How do you fix stains in wood floors left from nails?

Question

The kitchen wood floor had linoleum over it before from previous owners, and they put a lot of nail in the floor. Now there are ugly dark stains where the nails were. We have sanded and even tried bleach, nothing seems to be working.

Should we put wood putty/filler in the tiny holes?. We want to either white wash them or use a clear Polyurethane over them.

Answer 1

Bleach is not good for wood. It could make the wood crack if the weather is dry depending on how concentrate the bleach and water ratio. Wood absorbs chlorine though.

    If the stains were there for a while, with humidity, mood and temperture, you may want to cut the stain part out because the stain can be a inch or 2 deep, maybe more. Then put the filler in the hole to patch it really tight. Put a couple layers of varnish on and polish it to protect it.  

Answer 2

The nails were made of steel which rusted, the rust then stained the wood fibers, and there is NOTHING to remove the staining.

On the bright side however, you can make them a feature,  in our house built in 1920 the entire downstairs floors had staining from every nail.     We had the floors professionally sanded and varnished, and the effect was fantastic, as every nail shows.  Visitors to our house have wondered how they can achieve the same effect !!!   A friend of ours was wondering if she could buy reclaimed timber with nail staining and have them fitted in her own room.!!