# stain not drying



## wayne3434 (Feb 11, 2007)

its been 24 hrs and the stain on hardwood hasnt dried its sticky but if u walk on it u leave a footprint not familiaR WITH FLOORING SO NOT SURE WHAT TO DO?


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## MALCO.New.York (Feb 27, 2008)

wayne3434 said:


> its been 24 hrs and the stain on hardwood hasnt dried its sticky but if u walk on it u leave a footprint not familiaR WITH FLOORING SO NOT SURE WHAT TO DO?


Wait a bit longer???? Ventilate better???? Manage Temperature????


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## Snow Man (Aug 18, 2008)

wayne3434 said:


> its been 24 hrs and the stain on hardwood hasnt dried its sticky but if u walk on it u leave a footprint not familiaR WITH FLOORING SO NOT SURE WHAT TO DO?



Did you stir it ?


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## MALCO.New.York (Feb 27, 2008)

Snow Man said:


> Did you stir it ?


That CERTAINLY could have a lot to do with it!!!


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## gideond (May 17, 2007)

What kind of stain? Did you leave it on the surface when it called for being wiped off after application?


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## wayne3434 (Feb 11, 2007)

i did stir it but i didnt wipe it down and i should have i never do floors always sub them out but it was small section in my house so decided to do it myself. now that it is dry i was going to give it light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper then 2 coats of poly does that sound right?


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## Ron6519 (Jan 26, 2006)

wayne3434 said:


> i did stir it but i didnt wipe it down and i should have i never do floors always sub them out but it was small section in my house so decided to do it myself. now that it is dry i was going to give it light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper then 2 coats of poly does that sound right?


You put too much stain on the floor. Take some thinner and remove the stain. If it's too light afterwards, apply another coat. Let it soak in for 10-15 minutes and wipe off the excess with a cotton rag. An old undershirt works well.
Ron


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## MALCO.New.York (Feb 27, 2008)

wayne3434 said:


> i did stir it but i didnt wipe it down and i should have i never do floors always sub them out but it was small section in my house so decided to do it myself. now that it is dry i was going to give it light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper then 2 coats of poly does that sound right?



I would like to bet that it may be "Dry" but NOT YET "Cured". There are reasons for the wipe down.

The sanding will take it down to a better state, but it may require a second PROPER application to make it "Right".

I do not really know. I only have done this once and it was 25 years ago.


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## jamestrd (Oct 26, 2008)

Let me guess?

Minwax stain?

Bought it at HD or something?
Minwaxs new 350 VOC formula takes too long to dry because too many solids..
you need the old formula, which is packaged in quarts only..250 VOC I belive it is..never buy the gallon cans..you will wait 2 days at least for it to dry especially if you havent wiped excess..

conditions underneath the flooring can have a bearing too, say unfinished basement with heavy humidity/moisture..

but i sense it was new minwax..

Your VOCs laws are as stirngent as here in NJ,so you probably have these products on the shelves..
buy quarts instead of gallons.


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## wayne3434 (Feb 11, 2007)

thats exactly what i used its dry now should i use the thinner to remove or would i b ok sanding it lightly then just applying couple coats of poly?


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## jamestrd (Oct 26, 2008)

if its dry and looks good, you dont need to do anything but start coating..vacuum first..

if it looks uneven, cant give you the fix without seeing it, but most likely, need to sand the area again and re stain it..whole floor shouldnt require another coat and will take even longer to dry...the new stains seal up the wood very well, so it will just lay there...


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## wayne3434 (Feb 11, 2007)

sounds good thanks for all your help will let u know it turns out


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## Floordude (Aug 30, 2007)

Stain is not a coating. Too much and left there can cause finish adhesion problems.


Shouldn't this thread be in the DIY forum?


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## MALCO.New.York (Feb 27, 2008)

Floordude said:


> Stain is not a coating. Too much and left there can cause finish adhesion problems.
> 
> 
> Shouldn't this thread be in the DIY forum?


Upon viewing his post History...............I COULD NOT agree more!!


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## lawndart (Dec 3, 2006)

wayne3434 said:


> i did stir it but i didnt wipe it down and i should have i never do floors always sub them out but it was small section in my house so decided to do it myself. now that it is dry i was going to give it light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper then 2 coats of poly does that sound right?


I've seen this about a dozen times this year alone. Will the guys at HD please tell these DIY'ers to wipe off the stain lol. Matter of fact, I do believe it tells you this on the back of the can. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS NEXT TIME!!!! lol gotta love the noobs. next time call a professional.


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