I was recently given the task of resanding a (Bona) Redout & Nordic Seal job that another crew botched. I know there’s quite a few pros that struggle with this combo, so I figured I’d share a few crucial tips that I learned along the way.
For clarity, the floor in the photos was treated with a single application of Bona’s Red out, 2 coats of Nordic Seal, and a single coat of Bona’s Traffic HD Satin finish. I knew I wouldn’t have the opportunity to get pictures after the final coat dried, and I hate posting pictures of a wet floor..
Anyway ! So as the title says, I was brought in to completely resand this floor and make absolute sure it wouldn’t have to be done a 3rd time. I didn’t take any pictures of the floor from the first time it was finished, but it was pretty bad. I could tell right away that most of the issues arose from inexperience with Bona’s Red Out system, and there was also quite a bit of chatter throughout the floor that had to be sanded out, but I won’t get into that..
In my experience, the red out issues usually come in the form of white splotches or lines that appear after Part B is applied and the floor has dried. I can’t say for absolute sure what causes these lines. But my theory is that in some areas, especially with older, existing floors, the Red out system draws out any salt that’s in the wood and brings it to the surface. I also believe these lines happen during the application of Red out. I’ve noticed that these lines have a tendency to show up if one has too much product on their roller/applicator, and left a trail coming off the edge. I believe it to be primarily from the application of Part A. I highly recommend dipping out of a deep paint tray, or some kind of bucket so you can squeeze out a little of the excess product. You want the floor to look uniformly wet, but you don’t want a bunch of puddles sitting on top of the hardwood. As tempting as it may be, don’t use your roller to hit the edges, and don’t roll across the wood grain. I learned this the hard way during one of my first times using the red out system. I ended up having a ton of small white spots along the walls from where the roller left heavy spots, and I was left feeling full of regret..
Continuing on, it’s important to know that these white spots are not totally avoidable, and more often than not, you will be dealing with them. All is not lost though ! There’s actually a very simple fix that removes these spots completely. Basically, these spots can be taken out with a damp rag and a little elbow grease! To be clear, if you’re applying the Red Out system, and you’re left with chalky white lines/spots AFTER Part B has been applied, they can easily be rubbed out with a dampened rag. It’s really that easy. Don’t soak the floor, but make sure your rag is wet enough to get the spots out. If you wanted the best possible results, you could even wash the entire floor to make sure you got everything. Removing these defects is absolutely crucial because Nordic Seal will highlight them and make them painfully obvious. Let me also say, there’s no going back once that Nordic seal is put down. Spot fixing Nordic Seal does not work. I’ve tried numerous times in difference scenarios and it never blended correctly. At minimum, full boards in the affected area will have to be sanded to raw wood and everything has to be reapplied.
So, I think that’s pretty much it.
Hopefully, something I’ve said here can help save another person a lot of unnecessary & avoidable labor.