Swollen, Dark Hardwood Pet Spots Fixed Beautifully Like New
- Home Case Studies Swollen, Dark Hardwood Pet Spots Fixed Beautifully Like New
Along with removing the dog urine damaged boards the owners were looking to update the color and sheen of the floor to match gray, white and dark tones
Instead of using new wood boards our refinisher flipped the 1' boards over and erased the pet urine damage
Look at how the floor is now, the pet stains are gone, the color compliments their decor style, and the finish makes this floor pop
What a difference, these stairs are freshly updated 
The new stain color now ties in with their paint and decor palate
Fixing Hardwood Floor Puppy Love
The Problem
Heavy pet urine (dog) damage was discovered on their hardwood floors when an area rug was pulled up from under an dining room table. Just one corner of the hardwood floor was affected. The pet urine was not only sufficient to make a dark urine stain on the wood, it caused most of the affected area’s boards to swell up or “cup”.
Realizing they were faced with refinishing their main hardwood floor, they expanded their “wish list” of things to accomplish with sanding and refinishing. Overall they wanted a newer, trendier look. And they couldn’t wait to remove the dated high gloss shine. Along with their goals they wanted a new stain color. Going darker, they wanted it to complement their new decor and style better.
Additionally the home has settling. It caused an annoying gap and a belly in the floor, about 5-6′ long. (We informed them simple refinishing and tweaking boards would not fix the bellying. That was a taller ask, and they understood.)
Overall all they had a few things to fix, and the pet urine damage was the motivating factor. So bittersweet their beloved Teacup Yorkie helped their cause!
The Challenges
- Fixing the pet urine stain’s discoloration (it won’t sand or bleach out, it’s too dark)
- Dealing with the urine soaked boards that have become “cupped” (distorted, un-flat and swollen looking)
- Find ‘donor’ boards locally or effect the repair another way
- Remove the dated, shiny yellowed finish which annoyed the clients
- Change the color of the floor with a trendier more modern stain which matches their newly renovated kitchen and decor
- Deal with the gap in front of the kitchen entry
- Rule in or other whether the bellied (sunken) area can be remediated with quick efforts, rather than a full on structural repair
- Win our lady client over, whose husband says is a careful and guarded consumer. Not just small talk and promise, it takes execution, validation and results before she would cross over the bridge to a happy, satisfied customer
Our Solution
Realizing there is nothing too crazy, and knowing the limits of what we can achieve, we qualified what we could and could not do. (Surely we did not overpromise them that we could begin to fix the bellying of that one area.) But the rest would be totally remediated. Above all, the cupped boards and visible pet stains would be history. Furthermore, the new stain and sheen would be a home run too. And of course, not even the gap would present a challenge.
And finally, with our super motivated wood technician, who is a craftsman we were betting he would win our lady customer over. By paying attention and tending to every possible detail (going above and beyond), we trusted his work itself giver her the proof she needed to win her over. We were certain she would soon fall in love with her floors. And, it would happen naturally and organically on her terms (if we played our cards right)! So with a little extra luck we’d make her a customer “cheerleader” (a customer so happy she tells everyone about her floors; and in doing so she bubbles over with her enthusiasm).
The Repairs
We got right down to “brass tacks” and eliminated all but 1 of their issues.
In particular, Marvin first attacked the pet urine stained boards and cupping. Instead of finding replacement boards he decided to flip the boards over and reinstall them right in the same location they were in. This eliminated the distortedness of the boards and the discoloration. Moreover, at the same time it would eliminate a wild goose chase to find new donor boards. One inch boards, an older trend popular from years ago would be harder to find. So why fight city hall?
Indeed merely flipping the boards would be the fastest and best solution. They would sand down perfectly, all flat and smooth. And every ounce of darkness indicating pet urine would be history!
The dated, crusty hardened finish would be gone as well. And with the raw wood sanded, the boards would be ready for the new stain color. More over we would use satin, a lower grade sheen. Finally, with a quick removal of the board where settling caused a gap, a slightly wider board would swapped out to clean up and fill the gap.
The results
We nailed it! All objectives met and conquered. The floors look stunning. The dark ugly pet stained area is history. The dated old and yellowed color and hardened sheen is gone. A new trendier color revitalized the floors and downcast the 1″ boards. They no longer stick out like a sore thumb. This couple’s floors now have an updated vibe that matches perfectly to their new “open concept kitchen”. And, about the time the stain was applied to the hardwood floors our lady client did a 180°, and now beamed with glee so was now so in love with her floors!
Learn more…
- About Our Hardwood Floors Refinishing and Repair Services
- And check out>Look at This Badly Pet Urine Damaged Hardwood Floor We Saved
- Pet urine smell removed by sanding and refinishing hardwood floors
Do your have pet urine stains that look unsightly on your hardwood floors? This solution could be a cost effective solution that gets the job done. Free estimates. Give us a call. Call 609.953.0472. Or Contact Us online and we’ll reach out!
