We are in the process of getting ready to finish our hardwood floors. When we removed the carpets, we discovered several large areas where there are black cat pee stains.
I googled this, and saw several people saying soak the floor in white vinegar, then soak again in peroxide and lay towels over it. Has anyone tried this, or have another method to try?
Also, the wood is still somewhat damp to the touch, where the stains are. Is this wood rotted out, or will the sealing process at the end take care of this?
I have never encountered this in hardwood floors, thanks.
Best to let the floor dry completely to judge how dark they are. I would never soak the floor with any liquid (esp bleach), as you can cause damage to the wood fibers. If you use anything, try a pet stain remover that says it is okay to use on hardwoods.
When the stains have turned black, that indicates that the acid in the urine has actually damaged the wood. There isn’t much that can be done without replacing the boards.
However - sanding the floors will lighten the stains somewhat, and if you are lucky - the stains have not reached far underneath the varnish. I just had floors done with a few dark spots and they aren’t nearly as noticeable after the floor was sanded. Some of the spots are barely visible, and one is darker, but thank goodness it was a small spot.
You can also stain the floors after sanding, which will hide the areas even better.
Don’t ever paint or varnish a damp surface. Put heaters and fans on it if you want to dry it up. The exception is porous exterior stucco on a really hot day. Then you can spray it down with water, let any excess water evaporate or soak in (happens pretty fast on a hot day), and paint it with water based paint.
If you have just pulled the carpet, they might be damp, but if the carpet has been up several days - there really shouldn’t be a reason for the spots to be damp.