Will filler on hardwood floors be less visible over time?

[mccarthyelaine7]

Hello,

We had our floors sanded and varnished this week. It was finished yesterday but it appears that the filler they used to cover the nails and holes from the staples (from old carpet) is showing up quite prominently. 

Is this normal? Do you think this wil change over time? You can't unsee it once you see it and we would prefer it wasn't so prominent. Do you know if there is a way to change this?

For reference I've uploaded a screenshot of what they used on the floors too. 

Appreciate any insights. 

Thanks,

Elaine

 

  

 

 

[EricL]

Hello @mccarthyelaine7 

Thanks for sharing your question about your wooden flooring. I suspect that the trades person doing the filling has possibly missed a step. Generally speaking, timber fillers are usually mixed in with the sanding residue to give it the colour of the timber floor making the filler blend in flawlessly. If there was a way to tint the surface of the filler the varnished surface would need to be taken off otherwise the tint won't be absorbed properly. Another issue would be colour tint matching, getting an exact match would be extremely difficult and all you could possibly do would be to get a close match.

The only other option that comes to mind would be to dig out the fillers and reapply it with the proper colour tint. I propose speaking to the company that renovated your floor and discussing with them your concerns in regards to the filler used. 

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Dave-1]

Good Evening @mccarthyelaine7 

😕 Frustrating. I would be having a chat with your sander and sealer to see if they will fix it. It will be problematic to fix as the steps @EricL has outlined will have to be followed through. I have slightly different colouring for the nail holes and over time I dont see them anymore. Thats not an excuse but hopefully helps your thoughts. Discussing it with the company will give you the best option for getting something sorted.

I just realised that the description dosnt specify the colouring of the fill :/, the crew that did mine added more to the price for the matching of the loungeroom as they said matching and filling was time consuming. This was a decade ago tho.

Dave