Used 3m pad on engineered wood floor, what do I use and how do I spot repair the finish?

Question

Scandian engineered wood. 3M green pad used to clean small areas in floor. Have about 20 places which now look dull from an angle. Need to fill in these small places for a uniform look.

Answer 1

As Glenn B pointed out, you must tape individual boards. You probably won't do much with a 3M green pad. The objective is to remove the "gloss sheen" as finish will not adhere to "gloss".

Try a 220 grit sandpaper or if you have patience, 600 grit steel wool. Dull the existing finish, vacuum, tack with a moist towel, let dry and then tape.

Next, mix some oil based gloss finish with paint thinner at a 75/25 mixture. stir well and apply with a china bristle brush. Let dry over night (12 hours) and brush on more finish (2 or 3 times) tacking without sanding. If the finish is too dull, use less thinner, if it's too glossy use more thinner. If there are "boogers" in the finish, let dry, lightly sand and start finishing again. "Boogers" are the biggest problem to a perfect repair. In the factory, the finish is applied in a dust free environment. You can tent the area with negative pressure if perfection is a must.

When you pull the tape (3M Long Mask is the best) pull it away from the repair.

Answer 2

Anything you attempt to do will only make matters worse, and they will stand out more. Even a professional floor refinisher would be hard pressed to make a perfect, undetectable repair on 20 small areas. It would probably be easier (and the results more uniform) to buff and coat the entire floor.

If they bother you that much, I would suggest calling a professional hardwood floor refinishing company to come out and look at your floor and present you with some options.^

Answer 3

tape off individual boards that have this defect and scuff with same 3m pad on entire board(just do one board first).  Then use a wipe on urethane based poly to put on top coats.  The urethane based is important because other option is acryllic and this won't adhere.  good luck.