Why is my wood varnish not water resistant?

16 July 2026
by David Carson

Rather than ripping out our engineered oak floor for a few battle scars, we decided to sand it back and varnish it. We used Ronseal Diamond Hard Satin Floor Varnish. After 3 1/2 days, my partner spilled some water on it and it went straight through in a matter of minutes, staining the oak. We tested a few more spots and the varnish is just dissolving when exposed to water. Has anyone else experienced this and is there an easier solution than sanding it all back again?

One Answer

  1. Elinor Davies says:

    Hi David,

    Thank you for your question – that sounds like a very annoying predicament. We will pass this on to one of our experts and hopefully they will be able to help you.

    Best wishes,
    Elinor

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