help-cleaning up spilled stain on hardwood floors

[thsb]

I was trying to fill some gaps in our hardwood floors and ended up having to do some sanding (should have just decided the gaps weren't that big a deal), so then needed to stain the spots i sanded to match the rest of the floor. Bought a small can of Minwax natural and was using a brush directly out of the can when i dropped the whole darn can on the floor. Tried to get it all up but had to spread some of it out trying to make it all blend in. It looks fine but the floor is sticky. will that go away? if not, any ideas on what to do? It has been drying for about 9 hours.

i thought the whole thing was funny in a ridiculous way, other members of my household don't necessarily see it that way ;-).

thanks in advance.
tim

 

[scsmith42]

Tim, try wiping down the sticky area with a rag wetted with mineral spirits.

 

[Jeff]

Tsk, tsk, shame on you! :wink_smil

The stickiness is probably due to the residual solvent and the fact that you have a ton of stain on the floor. That may be compounded by the fact that the surrounding areas are "finished" with something so there's no penetration into the wood other than the sanded areas.

You might try wiping it down with some MS and plenty of elbow grease. Failing that you could use a mildly abrasive synthetic pad with some MS in small areas followed immediately by the wipe down with lots of shop rags. I don't know how it'll work to "feather in" the transitional areas so it will look like a seamless job.

For safety, put all rags and materials in a bucket of water stored outside.

 

[thsb]

thanks to both Scott and Jeff-i jumped right on the MS after Scott's email and because i had spread it out so thinly it seems to have worked.

yes, i don't think i will do this kind of work at midnight, after a friend's engagement party, any more.....