White Residue on Solid Wood Floor

[bigalxyz]

I have a dark solid wood floor in my hallway. Recently I've had to do a bit of filling and sanding of the walls and ceiling in the hallway, and unfortunately, despite my best efforts, some of the very fine plaster dust has got into the grain in the wood floor, leaving a white "bloom" in certain sections.

I can't seem to shift this. Water, methylated spirit and white spirit don't seem to work. I did try a bit of dark wood dye in a concealed area but the dye just ran off - it didn't "take".

Can anyone suggest how best to deal with this (without damaging the surface of the wood) please?

Thanks,
Alan.

 

[vinn]

Pics would help.
Has the floor been waxed or otherwise finished?
Was the floor surface "bloom" fee before the plastering - are you certain?

 

[bigalxyz]

Whoops...sorry, very slow reply.

The floor was laid about a year ago. Brand new stuff from Homebase. I haven't waxed it or given it any other treatment since then.

When I first laid the floor it looked immaculate - none of the white bloom at all. A lot of it still does look like that. Other areas are affected though. They do correspond to the areas where the plaster dust fell, but I'm not sure if it's the plaster itself that's responsible, or if the things I've tried to clean it with (white spirit/meths) have somehow damaged the surface finish.

The white stuff is only in the fine grained areas, in the grains. On parts of the wood that are smooth, it still looks clean.

I've tried to stain it with a bit of dark coloured Colron wood dye (on a small test area) but it just doesn't work - the colour doesn't "take".

Photo attached if that helps.

Thanks.
Alan.

 

[vinn]

Presuming that you've used a small scrubber and soap and water then its desperate measures using say an orbital sander with a fine paper, & then finish patching as good as possible.

If its in an area of traffic then leave it to time and usage to blend in but dont use any more harsh chemicals.

 

[bigalxyz]

Thank you.

I'm trying some white (distilled) vinegar following some stuff I read on Mumsnet (I think) about vinegar being good for cleaning up plaster dust. I think it might be working...slowly...might need a few "goings over" (the grain is very fine so getting a brush into them isn't easy). We shall see...

 

[pilsbury]

Have you tried a toothbrush?