Fix Swirl Marks In Finished Floor

Swirl marks on refinished hardwood floor.

Fix swirl marks in finished floor.

Poor technique is often the cause of swirl marks. 1 sweep or vacuum the floor to remove dirt and debris. I have 3 4 red oak. Unfortunately swirl marks tend not to show up until finish or stain is applied.

Finishing hardwood floors is one of the more tricky aspects to installing floors. Sanding the floor to remove the surface layer is often enough to remove swirl marks and you can have that perfect finish you desire. Rubio monocoat recommends finishing the hardwood with 120 grit so that is what i did. The important part is to never skip a grit or a section of the floor during finish sanding.

After removing the swirl marks and imperfections sand the entire floor again with 60 80 grit followed by 80 100 120 grit. I just had my floors refinished due to a water damage. Most people sand too fast. Sometimes they are only visible with intense light such as under can sometimes called high hat lights or in front of patio doors.

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. One area in my floors when the sun hits this spot i can see swirl marks. That is they move the sander too fast back and forth over the board causing the swirls to stretch out and look.

They are scratches that appear in a circular pattern in the wood or finish. The key is to keep those swirls dense so that the eye can t perceive the individual marks. We went with a natural finish with semi gloss finish.