Asked on Nov 27, 2014

How do I get a large urine stain out of a polyurethane coated hardwood

Sheri
by Sheri
This was under a plastic tub in my living room and apparently fido liked to pick his leg up on it! Help!
Ugly!
  19 answers
  • Leagle Middletown OH Leagle Middletown OH on Nov 28, 2014
    I need to know too
  • Peggy Peggy on Nov 28, 2014
    I am in the process of remodeling and also now have hard wood polyurethaned floors and a stubborn 8 yr old Chihuahua . I'm very interested too
  • Linda Linda on Nov 28, 2014
    no easy fix here, if you can't sand it out , you will need to stain the floor a darker shade
  • Lisa Kaplan Gordon Lisa Kaplan Gordon on Nov 28, 2014
    Try this: Scrub with soapy water, then lay three layers of paper towels over spot weighted down with something heavy. In a day, take a look and see if some of the stain is coming out on the towel. If so, repeat until the stain is out. If not, you'll have to sand and restain.
  • Tegma Tegma on Nov 28, 2014
    No doubt the stain has moisture under the poly. I don't know if this will work, but it does on furniture with water stains. Use a blow dryer holding it over a small area, and work it a little at a time. If not, the wood will need sanded and redone, but I wouldn't do the whole floor darker because of one spot. Another tho't is.... Is it possible to match the wood with a few new pieces? If so, and nothing else works, you could just cut out that small area, and put in new wood flooring.
  • Tegma Tegma on Nov 28, 2014
    Oh, to replace that part of the flooring, watch HGTV as it's done on so many of their shows. You might even find how to do it, on You Tube. Of course, the pieces have to be aligned like the present ones are so that you don't have a seam when there shouldn't be one. However, try the hair dryer first. I had a table with a bowl size water mark on it, and it was on there for years under a mirrored runner. I found out about using the hair dryer or a heat gun, and sure enough, it's gone. You hold it in one spot for a few minutes, and then move on as the moisture underneath the poly disappears. I'd try that before the sanding method, or replacing the wood.
  • Kris Wunderlich Kris Wunderlich on Nov 28, 2014
    Hydrogen peroxide pour on soak wipe off and repeat until it is gone
  • Sheri Sheri on Nov 28, 2014
    Thank you Kris... I will try that!
  • Mandy Mandy on Nov 28, 2014
    Try white vinegar. It works
  • Mandy Mandy on Nov 28, 2014
    Vinegar should lift the stain without bleaching the wood like peroxide might do.
  • Marion Nesbitt Marion Nesbitt on Nov 29, 2014
    Try the simpler solutions first. If that doesn't work, just sand the area. If it is still dark after that you could use something that will bleach the darkness. Clean well, and repoly. (If it gets too light, you can buy a small can of stain to make it match the rest of the floor - just paint it on, and add another coat of poly.) Did this with stains on my floors although they weren't from pet urine..
  • Kim Lewis-carmichael Kim Lewis-carmichael on Dec 07, 2014
    Has anyone found anything that works yet?
  • Bonnie Bonnie on Dec 08, 2014
    In the photo, your wood doesn't look to be finished with polyurethane, so using peroxide is a possible solution. Start with the homecare solution we get that is only 3%, it is not as strong as commercial strength, so the chance of bleaching is slim. If the stain doesn't come up, you can go to a hardware store and purchase a stronger concentration of peroxide. But be sure to wear gloves if you use it because it will burn your skin full strength. Sanding is the only other option, as the urine will have seeped into the wood and between the seams.
  • O Remi Abubakar O Remi Abubakar on Dec 20, 2014
    Sand and restain
  • Sherrie Sherrie on Dec 20, 2014
    O Remi Abubamar gave you the right advise. You can do the spot only. The color might be a tad off from the rest of the color but doable. Using vinegar on a sealer already damaged will damage it further.
  • Jody Jody on Oct 24, 2016
    Acetone, sand, refinish. Really should do the whole floor or an area separate from the rest of a continuous floor ... Good luck!
  • Hughes Dylan Hughes Dylan on Dec 27, 2018

    Sheri, I have two chihuahuas and a cat. Most of my home has hardwood floors. Pet urine leaves black stains on hardwood if left for even a very short time. Due to lots of cleaning, my floors have little of the waterproof seal left on them.


    Although trained, my pets would overshoot the puppy pads, or refuse to go outside during inclement weather. Somewhere I had heard that baking soda might be effective at lessening stains. The trick is to clean and dry the wet area, once discovered, then put dry soda down afterwards.


    It is amazing how effective it is at stopping stains from darkening. I think that it isn't a good idea to actually use it wet, it seems to remove moisture and neutralize compounds in the urine. Its pretty amazing, easy to sweep up dry, and no odor remains after use.

    • Sara Hanson Charvat Sara Hanson Charvat on Jan 06, 2020

      Hey, thank you for a new idea. Just to be clear:


      1. clean and dry urine soiled area
      2. sprinkle dry baking soda over area
      3. wait


      Is that it? How long to wait?


      Thanks so very much,

      Sara, Redneck Riviera, Texas

  • Frank Frank on Mar 10, 2020

    No easy fix, for deep stains. I sand the affected area then apply bleach ,allow it to dry using a fan then use peroxide. Use a fine sandpaper in between applications. It’s not full proof because the wood it not only stained by urine it starts to break down. If successful you will be able to polyurethane the wood to its natural color if not it will at least be much lighter and you can apply a stain which will hide the variations of color then put a top coat of poly.

  • Marsha henson Marsha henson on Jun 09, 2022

    i just now was shown under an area rug where the kids kept letting the cats inside without me knowing a much darker stain 😩 and it appears to have been there awhile.

    i am glad to read I can spot sand instead of the entire floor bc it is a HUGE room. I am heartbroken bc these floors are beautiful.


    Q- can I sand it with a hand sander instead of those big push sanders AND what number of sand paper should I get???????? BTW, wide board/poplar/polyurethane seal flooring.

    Thanks in advance! 🌸