Hardwood Floors October/November 2024

AT THE SITE

By Todd Schutte

DARK SPOTS

MYSTERIOUSLY Appear

IN RED OAK (AGAIN)

Here’s the typical scenario: You’ve just installed a new red oak floor or are getting ready to sand and refinish existing red oak floors. There are no apparent problems with the installation or the condition of the existing floor for the refinish, so you go ahead and sand the floor, and there still are no apparent problems. You get a beautiful coat of white stain applied to the floor (or leave it natural), and now you and your customer can hardly wait to get the sealer and finish applied to see the full reveal. You apply the first coat of waterborne sealer (to keep it white), and that’s when it transforms before your eyes. Mysterious blackish spots appear throughout the floor on random boards and in random patterns. Just when you thought the late ‘80s and early ‘90s were well in the rear-view mirror, the fabled “black spots” that mysteriously can appear in red oak are finding their way back onto center stage, along with their partner in crime – the increasing trend of white or natural finished floors (versus the past quarter century trend of light brown to dark to darker brown and gray-tone stains).

PHOTO 1 – NEW FLOORING PHOTOS COURTESY OF TODD SCHUTTE | BONA 68 hardwood floors hardwoodfloorsmag.com