Thread: Please help - smelly Floors

Half lemons in a bucket of water and leave the window open overnight if you can

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Burning several candles works with newly painted rooms. Perhaps this is an option?

Welcome to the forum.

Buy a small bottle of Nil Odour and follow the instructions. Just a few drops will get rid of most smells and this stuff used to make by dirty stinking wet boots in my bush bashing days enduro type riding smell just about new.

I am really curious. I have used Timbermate filler (in small quantities in furniture etc.) for many many years. I have never detected an objectionable smell from it. I know nothing about your water-based finish apart from what the blurb says and the extremely generic MSDS gives no real clues.

However, working logically from first principles, normally one would not smell a filler under such a supposedly hard and durable seal coat finish, but one would smell the finish itself.

Have you tried contacting the manufacturer/distributor of the finish itself? Maybe something was wrong with it? Have you talked to Timbermate?

If all else fails I would sand it off and try another finish, but I very much doubt the problem is the filler because it is sealed over.

As said above once the sealer coat is down this should be what you should be smelling not the putty. I would also think that after two weeks the smell should pretty much be gone.

The VOC's in flooring sealers can hang around for quite a while, it just needs time to vent.

i can't see how the putty would smell through a coat of flooring sealer, it took 4 weeks for the smell to leave my workshop after having the floors expoyed, and then 2 coats of poly on top.

Time and ventilation is most likely the answer.

Originally Posted by Xanthorrhoeas

I am really curious. I have used Timbermate filler (in small quantities in furniture etc.) for many many years. I have never detected an objectionable smell from it. I know nothing about your water-based finish apart from what the blurb says and the extremely generic MSDS gives no real clues.

However, working logically from first principles, normally one would not smell a filler under such a supposedly hard and durable seal coat finish, but one would smell the finish itself.

Have you tried contacting the manufacturer/distributor of the finish itself? Maybe something was wrong with it? Have you talked to Timbermate?

If all else fails I would sand it off and try another finish, but I very much doubt the problem is the filler because it is sealed over.

thanks everyone for replying.
I agree that you shouldn't smell the filler underneath a seal. I asked bona about it and they said that you could still smell putties through their sealer... I wasn't sure if he just said this to get rid if me constantly calling because it doesn't make sense. I called timbermate and they said maybe the filler wasn't dry when the sealer was put on, I think this is true. There are some holes, 5cm big and other bigger sections I think that wasn't dry. My husband has put the hairdryer on them as timbermate recommended but it's helped just half of them cure.
I also notice that there is a darker line of bona traffic next to the skirting boards that smells if you put your nose to it. Maybe it's harder for the air to get there? Not sure if this is creating the smell. I could ask my hubby to put the hairdryer on this too (can't do it myself bc of recent surgery).
Thanks again fir helping, really appreciate it.

What is the nature of the smell?

Originally Posted by rob streeper

What is the nature of the smell?

thankyou.
In one room it's like a raw wood smell combined with slightly sweet varnish smell or just a weak varnish smell.
in the other room it varies from an apple / vinegar type varnish smell to sweet varnish smell.
i know it's an odd explaination of smell, I'm a bit inexperienced to know exactly what product it could be.
I know there is a bit of residual ethanol/shellac on the bottom part of the skirting board, but it doesn't smell like ethanol.
If I get down on the floor I can smell the putty in places and then the floor varnish in other places like along the skirting board or odd boards.
thanks again

If you're smelling mostly volatiles from the finishes and repair compound the easiest solution is to simply leave the windows open until the smell dissipates. An alternative may be to use a mild wood-friendly soap like Murphy's oil-soap and scrub everything down.

Originally Posted by rob streeper

If you're smelling mostly volatiles from the finishes and repair compound the easiest solution is to simply leave the windows open until the smell dissipates. An alternative may be to use a mild wood-friendly soap like Murphy's oil-soap and scrub everything down.

Thanks Rob, really appreciate your advice. That makes sense.
Do you think with a bit of time the smell will go?

Wasn't sure if we needed to redo the floors or get prestained board (I was told you'd need to fix the smell underneath which is the problem). Not sure that these would work.

I will buy some of that soap and keep airing, sound advice

If you can smell the VOC's from the materials eventually they will all evaporate. The soap will help take away some of the more hydrophobic materials, plus it has a pleasant smell that will help mask those that are annoying you. A fan in the window directed outward will help too.