I stained our hardwood floors one week ago and have let it dry but unfortunately all of it wasn't absorbed. I didn't notice the excess until a few days after I let it dry, and it's quite noticeable:
The wood is roughly 90 years old. I sanded it using 20, then 36, then 80 grit and then stained it. It is not crazy thick wood so it's not able to absorb too much.
My question: Should I just hand sand using 180/200 grit to get the excess stain off and then LIGHTLY re-stain areas that may look lighter than they should? Or should I just poly it?
I just don't think I can afford to re-sand everything again given the wood's thickness, and I'm ok with some areas that don't look perfect given the old is so old.
Thoughts?
Best Answer
Your picture reveals, to my eyes, an unfortunate situation. The areas where the sun is illuminating the finish reveals that you did not sand enough, the original finish remains and that is the cause of the uneven absorption of the stain. If you really want it to look right you will need to start over, this time spending more time with the sandpaper, particularly the initial coarse paper. For even staining you need to remove all of the existing surface treatment. Sorry... it might help if you rent a drum or vibrating floor sander from a reputable tool rental shop.