Oak hardwood flooring a mess 6 months after being sanded

[holymalones]

We had our floor sanded and stained 6 months ago by a professional company. I was very impressed at the time they did a great floor and our floor looked lovely when it was first done. We have pads on every single piece of furniture and have no pets. We do have a 2 year old but apart from playing normally with his toys (which he mainly does on the rug in the middle of the room) it's an absolute mess. Scratches as soon as you look at it. There barely a spot that isn't scratched. I'd happily get rid of it and get laminate but DP won't agree. It's a big room and already have a large rug but it still leaves a lot of the room uncovered. Couldn't get a larger one to fit the layout of the room.

I'm sick of looking at it, you wouldn't believe it was only done 6 months ago. I clean it at least twice a week with Bona wood floor cleaner. Is there anything we can do to get the scratches off without having to get rid or sand the full thing this soon after having it done?

What is causing the scratches though, do you wear shoes inside?

No never any shoes inside, always take them off at the door. Apart from general living nothing makes sense as to the amount of wear there is already. It seems to just scratch ridiculously easy. It's hard to pick up on camera but here is an example. Also I wiped a bit of pen off the floor which has made these smudges, it was just a damp cloth but you can see these smudges as soon as you walk in the door and if anyone knows how I can make them less obvious I'd love to know. You'd think the floor was 15+ years.

Have you tried a bit of spray wax and buffing it by hand? Those don't look like very deep scratches. Your floor is brand new and cannot possibly remain perfect forever. You will gradually get used to it!

Is it a stain or a varnish? If varnish , is it acrylic (water based)? Acrylic varnishes aren't as tough as old fashioned solvent based ones. But they can be refinished more easily. Have you talked to the company who did the job ? Maybe have them come back and look at it.

DP did try some sort of wax on it a little while back but didn't seem to make a great deal of difference and made the floor super slippy. Is there a specific type you would recommend? DS moved one of his boxes out the cupboard earlier and I've just noticed it's left a huge long scratch so that's another one. The box didn't have a rough bottom and wasn't scratchy so didn't expect that, it just seems to scratch ridiculously easily and even things like pushing his toys cars around seems to make damage and he's 2 so it isn't fair to stop him playing in his own home. Not sure if this is typical of this style of floor but it's driving me crazy. Think I might email the guy who done it next week and see if there's anything he can suggest.

I think it was Bona Wave 2K clear waterborne
polyurethane finish lacquer used to finish it.

Looks like the scratches are just on the surface ( not deep in the wood ) and i would say whatever product they have finished it in marks/ scratches really easy. Some wooden floor finishes can be quite “soft”. I used yacht varnish on our last hardwood floor and didn’t need to touch it in 15 years.

Looks like a scratch in the varnish, not the wood. Maybe poss8ble to buff them out and revarnish in something more hard-wearing?

Sandpits. My floors were trashed by sand from sand pits at nursery/park/playgroup not one in our house, but every trouser turn up/pair of socks/ cuff seems to have sand in it.

How many coats did he put on the floor. From what I've read, you need 1 or 2 coat of sealant and at least 2 coats of the finish - maybe a 3rd for high traffic areas.

From the manufacturer:

"To be applied in a 3 coat system | 1 primer & 2 lacquers or 3 coats of floor lacquer"

I agree they don't seem very deep. The light shines from our French doors and really highlights them all and means you can see the moment you walk in the front door (living room at the back of the house) If you stand facing away from the French doors they aren't quite as noticeable. I have some hope now that this could be something rectified, do you think the smudges I have added a photo of could be rectified alongside the scratches too?

They look like scratches in the varnish, not in the wood. It looks like a soft, water based varnish was used that wasn't suitable for floors.

Me and my db stripped and sanded the floor boards in our house ( god that was a dusty job ! ) then used yacht varnish. That stuff is as tough as nails but it stinks to high heaven.

@holymalones if you go for this option please get someone else to look after your dc during the day and if at all possible stay with friends/ hotel for at least the first night . Also be aware it takes longer to dry than water based paint so try to plan to be out all the next day too.
I walked on ours when it was dry to the touch and left a boot print on it .
But once its done as pp said it will last uou years and put up with loads of mistreatment.

Could those scratches come from a vacuum cleaner head?