Mineral spirits not drying out of hardwood floor before finishing

Question

I just finished sanding and cleaning up the floors in my living room and dining room and the last step I did was to clean the whole floor with mineral spirits before applying the polyurethane. I realized as I was using the mineral spirits that I accidentally bought the biodegradeable kind that is white in appearance. It has been about 12 hours and most of the floor has dried out, but there are still patches where the mineral spirits is still leaving the wood looking wet.

Has any one else encountered this? Can I apply the polyurethane now even though there are some spots where it hasn't completely dried yet? Is this because it is the white biodegradable kind?

Any insights would be appreciated!

Answer 1

I would never put poly down on a surface that was uneven looking as this may magnify the uneven appearance. You may have saturated this area more than other areas, a fan might dry it out but remember the base of your floor is the starting point if it looks wrong now it will look worse with poly in my experiances, you want an even appearance for the entire floor, excess spirits may dilute the poly or cause it not to cure properly it sounds like you have done a good job with the prep work don't rush and you will have a better looking end product.