My floor was finished and now it's finished.

March 26, 2007 11:25 AM

I spilled methyl alcohol on the hardwood floor in my rented apartment and the finish dissolved. Now what?

From google, it seems this means the floors are varnished rather than sealed with polyurethane. With two or three square feet of finish that is now bubbled up in patches, is there anyway of fixing it that will look at least half-decent, or am I pretty much stuck refinishing the entire floor?

What's a ballpark figure for the cost of hiring someone to refinish 300-400 square feet of floor anyway?

posted by cardboard to Home & Garden (5 answers total)

or am I pretty much stuck refinishing the entire floor?

Yes.

Even matching the varnish perfectly won't make it look like the rest of the floor. It'll look like you have a big stain.
posted by IronLizard at 11:54 AM on March 26, 2007

I haven't used it but you could try Varathane's Renewal

Varathane® Renewal is quick, no-sanding way to restore wood floors that have received minor damage such as scuff marks and surface scratches. If the damage to your floor does not extend past the existing finish, then Renewal is right for you. One Renewal kit refinishes 225-square feet and can be completed in just three hours, with light use in eight hours. In addition to your Renewal kit we recommend a standard threaded broom handle, a bucket, a paint tray and some clean rags. Varathane Renewal provides a long-lasting durable finish to keep your floors looking great longer.

* No sanding, no dust, low odor
* No special equipment required
* No experience necessary
* Ready for everyday usage within 72 hours
* Works over water and oil-based finishes
* Will not change original floor color

posted by ShooBoo at 12:29 PM on March 26, 2007

An experienced floor person (I am sure there is a better term but I don't know it) can match the finish pretty closely if the wood itself is not damaged; my mother had some wood flooring matched during a remodeling project a few years ago and it is very hard to spot. So no, you probably won't need to refinish the whole floor.
posted by TedW at 12:39 PM on March 26, 2007

Refinishing generally refers to sanding off all poly/varnish/crud, down to the bare wood - that may be overkill in this case. And you can't really refinish a spot: both poly and varnish darken with age, so it'll never match.

An alternative that might save you would be recoating with area with varnish, after using a buffer/screener to even out the damaged bit but leaving sa layer of the varnish on. I did floors for a while, but we didn't take recoating jobs, so I can't tell you for sure how likely that would be to work; follow Burhanistan's advice and call a good contractor (or several).

If the finish isn't salvageable, try to cut a deal with your landlord to share the refinishing price. He's probably been having that floor revarnished with every change of tenant; if you have it properly refinished and coated with poly, it won't need attention for another 10 years, saving him some change.
posted by a young man in spats at 12:43 PM on March 26, 2007

In a similar situation, I had someone come in and do a repair job. could you tell? Yes, you could. Was it obvious? No, not really. You had to be looking for it to know it was there. Cost me about $120 for an iPod-sized spot and one about as big as a liter bottle.
posted by clarkstonian at 6:07 PM on March 26, 2007