I only pop my floors if its stained maple or the darker stains on oak.
Water popping red oak floors.
It is especially recommended for those looking to do dark hardwood floors and go as dark as possible as the water pop will allow more stain to be absorbed and hence a darker color.
Water popping may not be necessary as oak accepts color pretty good.
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.
The drawbacks to doing a water pop are first and foremost it costs more.
Water popping is an added step in the finishing process.
It s where a thin even layer of misted water is applied to freshly sanded hardwood before the stain is applied.
The water popping process has a number of benefits.
It isn t a good idea to wet mop and if you do you should dry the floor immediately after mopping.
It darkens the stain color by allowing the grain to absorb more of the pigment.
It helps remove any small remaining sanding marks that may have been missed.
By raising the wood fibers.
This step is applied to hardwood flooring that is going to receive a stain.
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.