How to Remove Black Pet Stains From a Hardwood Floor

If you have a dog, you know pet stains happen sometimes. Unfortunately, urine can be damaging to hardwood floors. It often shows up as a black pet stain on the floor. While you may be an observant dog owner, you may not always catch pet stains on your hardwood floor right away.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hand-hel sander Wood finish Hydrogen peroxide Hand held drum sander Lamb's wool applicator with a handle

Sanding Shallow Stains

1. Use a hand held drum sander. Before you begin, open the windows in the room you are going to sand in. Put on safety goggles to protect your eyes and a respiratory mask to prevent inhaling sawdust while you work.

2. Attach 60-grit sandpaper to the hand held drum sander. Turn the sander on with the drum off of the floor. Gently roll the drum sander across the flood in the direction of the grain of the wood. Do not stop moving the sander when it is in contact with the floor, as doing so may cause damage to the wood. Sweep up the sawdust when you are finished sanding.

3. When you are done sanding the area, add stain to it. Choose stain that matches the rest of your floor. Apply the stain and allow it to dry completely.

4. Apply clear coat to the area using a lamb's wool applicator with a handle. Apply the clear coat in the direction of the grain. Apply two or three coats of the clear coat. Allow each coat to dry before applying another.

Removing Deep Stains

5. Apply a few drops of hydrogen peroxide to the stain. Do not rub it in.

6. Allow the peroxide to dry overnight. The stain will be lighter in the morning.

7. Repeat the application of hydrogen peroxide as needed to get the stain out completely. You may be able to match the stained wood to the rest of the hardwood floor using this process. Using hydrogen peroxide on a dark hardwood floor may not be a good idea as it will most likely make the stained wood stand out more.

8. Apply stain and clear coat to the area, using the instructions listed above.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear safety goggles and a respiratory mask when sanding your floor.
• Do not dump peroxide onto the stain. You may not want to use hydrogen peroxide on dark hardwood floors as it may lighten the stained area too much. Do not stop moving the hand held drum sander when it is in contact with the floor, as doing so may damage it.