Air Bubbles In Wood Floor Finish

Repairing bubbles within the finish of a hardwood floor requires removal of the old finish with floor screening pads and applying a new polyurethane finish.

Air bubbles in wood floor finish.

Bathtubs champagne ocean foam to name a few. After 2 coats were put on there were numerous air bubbles. They are more common with a water based polyurethane product than a solvent based one because the water based product tends to foam and dry more quickly. Generally as each application of finish is applied it tends to dry faster.

We are having our pine and oak floors refinished professionally. So our guy came to rebuff and put a 3rd coat of poly on. In my opinion the air bubbles that have appeared after the last coat of finish i call them fish eye bubbles are not necessary and not likely the fault of the person applying the polyurethane. The dust from the floor buffer can land and attach onto surfaces such as fabric furniture.

Once the finish has set up turn the air back on but ventilate the entire house. If you missed the bubbles while the varnish was fresh you may find the finish mottled with tiny craters or hardened bubbles. Next brush on a couple of coats of dewaxed shellac such as zinsser s sealcoat. Air flow will aid the finish to cure.

A finish can form bubbles only when it is drying and a professional refinisher usually takes care of them before considering the job complete. That causes the finish to become pockmarked with little craters called fish eyes that are easily mistaken for bubbles. Right away we see the same air. This happens to floor finishers who drag the finish applicator aggressively and then must stay off the floor until the finish dries.

One place you should never find bubbles is in your hardwood floors. The only way to correct this issue is to strip the finish down to bare wood wipe it thoroughly with denatured alcohol and restain.