It's been paid for. They had said, oh just use Bona. So I tried to clean since we are moving in on Monday and that's when I figured out its glue. Most of the thicker glue spots came off but there are markings and a sheen left all over. And I mean EVERYWHERE. There isn't a plank without markings or glue. I'm just so pissed off.
Supposedly they are coming back out to clean it and use bostik's adhesive remover but I don't think this product is intended to be used everywhere. I tested it myself in a spot and it dulled the finish. I don't know what to do. This is awful.

We had that happen once and our sub would not come back out and clean the glue off. We tried everything trying to get the glue off without ruining the floor. We tried vinegar and water, goof off and several other things. We never got it all off. Needless to say he is no longer a sub. Good luck.

The company that installed the floor are the one's who are responsible for dealing with the residue. The homeowner should not be the one to tackle this. The home remedies can be worse than the original problem.

The professional company will come in, scrape and clean with the appropriate cleaners. If they cannot get the look of the floor to turn out properly, then they start discussing what is to be done. So long as they are the ONLY ONES to touch the floor (they are the only one's to attempt a 'fix'), then they are responsible for the problems with the install and the subsequent attempt to fix.

I know you wanted to get 'er done...but it has muddied the waters at this point. You may have unwittingly transferred the responsibility to yourself. I'm hoping I'm wrong, but shady dealers will simply point the finger at your attempt and say, "Nope. That wasn't us. It was your cleaning that did it."

I really hope this isn't the case. I hope they stand up and take responsibility for the first issue = too much glue.

Shall we assume these floors are factory finished? Are they solid or engineered? If engineered, do they have the ability to be sanded/refinished?

The good news, I didn't clean everywhere. There was no way. I stopped because it wasn't cleaning it. I won't let them transfer responsibility to me.

They are engineered and over its lifetime they can be refinished twice. So it's pointless to have them refinish. They will have to replace it with new flooring.

If the glue does not come off successfully and the floors can be refinished, then you may want to consider doing that as a way to get the issue resolved.

What a pain. Either way. I'm not going to have it refinished. We have an 11 month old and living through a refinishing will not work for us. I just hope they can fix the damage

The guys are at the house cleaning with Bostik ultimate adhesive remover. Hope it works.

Curious if you had a good outcome with this issue? We are going through the same thing now and it’s hugely disappointing.

The same happened to me just now. They told me to clean with Bona. I did it and did not work. They tried to remove with a product, and it only became oily stains...some places the glue did not come off even with the remover...they told me that they will be back to use something to do a "finish"....I am crossing my fingers. I wonder if "inspirationdreamhomes" resolved their problem.

Just had hard wood flooring installed and what a nightmare! Glue spots everywhere...one place even has a hand print on it! I'm mortified that this could be the industry standard. I was told to use only Bruce for hardwood floors and noticed the spots were not coming out. I tried mineral spirits on a few spots, to no avail. Additionally, they used some type of caulk where the tile and wood meets and some how managed to spread it all over the tile. I've been working for an hour trying to clean that mess up. The more I clean, the more I find. I'm livid!

Did they successfully clean and remove the glue? What was the outcome?

Same issue with me. I recently installed engineered hardwood and I have glue stains on almost every plank. Some areas don’t feel like adhesive, but rather a shadow that can be seen in particular angles with lighting. I can’t stand it! Mineral spirits are not working..

Hi, I didn’t see all of these comments until today! The issue wasn’t resolved. With time it has become less noticeable. I had a different hardwood installer come out and take a look and he said there wasn’t much we could do. Lesson learned - pay more for the contractor with experience working with the type of wood you want installed

I feel all of your frustration! I’d love to hear if your issues were resolved?

My issue seem to have resolved itself. I did lot’s of scrubbing with bostik wipes and at first it created this awful shine that seemed to make the problem worse (As Luko Po above described) but that greasy residue wore off after several weeks and all seemed ok. I still think the contractor that came to clean up initially damaged the floors somewhat but that’s another issue.

In case this helps anyone, I am using Norwex cleaning cloths (no other brand works the same) and with a vinegar/water solution, patience and ’elbow grease’ the glue is coming off. One plank at a time. I will be at this for a while so I am working in sections as I have time. It is not the first time I have had to do this on newly installed floors. Yes, the lack of quality work is disappointing. But at least the floors look beautiful when the glue is off!

We have the same issue - brand new house - builder is nasty and some of contractors are awful such as the engineered hardwood floor - and oh yes, the tile installer left a lovely residue of grout - he just did a onece over and left residue of grout - that is equivalent of getting dried cement off - impossible. Back to the hardwood floor. This will take time but try babay oil on the glue - let is sit for a few minutes to soften the glue then either use your finger nails or something like a credit card and work the glue off. Wipe up the baby oil with a clean cloth or paper towel and go over the area with sprayed on Bona, I use an old wash cloth to clean. I tried other methods - for me, this worked the best . Tedious and time consuming - do a few areas at a time otherwise you will be overwhelmed as I still am, months after moving in. good Luck!!!

Same issue in new house and we were pissed Glue hazy residue (with boot amd show prints) over entire wood floor laid in whole house SOLUTION: Magic eraser broom removes the glue and residue and makes floor like like new, like it should have looked

Hi Troy was that just a mr.clean magic eraser? Or a specific broom? was it fairly east to get out? what was your method? thanks.

I am not familiar with Magic Eraser brooms, but a word of warning about magic eraser products in general. They are great for some things, but you can seriously damage some products with them. Take the time to do some research before using. Magic Erasers are essentially a high grit sandpaper type product. There are photos and threads here on Houzz that show unbelievable damage when used on wood products.

So, we just had same problem....they used acetone to remove the "glue" but they used it all over. Seems like a cloudy haze. Bona did not remove. Which product worked?

Honestly - time. After a few months the haze went away. Which was quite a relief.

Nwf1234 - sorry this happened to your floors also! It’s frustrating. time made it less noticeable and once our furniture was in and we were living there it didn’t bother me. Fast forward to today and we moved out of that house and I can’t tell at all :)

we have same issue, not so sure what clean product can be use to remove the reidue of glue left on the floor ( not further damage the floor as well )

I just learned our new hardwood floor ghosting spots maybe due to the installation glue being left on the surface of the planks too long. I’m told this could cause the aluminum oxide protective shield to be removed from the wood planks leaving me with an eternal dirty looking floor. I didn’t know this could happen. I’m waiting to hear from the company where I purchased the flooring and installation. Yes, I paid them already because I thought the floor just needed cleaning. Hoping they stand behind their work.

Thanks to all of you who shared your flooring experiences.

We also have the same problem. New construction home and floors were uncovered this week. The haze is everywhere. Literally. We are upset. Thousands of dollars. We feel let down and taken advantage of by our contractor. Recommendations? Advice?

For what it’s worth, I was really upset and dressed about our issue too when it occurred but over time, the haze went away

Same problem here. The installers made a half attempt at cleaing it all up, but failed miserably. My wife tried, acetone, mineral spirits, a few choice words and nothing helped - UNTIL - she tried a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. That took time and elbow grease, but worked and the floors look great now. Like any other suggestions, it is worth a try!

Magic eraser here too! I can't believe I have been at this for days. I tried putting a magic eraser under a car buffer, but it doesn't spin enough, and it makes my hands swollen from the vibration.

Okay to the person who recommended Norwex cleaning cloths a couple years ago in this thread, you are a king /queen! I ordered some cheaper generic versions of this type of cloth on Amazon and they removed all of my adhesive marks. Just dampen the cloth with warm water, rub and each mark is gone. My installers left a ton of glue marks everywhere, I had them come back to clean. They spent a couple hours scrubbing w/ rags and adhesive remover....which worked, but i can tell that stuff wasn't great for my varnish, and regret now using. The Norwex (or similar generic brand) cloth does the exact same thing yet protects your floor and you don't have to deal w fumes. So for everyone w/ this problem, pls try this, you'll see!

That is so great to hear, Jordan!!

-Dawn

similar dilemma, however the glue is in the grooves of the wood, not the surface. I tried using some dawn and a soft toothbrush, but it started to affect the finish. The installer clearly used Bona, but couldn't get the stuff off in places. I'll try some acetone or vinegar in some indiscreet place. fingers crossed.

Acetone will destroy the finish. If you choose to use it, all pilot lights need to be off if you have gas and all electronics unplugged with lights off as it is very flammable/explosive.

Same issue with the glue ingrained.. using my finger nails after softening with Bona but worried I’ll end up ruining the planks

I have the same problem. i just tired magic eraser but its not working on the etched marks. should majoc eraser be used along with bostik or some such cleaner?

Think hard before using a magic eraser and certainly test in inconspicuous place first. They are essentially like a sanding sponge.