sticky engineered wood floor

8 years ago

I have a big a section (about 100sq ft) of my engineered floor very sticky. When I walk over it I can feel the stickiness and with shoes, you can hear that sticky sound. I called for professional cleaners, and they thought it is not grime or dirt, but damaged wood. They couldn't get the sticky stuff out said some wax layer (if there is anything like that on an engineered wood) gone bad! Any advice?

I am not sure if engineered floors can be resurfaced like wood floors? Appreciate an

Featured Answer

SJ McCarthy

8 years ago

Ohhhhh dear. Murphy's Oil Soap STRIKES AGAIN!

Your cleaning product has caused this to happen. Murphy's Oil Soap WILL CAUSE finish issues. It is a class action lawsuit waiting to happen.

Please THROW OUT your Murphy's Oil! Now go ahead and contact a professional wood flooring company to come out and give you an estimate as to how much it will cost to have the MURPHY'S OIL residue removed from your floor (screening the floor).

In essence, you have poured sticky oil-soap onto your floor for almost a decade. Regardless of the existing urine stains, the Murphy's Oil has caused a problem that wasn't there when you purchased the house.

Some engineered floors ARE ALLOWED to be refinished. But Murphy's Oil (9 years of it) will most likely KILL any chance of a sand and refinish.

I'm sorry but you may have ruined your wood floor with a product that is not supposed to be used on poly/urethane finishes.

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Comments (7)

User
8 years ago
What is ylur cleaning my r homemade? Products used? Frequency?
SJ McCarthy
8 years ago
Would this HAPPEN to be around the kitchen????

Oil (cooking oils) will grab onto a surface and turn sticky over time. Soap cleaners will turn sticky over time. Rug backings (the WRONG ones) will turn STICKY over time.

How long have you lived there? Was it sticky when you moved in/laid the floor? What do you use to clean the product?

Is this in DIRECT sunlight? Do you have kids (furred or human)?

Do you have PHOTOS?
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Dina Sula
Original Author
8 years ago
I think I have typically mostly used Murphy wood cleaner. I have lived here for about 9 years now. It wasn't sticky when I moved in, but I know the previous owners had dogs so I do see some urine spots (blackened areas ) in the same area where it is sticky. It is not far from the kitchen, but the high traffic area which is closer to the kitchen is not sticky.
graywings123
8 years ago
It sounds like whatever you have used to clean the floor has interacted negatively with the floor finish. If it were my house, I would pour some paint thinner on a rag and wipe an inconspicuous area to see if it could be wiped away. Rub lightly because the paint thinner is going to remove some of the polyurethane finish from the floor.
HU-55496308281
5 years ago
So I also have a section of engineered hardwood flooring that is sticky and it is by the kitchen table and a window. I have never used any kind of cleaner other than dust mop and damp rag on occasion for spots. Any thoughts? The flooring is 18 years old
SJ McCarthy
5 years ago
You have old oily 'stuff' on it. When cooking oils fly into the air (remember how sticky it feels around the cook top?) it lands and then starts collecting 'dust'. Oil + dust = sticky.

Go ahead and clean that area with Windex Original. Do a small test spot to make sure you are not removing the finish itself. You should be able to squirt a small spot (1ft x 1ft) and let it sit for 30 seconds. Wipe it up with a cotton rag. You should see some yellowish brown goo on the rag. The floor FINISH should STILL BE intact. The yellowish goo is going to be the dirt/oil, etc

So long as the finish stays intact (it will start to look 'thinner' or there will be a colour change....that's a BAD thing. Stop cleaning.) you can clean that area until the cotton cloth NO LONGER pulls up goo. Move to the next spot until you have finished the cleaning.