The Problem

A well known realtor in Moorestown, NJ scored an offer from a buyer on a house in a prestigious location. The buyer wanted to come in from out of town with a few days notice to see the property. The realtor stopped at the property to notify the tenants. Upon entering, she discovered there were numerous pet accidents on the engineered wood floors from the tenants’ dog, cats and even a bird. The kids also added a lot of foot traffic, scratches, and other damage. Seeing this, the realtor felt a bit of panic, because she didn’t have much time to correct the problem before the buyer came.

As she had done many times before, she picked up the phone and called us.

The Solution

First, we had to look at the problems and see what we were up against. We had our work cut out for us and weren’t sure whether we could finish the job in the 3 to 5 day window before the buyer would arrive. Upon closer inspection, we discovered the tenant had used multiple cleaning products that created a build up of sticky residue on the floor. Although this might sound like a complication, it actually was for the best, because the layers protected the wood from the urine. Since we knew the finish was not affected our approach to this floor would not require an intensive amount of time and work as we had first imagined it would.

We started by deep cleaning the floor. After over two days of heavy duty cleaning, scrubbing and buffing, we applied a restorative coating. You can see for yourself that the floor looks incredible.

The buyer had no clue how bad the floors had been, and was very impressed with this luxurious home.

Afterthoughts…

Engineered hardwood and Pergo-type floors offer some advantages, but have limited capacity to endure corrective procedures due to the fact that the workable surface area is so thin. Often there is but 1/4″ of workable surface, and aggressive sanding equipment will blow right through it. To compound the problem, acidic substances like pet urine violate the finish easily and thoroughly, and more often than not the floor requires board replacement. There are limited solutions professionals can offer. In this case she got lucky, the layers of residue insulated the boards, so the urine did not penetrate through it.  We don’t advise using multiple cleaners on the floor.  If you have a problem we suggest you seek professional advice.

Have pet stains or water marks on your hardwood or engineered floors? Give us a call for a free consultation. We will assess the condition and give you cost effective solutions whenever possible. Call us at Sparkle Surface Care (609) 953-0472 or contact us online for a free estimate to see what we can do for you!