Project Hardwood: Day 3 and Beyond

Ok, so I realize that I haven't posted an update in quite some time.  I have been a very busy bee at the house.  Here are the updates on the hardwoods and more.

I applied the finish, Minwax Super Fast Dry Gloss Poly for Floor, with a lambs wool cloth seen below.  All seemed well during application. 

Lambs wool cloth used for applying finish.  I didn't take a photo of it while on the pole.  This piece gets attached to a rectangle piece of wood (think a mop head) and then attached to a pole for application.

Look good from afar.

But, the floors bubbled.  This is not good.

My floors bubbled.  Boo. So, I went into Home Depot and spoke with the flooring guy as well as the pro desk people.  They offered a reason that the bubbles formed and told me that this is fairly commonplace.  I wish that someone would have warned me about this sooner if it was so common.  They said that the wood is just breathing and the bubbles could be removed by resanding the top coat with fine grit 220 sandpaper.  So, I picked up a bundle of sandpaper and decided to use my trusty black and decker palm sander to do the job.

Sanding down the finish to see if I can get rid of the bubbles.

I waited until the next day when I knew the floors should be dry.  I tested out the bay window area to see how it would work.  I palm sanded my little heart out and reapplied the finish.  It looked ok.  I also made the decision that it would take ages to sand the floors by hand and decided to go and pick up my friend, The Beast.  My 120lb trusty orbital sander. 

I picked her up and got to work.  Each set of sandpaper was $10.  I went through 3 on the first room alone.  Grrr. It took me a few hours but eventually sanded down the entire area and then spot sanded away any additional bubble areas that I missed with The Beast.  I then said a little prayer to the Saints of the Hardwood Floors and reapplied another not cheap bucket of Minwax poly.  I waited.  Then went home to sleep. 

It bubbled again.  Not as bad, but enough to drive me crazy. 

I went back to Home Depot and this time they said that it bubbled due to humidity and that I should wait to resand and refinish until the 90 degree humid weather breaks and set up a dehumidifier while applying the finish.  So, my date with The Beast will come again soon, but for now I am in a holding pattern with the floors. 

If anyone has any experience with floor bubbles, I would love some advice.  The Beast can only take so much abuse from me.