Hi,

I recently sanded, stained and polyurethaned an oak floor. The problem
I have is that the poly has not dried properly at the edges of the
room... it is very very slightly tacky, but tacky none the less. The
remainder of the floor dried fine, but the edges have had this light
tack for 4-days.

Will it ever dry, can i speed up the drying process somehow.

Floor was stripped back to bare wood, stain and poly were oil-based

thanks

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I recently sanded, stained and polyurethaned an oak floor. The problem
I have is that the poly has not dried properly at the edges of the
room... it is very very slightly tacky, but tacky none the less. The
remainder of the floor dried fine, but the edges have had this light
tack for 4-days.

Will it ever dry, can i speed up the drying process somehow.

Floor was stripped back to bare wood, stain and poly were oil-based

thanks


That is strange. How was the floor stripped, was a chemical stripper used
or just sanded? Is the stain consistant, could a residue have been left at
the edge due to incomplete wiping after staining or stripping? Any
difference in how the edges were prepped?

Best thing to do for now is turn up the heat and wait a few more days ( a
fan to increase air excange wouldn't hurt either), the alternative is to
remove all or some of the new poly and start over if there was a residue
that damaged the poly.

Might try a little denatured alcohol in an inconspicuous spot, just drip a
little on the tacky floor and blot it up, then wait and see if it starts
drying better. Also try another coat (seems counterintuitive but it may
dilute or cover whatever is inhibiting the poly from hardning)

wrote:

Hi,

I recently sanded, stained and polyurethaned an oak floor. The problem
I have is that the poly has not dried properly at the edges of the
room... it is very very slightly tacky, but tacky none the less. The
remainder of the floor dried fine, but the edges have had this light
tack for 4-days.

Will it ever dry, can i speed up the drying process somehow.

Floor was stripped back to bare wood, stain and poly were oil-based

thanks

If most of it has dried, and only edges remain tacky, it suggests it
lacks sufficient air circulation. I'd open a window or use a fan. Why
dry time does it state on the label?

Thanks guys those sound like good ideas. There is a chance that the
poly was applied thicker, the stain not wiped so well or that some
residual finish remained at the edges, but i couldnt confirm any of
this... only speculate.

Dry time was slower than staed on the lable I think it was re-coat in
6-hours, light use in 72 hours. Dont recoat if tacky it took maybe 36
hours to get the bulk of the floor tack-free

wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks guys those sound like good ideas. There is a chance that the
poly was applied thicker, the stain not wiped so well or that some
residual finish remained at the edges, but i couldnt confirm any of
this... only speculate.


Cross your fingers and wait up to a week more before taking drastic action.

Call the support phone number on the can of poly you bought, it may in fact
be defective but they will have more qualified advice about the
compatibility of your stain and their product and what might cause extended
dry times.

Are the walls outside walls, then they are colder, turn up the heat
and use a fan, probably the whole floor is still soft, high humidity
also retards drying, use a dehumidifier, be sure all has cured before
you use it.

From my perspective, from your description, it sounds like the
making of a laminar flow issue. The volatile components need ventilation
to cure properly, and corners don't ventilate at the same rate as the
center of the room.
The suggestion to use fans sounds good.
If the product in GENERAL is curing slower, perhaps the vehicle
used has aged and become less active. But in the process of applying
you obviously use the same product everywhere, so the effect may
seem more dramatic in the corners.
If the residual chemicals in the wood are interplaying with the Poly
is another topic...assuming you used one.