A plastic chair mat stuck to and left a plastic film on top of hardwood floor. I removed the mat and let the floor dry.
Something may have been spilled on the mat that got underneath and dried.
I can scrape flakes off the hardwood with my fingernail and have used MAPEI Ultrabond Urethane Cleaner to remove the gummy residue. I am not worried about the mat.
The floor is not damaged, it just has this flaky plastic coating on it from the mat. The fingernail and Ultrabond Urethane Cleaner method takes too long.
Any ideas on how to remove this without damaging the floor?
Best Answer
I have had similar happen but the surface was slightly damaged, Or looked bumpy. I used a random orbital sander and water with 400 or 600 grit. The sander (was actually a car polishing tool) with wet dry sandpaper attached. Towels rolled around the area so if it threw any water drops the walls , piano or other furniture did not get stained. After cleaning the area and wiping it several times it looked better but had a haze because of the sanding.
I applied a very light coat of varathane. I thinned it beyond normal and applied I did not want to do the entire room as the piano was in a alcove and the bench that the mat was on was in a large living room. The end result was great the first few days I could tell the slight difference but a week or more later the gloss that was brighter than the surrounding area dulled and you really could not tell. This was many years ago when varathene or polyurethane was the standard solvent based. If you have a clear coat and use this method I would want to use the same type if you know solvent /oil based verses water based I haven’t tried using different types with repairs but thinning it down after a fine sanding has worked well for me.