Black Stains On Hardwood Floors Hopkins MN

By Arne Johansson on April 8, 2012 Comments Comments

Black Stains Hardwood Floors Hopkins MN

I hate black stains on hardwood floors. Most the time the blacks stains come from pet urine. If there is really bad water damage then that can turn the wood black also. But they totally just ruin the beauty of the hardwood floor. It’s common to have them in older homes built between 1890-1970. In fact, even homes built in the 1990s can have stains. But usually they are found in the older homes were pervious home owners put carpet over the original hardwood floors and then pets pee on the carpet, it soaks through to the wood and just sits there for years. Most the time you will not be able to sand the stain out completely. Almost all the older homes have 3/4 inch thick floors and if they stain soaked all the way through then you won’t be able to remove it. However, there are a couple tricks to get them out or at least reduce the visibility. First, just try to sand it out with your edger. You want to be careful you don’t put a divot in the floor so you have to feather it out. Next you can water pop the stain. After you sand the area get a wet rag and wipe the stain with it, let it dry and then try sanding the area again with a 60 or 80 grit paper. Water popping can help lift the grains in the wood and pull out the stain a little bit. Also, even if the stain doesn’t come out completely water popping with make the stained area look less blotchy. If your still not happy with it you can remove the boards and patch in new wood. Make sure you get older wood that matches the original flooring. We do floor sanding in H0pkins so give us a call.