Steav Ota

Steav Ota Log Cabin House Building.

Sweat Marks in StainI sanded the entire wood floor and applied stain. Problem is, it was 90 degrees in the room and I wa...
05/18/2026

Sweat Marks in Stain
I sanded the entire wood floor and applied stain. Problem is, it was 90 degrees in the room and I was pouring sweat. Towards the end my knees where soaked with sweat, so that’s where you see those dark blotches. I had no idea this would happen I wasn’t even considering it.

My question is, before I go the route of resending the entire room and hallway again, can I just tape around each affected board length, sand the boards affected, and re stain?

Before and after water popping. Unsure of next step…I sanded everything down with 60 grit and then 120 grit. After that,...
05/18/2026

Before and after water popping. Unsure of next step…
I sanded everything down with 60 grit and then 120 grit. After that, I dampened the wood to water pop it. Do you think I still need to stain it or would it be fine with just 3 coats of satin polyurethane? I’m not expecting it to be perfect, but I’m hoping I can get it looking pretty close.

Wood identificationHey,This isn't flooring, but I'm desperately trying to match this wood for a house restoration. Nearl...
05/18/2026

Wood identification
Hey,

This isn't flooring, but I'm desperately trying to match this wood for a house restoration. Nearly all the trim in the service areas and bedrooms is made out of this stuff.

One guy told me to replace it with oak. The oak in the living room looks nothing like this.

Likely dates to the mid 1880s in Buffalo NY. If I can't figure it out, I'll probably just Start researching the most appropriate wood for the location and date. I can't even figure out what the standard wood for that time was. Some say softwood and others say cheaper hardwoods were common in Buffalo.

Removing plastic from floorMy son tripped and his plastic shin guards left this mark on our floor. Any advice for removi...
05/18/2026

Removing plastic from floor
My son tripped and his plastic shin guards left this mark on our floor. Any advice for removing? I made the mistake of using a magic eraser in the past so am eager to crowd source advice first this time :)

Thanks all.

Flooring installed on mastic.So I’m in the middle of a flooring nightmare and could use some advice from this knowledgea...
05/18/2026

Flooring installed on mastic.
So I’m in the middle of a flooring nightmare and could use some advice from this knowledgeable community. We had engineered hardwood glued down to our concrete slab. But it looks like our contractor made some crucial errors. He didn’t prep the subfloor. He glued on top of old mastic. He also didn’t clean the wood after install and there is dried glue everywhere. We hired a certified inspector to come evaluate the work. There is also some potential asbestos issues when they were ripping out the old floor and when they were doing some repairs to areas that were hollow or had movement. The inspector is saying that a full rip out is required. What action can I take about the asbestos issues and him not stopping work when they noticed the mastic. We were living in the home during demo and part of construction. We ultimately moved out until worked was finished because my daughter was having respiratory issues. Can I sue him for damages to our home and health by working with that mastic materiel?

How to fix?I was sweeping tonight and noticed what looked like wet spots. Took dry paper towel to wipe up and it looks l...
05/18/2026

How to fix?
I was sweeping tonight and noticed what looked like wet spots. Took dry paper towel to wipe up and it looks like the stain lifted. I think my toddler might have tracked resolve carpet cleaner onto it after I cleared a spill today nearby. What do I do to protect those spots? I know nothing about the floor or type of stain used.

It doesn’t have to be perfect just trying to protect from moisture.

I also posted in flooring .

Temporary solution ideasHouse is full of builder grade gray. I hate these floors in the kitchen and bathrooms. I’m think...
05/17/2026

Temporary solution ideas
House is full of builder grade gray. I hate these floors in the kitchen and bathrooms. I’m thinking peel and stick until we invest in a big kitchen remodel hopefully in the next couple years (remodel to open concept to brighten up split level, maybe extend existing hardwood flooring from dining and living room). Not even sure what to do about the bedroom and downstairs carpets yet. We’re an allergy prone family.

Looking for some advice (first home) m24I’ve recently bought a new home and I’m getting ready to install LVT flooring. T...
05/17/2026

Looking for some advice (first home) m24
I’ve recently bought a new home and I’m getting ready to install LVT flooring. The contractors have already laid flooring in the kitchen, but they used a self‑levelling compound that has spilled over onto the concrete floor in the living room.

plan was to have the same flooring throughout the kitchen and living room anyway, so the kitchen flooring was going to be removed. But now I’m unsure whether I need to self‑level the entire room or if I should remove the excess compound that has spilled over from the kitchen

Spots that keep reappearingI moved into my apartment last November and initially I was just generally mopping and there ...
05/17/2026

Spots that keep reappearing
I moved into my apartment last November and initially I was just generally mopping and there were more spots than what’s pictured but they never came up with mopping and I figured it was just part of the floor or from the previous tenant. One day I decided to get down there and use a magic eraser and butter knife and scraped/scrubbed all of the black spots off and got it all cleared up. But it’s May now and I’ve had to scrape/scrub them off 4 times now and they are reappearing again currently! It’s only in one specific area of my bathroom floor (it’s right in front of my sink/mirror) and I don’t use any products that would cause black spots. I don’t think mold would appear like this and they are kind of harder and stuck onto the floor. The floor isn’t wet and the sink isn’t leaking or anything. I’m in VT and did struggle with ants for a few days now that it’s getting nice out but this has been happening even during winter time. I haven’t seen any other evidence of other bugs. What on earth is appearing on my floor? I tried posting in r/whatisit but haven’t had any luck and these are driving me slightly nuts lol

Went to look at a job someone else fitted. Glue-down LVT and saw this mess. Dusty, damp and lumpy. What’s this subfloor ...
05/17/2026

Went to look at a job someone else fitted. Glue-down LVT and saw this mess. Dusty, damp and lumpy. What’s this subfloor they’ve gone over without screeding.

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