Don't let him make you feel odd - his finish that he recommended was uneven. You asked for what you wanted, you got it but not a good result. This has nothing to do with you and everything to do with him.

The color was right and the finish was matte. Now he needs to deliver a quality result. It probably was uneven buffing after the stain. Fresh sanding may help all the wood absorb the stain more evenly as well.

Don't you be responsible to solve the problem for him. It is his problem, and his area of expertise. If he doesn't get it right this time, look for the next guy but . . he did deliver the basic response you wanted - good color, matte finish. Hang onto that and I bet these results will be great.

Its hard to say for sure on an online forum but it sounds like your contractor is trying to do the right thing just by being willing to sand it off. Even the most experienced professionals don't know everything and wood after all is a natural material that can react differently. If he does in fact have 20 years experience work with him in a collaborative manner. In the end it is your problem as you have to live with it and if you approve a sample he could claim that you signed off on it and discrepancies are natural variations. "Finding the next guy" will probably just cost you more and you may be right back where you started.

bleaching the wood first would help to get a uniform color. 1 bleach the wood. 2 seal it. 3 apply at he desired glaze.

Start over something went wrong! I would let him take the time sanding and fixing it for you.

Thanks for the feedback, all. I do appreciate his willingness to want to make it right. I just wish I had a crystal ball to tell me which one would work out great. Woca oil? Water based sealer with matte finish? Just hoping to love whatever we go with...

WOCA Oil over White Oak will not yellow or amber over time. As far as cleaning and maintenance, it is ideal you use WOCA products to get the best durability and protection for your floor. Sweeping regularly and mopping once or twice a month is the norm. Feel free to contact us if you have any other questions 800-242-8160.

Thanks for your perspective, Cancork Floor. Is that pretty standard? I wish we had some sort of contract where these things were spelled out. I have been trying to be easy to work with, so I'm paying for materials for this second time around and today he even asked me for some money for labor. I was pretty surprised.

I'm 90% sure I'm going to go with 2 coats of water based sealer and 3 coats of streetshoe super matte. Sure hope things go better with round 2.

I wish I would have taken a little more time to vet this installer but too late now. He certainly hasn't made my cut of contractors that I'm happy to use again and recommend.

What is your contract? Is he labor only? Or did he buy materials the first time for the price he gave you? If so, you buying materials a second time is as far as you need to go to meet him in the middle. You paid for his labor and his labor botched the finish.

You pay for labour ONCE....if it takes 2 more kicks at the can then HE is on the hook for the rest of the LABOUR (and supposedly the materials).

As for "is this common"? Sigh. Too many "professional" (I use that in the LOOSEST possible terms) use low-end (read: DIY level) stains/finishes when refinishing hardwood floors. I'm of the opinion that if the poly isn't worth $100+ PER GALLON, it isn't worth it (I sell product that is a 2 part product for $179/gallon). The Streetshoe is in the category of "professional grade finish" and is not the issue.

Traditionally a water based stain is coupled with a water based finish (solvents wreck havoc with water based finishes...best to avoid them). Minwax is a "home owner DIY" level of product. The "better" professionals (especially the NWFA Certified Sand/Refinishers) will work with MUCH HIGHER END stains/products that Minwax. That being said, Minwax is relatively EASY to work with (as stains go)...so it points more and more to "user error" on this.

I hate to ask but curiosity did kill the feline, how much did he charge for the job (per square foot)?

He bought materials and did the install. I paid for the wood and glue separately outright and he charged me $5/SF for the install (which included all the other finish materials). It seemed a reasonable price for 8" with full trowel glue, compared with other quotes. And he gave me the wood at price, which he didn't have to do, so I don't mind helping with the cost of the sealer and finish on these last coats. I just hope they look great. If we go with the water based sealer (I forgot the name of it, but it's $50/gallon, so I think it's pretty good quality?) and the streetshoe I'm hoping we'll be good.

He could have got stain from his normal place but I think he was feeling time crunched and was worried that the stain might differ from the one I'd tried. I was really nervous about the color and he didn't seem to think it was too critical. Perhaps he was too casual about it and that is where some of these problems came from. According to him he has done things (as in the sanding/buffing/process etc.) the way he normally does, and has done water based over stain before. He feels like the culprit is that the stain was a light color. I don't know that I agree, I just want it done well this time round and be done with it all. I'm tired of stressing about it. (And dealing with the fact that it is holding up cabinets, and everything else beyond.)

And WocaUSA, thanks for the information! I love idea of using Woca but probably not for this install. Since it includes some areas that will definitely see some water - a kitchen, mudroom, laundry room, and entry - I'm just wanting the extra protection.

Cancork, you always have such great input, thanks! What water based stain do you like?

I like the stains that are made by the same company that makes the finish. Streetshoe by basics + their stain line. Or Bona Traffic + their stain line. Or Loba 2K + their stain line...you get the idea.

As for the cost of install...$5/sf with FULL SPREAD glue + stain + sanding + finish (materials extra) is on the low side. A sand/refinish of an existing floor = $4-$5/sf. Installing an 8" plank with full spread glue is EXPENSIVE (the labour alone is intense). Several dollars per square foot would be expected...then you add the $4-$5/sf for the finish.

The installer did a great job with the install, he fell down with the stain and finish. He did know his stains and how it would finish...I will give him that. Doing a light stain like this is not easy...and it takes time. And like all things "time is money". I would say he under bid the job and was pushing himself to finish (he rushed the stain...which is why it is inconsistent) so that he could move on and make money on another job.

I'm sorry but this finish is not "salvageable". It must be sanded down and done again. It is not the homeowner's fault that the job was bid too low (but they did accept the bid...)...but it is now the homeowner's experience (part of the decision process of taking the low bid) to live through a full sand and refinish of a brand new floor. And this will continue to occur until the finish is "done right".

The good news is the installer will have learned his lesson: do NOT under bid a project just to win it. Give a price you can make a living off of and let someone else win the low ball estimates.

I can see the installer has the ABILITY to do make this finish work...he just ran out of time and money because of his bid (which was too low for full glue). Let him fix it ONCE. If he can't get it done...then hire someone NEW and send the bill to the original contractor. That's how building law works.

Thanks so much for the input, Cancork. The installer sanded off a bit ago. He did a great job, then he put two coats of sealer down. (Water based, keep forgetting the name.) He's put one coat of finish on and it is all looking fantastic. Now that the cabinets are in he is going to buff and do two more coats of finish sometime this next week. (Streetshoe matte). I felt so unsure what to do after round one, wondering if it would look good after round two. I'm really glad he went forward with it. It just looks so much better. I'll share pictures when it's done. Can't wait to get those last finish coats on, let them cure, and then move back into those rooms. Thanks again, everyone.

Ok I'll give you some pointers. 20 yrs experience and he can't pull off an standard satin job? Hmmm. So the reason the stain did not turn out would be a) poor sanding b) not waterpopped c) poor stain application. I agree with cancork-minwax is a very lo-end option. Also note putting down 5 coats of poly is just asking for trouble. Most Waterbourne systems are a 2 coat app. Again agree with cancork I like using compatible stain/finish combos. Loba,glista,Rubio these are all good finishes. I haven't used streetshoe in decades so I can't comment on that. Also note ALL solvent based finish/stains will amber. ALL. Is your 'floor guy' certified? Could also be part of the problem.