Cliff Note Version:

.: Floor guy was instructed by us AND our contractor to make a transition that tapers down from the tile and meets the hardwood.

.: Hardwoods guy made transition that overlaps the edge of the floor.

.: He did what he wanted because it was easy, fast, and cheaper and tried to talk his way out of it. Didn't work.

.: He walked off the job when we insisted he fix his mess. Now we're stuck with a poly mark across our floor where he polyed over the transition piece. Woo-hoo!

Pics:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

Is this something I can try to fix myself with an 5" hand-held orbital sander? Or should I call a professional?

I have the stain he used but am not 100% sure on the poly. I know he used Lenmar oil-based poly but I don't know if it was matte or some other finish.

I was thinking that I would need to sand 4-5 inches into the edge of the floor so that the patch blends. But I stayed at a Holiday in Express last night so I'm not an expert. Any advice would be greatly appreciated on how to tackle this.

thanks!
lee

I don't see any tile in your photo. Is the picture of a doorway? It looks like the tile underlayment (?) should have ended in the right spot across the doorway for a stock reducer strip to solve the problem.

What you don't see is the tile 4 inches away from the hardwood. What you see in the pic is the subfloor.

The tile is much higher (like over an inch). We wanted a transition that would slope down from the tile to the hardwood floor.

But that really doesn't matter. What I need to know is how to clean up the poly mark.

Thanks,
lee

I would use a sharp scraper and carefully follow the grain to smooth the surface. Then use 80 grit sandpaper to open up the grain so you can stain. Then two coats of finish. Only go back a little way so it will take less work. You may need to coat the floor wall to wall again, after the touch-up.
A machine will make a larger repair area.
I guess that the flooring should have gone into the doorway, for better options for a reducer strip. One inch reducer would need to be built up to match the height of the tile. I recommend the wood edge of a reducer be just proud of the tile to protect the tile from chipping, if something is dropped on it, because the wood will give, dent, instead of a chip or broken tile.
I would try to over lap the area with a wide reducer instead of trying to repair the area. cut to fit between the jambs.

It's not clear why the tile is currently 4" back from the hardwood. I'll assume that the tile is going to fill in that 4" of subfloor?
However it ends up, a reducer is perfectly acceptable in a doorway. You can easily cover that area.
I'm good at blending in stain patches. That one would take all my skill to do, and that also means that I'd know all the materials used; I wouldn't be guessing. Use a trim piece if at all possible.

More pictures would help to know where in relation to the door the tile ended.
Traditionally the tile will extend into the doorway, whether there is a door or not.sometimes a soldier course, which could help with the height difference.