Fix Swirl Marks In Finished Floor

Unfortunately swirl marks tend not to show up until finish or stain is applied.

Fix swirl marks in finished floor.

Finishing hardwood floors is one of the more tricky aspects to installing floors. I have 3 4 red oak. Sometimes they are only visible with intense light such as under can sometimes called high hat lights or in front of patio doors. Poor technique is often the cause of swirl marks.

They are scratches that appear in a circular pattern in the wood or finish. Rubio monocoat recommends finishing the hardwood with 120 grit so that is what i did. After removing the swirl marks and imperfections sand the entire floor again with 60 80 grit followed by 80 100 120 grit. The key is to keep those swirls dense so that the eye can t perceive the individual marks.

Most people sand too fast. We went with a natural finish with semi gloss finish. Perfectly finishing a hardwood floor without any swirl marks is a challenge. If the sanding or screening process is done improperly swirl marks will appear on the floor.

Ro sanders leave swirl marks they are designed to do that. The dreaded swirl marks happen when we are buffing. One area in my floors when the sun hits this spot i can see swirl marks. Sanding the floor to remove the surface layer is often enough to remove swirl marks and you can have that perfect finish you desire.

Swirl marks on refinished hardwood floor. The important part is to never skip a grit or a section of the floor during finish sanding. The floors look great but i have one concern.