I’m about to refinish my oak hw floor. The floor guy that came and gave me an estimate said that I had pet urine stains.
Any suggestions as to how to clean those stains so that they don’t show up? I want to sand, stain (Minwax Sedona Red), and poly the floor.
The floor guy suggested that I sand the floor down and spray bleach on it. The wait for the stain to come back up and repeat the process until no more stain appears. Anyone ever try this?
This 654-sq.-ft. ADU combines vaulted ceilings, reclaimed materials, and efficient design, offering a flexible guest suite and home office above a new garage.
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Replies
This is a common old house problem. Very little works to remove the stain. By bleach, I imagine he meant wood bleach which you get from woodworkers supply stores or good paint stores, and not Clorox. You can try it, but there are no guarantees.
The only sure fire way is to replace that section of flooring. Or call it "character". My floors have lots of "character" after 105 years.
If the wood has turned brown from the chemical 'burn' of the urine, good luck. I tried multiple applications of bleach, etc. with minimal results. You may wish to stain the rest of the floor to match the damage.
Our home had some urine stains from the previous owners dog. We sanded a lot,
and finished with poly (no stain). It is a noticably darker spot, but most people say they don't notice until I point it out (and it's right in front of the fireplace). If you've got older floors, it will probably blend in with all the other variations in board color. We patched some other spots (not because they were stained), and they blend in really well, so patching it would work also.
Jo
The suggestions for wood bleach are good. The chemical name is oxalic acid. Look at the ingredients to confirm it. It removes all kinds of stuff (including your skin if you're not careful).
Scott.
I had same under carpet laid over nice hardwood (in the dining room of all places). We tried bleaching and sanding - it still left a noticable stain - ended up going to a cherry stain and blending a bit and then finished with Poly. It is almost un noticable now (especially as it is under the Dining room table).
Muriatic acid...........perhaps slightly diluted. It works I've used it.
Be careful. Rinse with fresh water and vingar.
Start with a small section in a not so noticeable place.
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Hi emaxxman ;
I bought a fixer-upper eight years ago and gutted it! I knew the former owner had cats but after two years living there I could still smell cat pee. We tore up our new tile at the back door and we were overcome with the cat smell. It had some how permutated into the grout.
We removed the first layer and saw crystals of piss under the underlayment. After taking up another two layers of flooring we found the same. We removed flooring down to the joists before we got rid of that terrible smell.
I am sure these cats pissed there for a hundred years. I guess it depends on your situation. Of course we tried all of the above remedies to no avail.
Unfortunately, the spot is right in the middle of my living room.
we had bought a house built in the 30's, tore out the carpets, and found numerous black areas. Tried sanding which didn't work. These stains were deep. Tried a little laundry bleach to see what would happen, turned it a new color, used a 2 part wood bleach system and blreached the entire floor. It looked great, if you like a pale yellow floor. It wasn't consistent, but also wasn't abrupt in the changes in color.When we put the house up for sale it was sold for full price in 1/2 hour.try it, because if you don't like it, a light sanding will remove the bleached wood.Good luck,jwinko
I'm trying not to be a smart azz here (and it is so difficult!), but since hydrochloric (muriatic) and vinegar are both acids, I think you'd be better off to mix some baking soda in water and apply it after using the hydochloric to neutralize the acid. It will foam and I'd put the solution of baking soda on until it stopped foaming, then rinse it with clear water and dry it. Like you say, wear gloves and eye protection. Don't breathe any fumes.
Milk bones to you!! I get confused about the acids and bases sometimes..............It's Never Too Late To Become
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Thanks--glad you took my post in the spirit it was intended!
Heres whatcha gotta do.
Cut out the area first then replace it from more flooring you'll get from a closet so it matches "perfectly" and replace the closet flooring with whatever.
Be floored?
andy
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It really depends on the depth of penetration, and the animal who made the stain. Get a black light (availiable at many ace hardwares or lighting stores) and look at it at night. The pee will appear whitish purple, but the older and deeper it is, the more "yellowed" it will look.
If exposure was very prolonged and smell is a problem, urine trouble. Quick tear out and patch will save you a lot of headaches trying to "chase" the smell with solvents. It will seemingly go away, but came come back to haunt you under particular weather conditions.
If the issue is smell, I have the cure, & it's a lot easier than tearing up the floor. It worked in a house where the previous owners let their cats use an entire attic room for a litter box. Get a gallon of Nature's Miracle Pet Stain and Odor Remover at a pet supply place.
Pour some on the offended spot. Let it soak in - don't rub it around. I found a spray bottle the easiest way to get even coverage.
Go on about your life, & when the spot is dry, do it again. Since you are going to be refinishing the floor anyway, you could scrape off the finish, but you don't have to.
Repeat until you have used up the entire gallon. Even on the hottest, dampest days, I could not detect the odor, & my sense of smell is very acute.
Well, I've been in the house for 5 years and the previous owners were there for 10. Neither of us had pets. So the stains are at least 15 years old. There is no smell; just a black (almost charred) appearance where the stains are. I'll sand down and stain and see what happens. Unfortunately, there isn't another spot in the house that I can swap the wood with.
i refinished my oak floors that had some pet stains and water stains. some sanded off. for the persistent stains, i sanded down as much as i could without causing a divet. then i took some acrylic artists paints (from a local arts & crafts store) and mixed a few colors to attain some of the natural colors in the wood grain. with a small artist brush, carefully painted the stains enough so that you can't tell they are there. i didn't cover them completely, that would look too fake, just took them down so they weren't so dark and feathered the edges so they weren't obvious. i'm completely happy with the outcome.
Urine is very difficult to remove. Bleach, etc will not work that well. The best product to use is one you get from the pet store. What I've used in the past is called Petastic. The one I use is for cats which has a much stronger urine than dogs. It costs about $11 for a 32oz bottle, they have smaller ones too. The product has an enzyme that will eat the urine and completely remove it. It smells a little like ammonia when you spray it on but it works great, best stuff I've used.
To find a retailer in your area, try their website http://www.petastic.com