oil based poly from the flooring distributor where I purchased my wood. I refinished a total ~1200sqft. using 5 passes with the Drum sander fully trowel filling the floor between the 80 and 100 grit passes.

Originally expected this to take about 5 days of solo work ended up taking 9 because I really want to do it well.

I intended to do 3 coats. I had purchased 3 Lambs wool applicators from HD and they all worked really well. I originally tried to Pole sand between the first and second coat and ended up renting a buffer with 220 screen which really did the trick. At the end I had more than enough Poly to do a 4th coat and after all the backbreaking work ect I went for it. So I went to Lowes and bought what I thought was an equivalent Lambs wool applicator.

/Meat and Potatoes of issue

This applicator was really laying it down much thicker than the previous. My original coats were 7 quarts each this on was close to 11. In the end it still looks really nice except for a spot at the base of the stairs where it has pooled. So I have a beautiful floor everywhere else in the house except for this area that looks like the east coast of the US. Since this area is connected to both Dining room and Living room, I was wondering is it possible to sand, wet-sand, rubbing compound this edge down after it has fully cured? I really don’t have the time to redo the entire floor as I have a renter living with me and we have been living barracks style in the basement for the duration of this project.

pics after 1st coat
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43665579@N04/
Any comments welcome

You got a big puddle of poly at the bottom of the stairs. FYI, this happens a lot and even with the pros, especially when using lambs wool applicators. How to fix.

1) Don't expect the repair to be invisible. It can be good however.
2) You MUST allow the puddled finish to fully cure. At least one month.
3) after the finish is cured ( and hard ), then you want to scrape the top puddle from the previous coats using a SHARP wood scraper. Do this GENTLY and take your time.
4) After removing most of the puddle, hand sand the area with 100 grit sandpaper, blending gently to the rest of the floor area.
5) After that, then hand sand again with 150/180, blending in further to the non-puddled area.
6) Vacuum and tack.
7) Apply a thin, but uniform coat of the same finish with a quality natural bristle brush. At the end of the "repair", feather out the finish. If you can stop along a seam in the floor, even better. Don't stop the repair in a straight line. It should feather back and forth, so as to draw the least amount of attention. In time, foot traffic will blend the finish and repair area together pretty well, where no one but you would even know it was repaired.

Thanks Gary!

Gary gave you the straight goods on how to fix your problem.
My comment is in relation to your literary style:

I figured if you pros take the time to read it, I could at least do my best to make it entertaining. You would be suprised how people are more often willing to help you if you are friendly and can joke about your mistakes. I am an Applications Engineer. I do pre-install consultation, installation, and 3rd level support for many of the big banks and federal agencies that print any paper.

There are a couple guys/accounts who I will answer the phone at 3 AM and there are those that I hit the straight to voicemail on. Most of the guys that know they make mistakes but are willing to learn, laugh and spend the time to understand get the best help.