What Causes Fish Eyes on Hardwood Floor?
Fish eyes are air bubbles that emerge on a hardwood floor. They can be scattered across the entire expanse of the floor or concentrated in certain areas. Fish eyes easily ruin the look of the floor by creating a bumpy, rather than smooth, finish. They can also trap dust, dirt, hair, debris and other unsightly material, bringing them even more unwanted attention. Does this Spark an idea?
-
Causes
-
Hardwood floors develop fish eyes for a few different reasons. Fish eyes pop up when a finish applied to the floor dries too quickly. They can also emerge when more than one type of finish is used on the floor, such as an oil-based finish on top of a water-based finish or vice versa, and the bottom finish did not have time to cure.
Curing Time
-
Curing times for wood floor finishes vary. Those with an oil base need to cure for at least 30 days in normal conditions and up to 45 days in humid conditions. Water-based finishes need at least 15 days to cure. If you don't let the original finish fully cure before applying a top coat of a second finish, some of the components from the original finish will seep into the top coat and cause problems.
-
Ideal Conditions
-
Before applying a finish to your hardwood floor, make sure the room has ideal drying conditions so the finish doesn't dry too fast. Rooms that are extremely stuffy, hot and dry are not ideal. A bit of air circulation is necessary, but too much can be detrimental. Do not set up a fan or other device that blows directly onto the floor as this, too, will speed up the drying time and produce fish eyes. Also watch areas near heating vents.
Finish
-
Take care preparing and applying the finish as another way to prevent fish eyes. Never shake a can of finish since the vigorous movement can trap air bubbles in the finish. Instead, stir it gently with a large stick. Also watch how you apply the finish as some tend to trap air bubbles if you apply them with a roller, rather than a paint brush. Carefully follow any manufacturer's instructions.
Solution
-
If your hardwood floor is already riddled with fish eyes, you can get rid of them by rubbing them out. One options is to sand the floor with a fine sandpaper or steel wool. Another option is renting a wood floor buffing machine, available at some home stores, and slowly running it over the entire floor. In both cases, your floor may need to be refinished once the bubbles are removed.
-
