Henna Damaged Wood Floor Problem

Tattoos applied to right and left ankles while sitting
on the edge of this bed.

F.H. from Minneapolis writes regarding a henna damaged wood floor: "Some henna was spilled on the floor during a teenager's tatooing operation. On the floor it doesn't look so good, although it seems to be quite similar to a tatoo--I hope it's not as hard to remove!"

The Director's Answer

Of the 100 Ways to Wreck a Wood Floor this is number 101.

It's a new wood floor problem for the ol' director, but to be expected more and more as the world becomes smaller and more cross-cultural.

Henna marks the skin by burning cells. Those skin cells eventually sluff off to make way for brand new ones.

Unfortunately, a tattoo-ed wood floor needs re-sanding. How deeply the henna burns depends on duration and what kind of finish is on the floor.

My advice is to always use a drop cloth, of course. And should henna find its way to the floor, vacuum or sweep immediately and wipe with a well wrung out rag.

Acrylic sealers and finishes resist any chemical stains, including wine and oven cleaner. These substances will eat through the top coat, perhaps, but then stop short of burning

the wood when it hits an acrylic sealer, (which is usually applied over bare wood or stain to lock in color.)You will not have this advantage with oil finishes.

Just to re-iterate:

Without a drop cloth, wood floor damage will result from henna regardless of what type of finish you may have.

It will burn.

And, how deeply henna burns DOES depend on the type of floor finish you have.

If your floor is susceptible to henna tattoo damage,

(like, maybe you, like own a sorority property at the U, or whatever,)

then read labels for "acrylic" content.

Return to 28 Inches from Henna Damaged Wood Floor

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