Generally you would do a water pop on an oak floor when you are staining it.
Water popping red oak floors.
By raising the wood fibers.
I don t have extensive use with oil penetrating finishes a couple a year but i have yet had to pop it to achieve the color.
This step is applied to hardwood flooring that is going to receive a stain.
Benefits of water popping it allows the stain to be applied more evenly across the floor it raises the wood fibers so the stain goes deep into the wood for a nice finish it helps create a professional look and feel without any sanding marks it makes the color stand out.
It allows the stain to be applied more evenly across the floor.
Water can damage red oak and walnut flooring no matter how tough a finish it has.
The drawbacks to doing a water pop are first and foremost it costs more.
It helps remove any small remaining sanding marks that may have been missed.
Water popping is an added step in the finishing process.
It isn t a good idea to wet mop and if you do you should dry the floor immediately after mopping.
I only pop my floors if its stained maple or the darker stains on oak.
It s where a thin even layer of misted water is applied to freshly sanded hardwood before the stain is applied.
It darkens the stain color by allowing the grain to absorb more of the pigment.