Can anyone offer advice on dealing with dirt and marks on varnished wood floors that were painted by a friend?
Asked by Cornelio Rosas 
7 months ago
Last Updated: May 7, 2024
Hey, does anyone have any tips for dealing with varnished wood floors? A friend painted them, but they seem to attract dirt and never look clean. I’ve tried cleaning them multiple times, but they still look messy. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
The wood appears to be stained but lacks any polyurethane coating.
Could you provide the link for that? Please share it here.
Is it still feeling tacky and soft? If it does, then the coats are probably too thick or the wrong products were used.
Wow that sounds sticky! Was it 3 coats of satin varnish in medium oak?
When you mentioned “varnish”, were you referring to traditional varnish or modern polyurethane? The finish coats are medium oak in color, was any stain applied before the satin finish? Do you know if the finish is oil-based or water-based? Is your friend a professional or just assisting? Was the final product new or something that was stored in the garage? Sorry for all the questions, but the more details we have, the better advice we can offer.
Could you ask your ‘friend’ for more details about their process and share it here? I believe we can find a simple solution once we have all the information.
It seems like the stain wasn’t fully dry before they put on the varnish, causing the solvents to not fully evaporate and leading to the stickiness. This is a common issue when preparation is rushed or not done properly.