What finish for solid hardwood flooring?

[Uncle Ben]

I would like to see what specific brands/types some of you might recommend for a protective/durable finish for solid oak hardwood floors. Fast-drying is a must, but so is durability (3 young kids in the house).

This will be new/unfinished flooring going down, it is not a re-finish, so any installation and finishing tips you may have would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for your recommendations!

 

[theoldwizard1]

There are a LOT of them out there. You want a polyurethane. Most will require 12-24 hours of drying time, with the temperature at a minimum of 60F. 2 coats are a must for durability, some people even do 3.

Wait a full 24 hours before foot traffic or moving furniture on to it.

 

[NitroShark]

I also recommend a polyurethane finish ( I have 2 coats semi gloss on a ash floor)


Best pix I have right now, sorry.

Shawn

 

[Mark118]

I put down white oak 15 years ago and used Varathane water based gloss. (Chose this over solvent based because those are said, even by the manufacturers, to go slightly amber over time). Put down two coats with the recommended applicator, then fine wet sanded before the final coat. Very little smell, dried fast and looks great even today.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I put down white oak 15 years ago and used Varathane water based gloss. (Chose this over solvent based because those are said, even by the manufacturers, to go slightly amber over time). Put down two coats with the recommended applicator, then fine wet sanded before the final coat. Very little smell, dried fast and looks great even today.

Proper prep and the proper applicator are key to a good quality finish !

How long between coats ?

 

[Mark118]

We did this during the summer & seems like when the first coat was down, it was ready to begin the second from the starting point. The mfgr. lists the recoat time as 4 hrs. http://www.rustoleum.com/~/media/Di...thane Water-Based Floor Polyurethane TDS.ashx . Of course lots depends on the humidity and temperature.

 

[Uncle Ben]

Thanks everyone. I'm leaning towards the varathane since I like the benefits of water-based, and my local Lowes store has it. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Zeke]

Our schools now use water borne urethanes in the gym. It has proven itself. Just make sure to get floor grade. Check with the local flooring supply.

 

[PWC Repair]

Here's what I can tell you from my own personal experience doing the oak floors in my house. Vacuum diligently then use a tack cloth before you start. I used an ez-mart cup and a wool mop to apply. Pour yourself a line from the cup then mop it out with the grain. Have a helper to refill your cup for you. Wear a hair net AND long sleeved shirt. You won't believe the stray hairs you will be picking out of your new finish. I used sanding screen, the type for drywall, in between coats to knock off high spots and debris. Then a slightly damp towel, and tack cloth again. Do this between every coat if you want a really nice finish. I did 5 coats Poly about 5 years ago and ours still reflects like glass. I have some old pics somewhere.

 

[mikeceli]

In 1984 and 2013 I did Oak and Maple floors (2 different houses) with OIL based Polyurthane.

In 2013 it was Varathane brand, from Home Depot. I found it flowed better when I thinned it a bit w/ Mineral Spirits. (I don't recall what %)

It gives the Maple a Honey appearance. Holds up real well.

 

[deter]

Use what the big boys use. I've used it, strong, durable, fast drying. Its two part, you mix hardener into it before you apply it

http://www.bona.com/en-US/United-States1/BonaSystem/Coatings/Finishes/BonaTraffic/

 

[383 240z]

I'm putting down new cherry floors in my 1817 house. I HATE the look of high polish wood floors in an old home. Here is what I use on all the wood floors in my home.
http://www.waterlox.com/ It's not cheap, but it WORKS. Give wood that warm natural glow it should have not a plastic coated version of wood. Keith

 

[Zeke]

I'm putting down new cherry floors in my 1817 house. I HATE the look of high polish wood floors in an old home. Here is what I use on all the wood floors in my home.
http://www.waterlox.com/ It's not cheap, but it WORKS. Give wood that warm natural glow it should have not a plastic coated version of wood. Keith

A high gloss plastic look is definitely not for everyone. However, these new oak floors could be in a contemporary home so don't be so quick to criticize. There are varying degrees of gloss to be found on the shelves as well.

Me, I still have the shellac and wax finish originally applied in 1930. If I drop a quarter inch square piece of cheese on the floor the next morning it's an inch round dark spot that needs to be taken up with a solvent and rewaxed. Although authentic and beautiful, I wouldn't recommend waxed floors to anyone.

The Waterlox looks good. Might be the best of both worlds. How does it hold up to the typical household of kids and pets? Because if you live in a virtual museum as I do, that won't float for most.

 

[Kevin54]

We had our floors done last year. I asked about a water-base poly vs. a standard poly, and they said that the water-based is not a hard enough coating. They put the standard poly down, and it took about two weeks for the smell to go away. But it has stood up to toenails from the dogs. I know that with the water-based, you don't have the smell linger as long and you can put furniture down in less time.

Like Zeke says though, if the water-based can stand up to school use, I would go that route.

Myself, I can't say one way or another which is better. All I know is what we have now. I know when the floors were first put down maybe 10 years ago, the company that finished them, I'm not certain they didn't use water-base urethane because I don't remember the harsh smell. And the jackasses that did the floors this time, basically ruined them. We had water damage and had to have the floors fixed. During the winter last year, the flooring cupped, so they replaced the bad boards, then of course had to refinish the floors again. I thought the floors looked great until the wife pointed out areas where they let the drum sander idle against the wall, so the flooring has cupped areas there.

 

[Chris705]

http://www.glitsa.com/

Had our kitchen wood floor redone last summer with this product as a final top coat. Has held up very well. Finisher wore a full resporator while putting it down and the room was sealed up for an hour after curing, then we were allowed to open windows.....boy oh boy it darn near knocked me out just going in to open up the windows....but it quickly dispersed and durring the whole finishing project we never had to vacat the house. I will try to finish the rest of my wood floors with this now that I know the tricks of the trade to refinishing floors. I ended up having the finisher stain the oak flooring a very slight brown color and the clear poly w/ amberizer that I had put down many years prior was too bleached loooking.

 

[383 240z]

Me, I still have the shellac and wax finish originally applied in 1930. If I drop a quarter inch square piece of cheese on the floor the next morning it's an inch round dark spot that needs to be taken up with a solvent and rewaxed. Although authentic and beautiful, I wouldn't recommend waxed floors to anyone.

The Waterlox looks good. Might be the best of both worlds. How does it hold up to the typical household of kids and pets? Because if you live in a virtual museum as I do, that won't float for most.





Waxed floors bring the **** BIG TIME. I have those in my 1855 house.

Zeke, my home is NOT a museum. 4 dogs, plenty of foot traffic, I play with my R/C cars on it. Work boots on it most of the time when I'm home.

I was told about the product while I was visiting Colonial Williamson Va. They said that about 3/4's of the public areas are treated with waterlox. The traffic that place gets is unreal. I was sold at that.

The other reason I love that product is that is does a VERY good job of keeping my old dogs "accidents" from causing issues with the floor. We had put down a Boise-Cascade floating floor system, and that stuff was not cheap, supposed to be waterproof when installed with their waterproof glue. Guess what. It ain't!!!! That area still smells of pee and the edges are starting to lift and de-laminate. It's not real bad, however the floor is only 3 years old, the warranty was for 50 years. That's all getting ripped out of the kitchen, hallway and foyer (about 600 sq ft) and more wood and waterlox will be replacing it.

Yes in a more modern home, the bright shiny finish of a poly finish is fine. In the house we had in Boston (built in 1964) they looked great, however the home we live in now they would look so out of place. Sorta like JC23 in a tiny bikini. Keith

 

[35chevy.com]

I put Oak treads on my stairs about 5 years ago and used the water based polyurethane and it's still holding up great.

Gary

 

[jake00]

http://www.glitsa.com/

Had our kitchen wood floor redone last summer with this product as a final top coat. Has held up very well. Finisher wore a full resporator while putting it down and the room was sealed up for an hour after curing, then we were allowed to open windows.....boy oh boy it darn near knocked me out just going in to open up the windows....but it quickly dispersed and durring the whole finishing project we never had to vacat the house. I will try to finish the rest of my wood floors with this now that I know the tricks of the trade to refinishing floors. I ended up having the finisher stain the oak flooring a very slight brown color and the clear poly w/ amberizer that I had put down many years prior was too bleached loooking.

This, My family has owned a flooring mfg, distribution, and installation business for 40 years. We've been using and selling the glitsa "Swedish" finish for just as long. It is toxic, and precautions need to be taken. It is exempt from the low voc laws that the poly mfgs have to abide by. You can only buy it from a hardwood flooring dist, and that's if they'll sell it to a homeowner.

If you want to go the poly route, I'd use a professional floor poly such as polo plaz.

Lastly. If you go the water base route, Stain the floor 1st, even if its with neutral, or else the floor won't have much depth. And get professional finish made by bona, or basic coatings, Skip the **** at the big box stores...

 

[dledinger]

I used Varathane (oil based) on my oak stair treads. I do not believe that the finish is fully hard for 30 days. That said, after babying the stairs for a while, they are holding up damn well. Better, I think, than the factory finished wood floor.

 

[rlitman]

I put down white oak 15 years ago and used Varathane water based gloss. (Chose this over solvent based because those are said, even by the manufacturers, to go slightly amber over time). Put down two coats with the recommended applicator, then fine wet sanded before the final coat. Very little smell, dried fast and looks great even today.

The water based does stay water clear. The oil based will amber over time.
If you don't like the amber, stick to the water based, but understand that the water based has a lower solids content, so does not wear quite as well.

Oil based urethane needs a full 24 hours between coats. Water based can be recoated in just a few hours. For that alone, a lot of installers prefer it, because they can get off the job faster. Oh, and water based has much less odor.

I used Varathane (oil based) on my oak stair treads. I do not believe that the finish is fully hard for 30 days. That said, after babying the stairs for a while, they are holding up damn well. Better, I think, than the factory finished wood floor.

Yes. You shouldn't put ANYTHING on the floor for 7 days, and walk around in socks. Then be extra careful for the first month or so.

Some pointers:
When you're ready for the first coat, vacuum the room. Then go over everything with a tack cloth. As said above, you'll be amazed at the number of hairs you pick up.

The first coat should be a wax free shellac sanding sealer. This soaks in quickly, hardens the wood for a more durable finish, and dries in 30 minutes (that's how fast it is ready to recoat). It'll also stop the first coat of poly from completely soaking in.

If you want a finish other than gloss, I'd suggest you use gloss for every coat except the top. What makes the satin finish, is a powder added to the mix that dries under the surface. It looks better when you don't have this in every coat.

Sand in between every coat. A random orbit sander is best for this. I actually have a U-Sand machine which makes the job real easy. The foam backed sanding pads are great between coats.

Be absolutely sure to clean out the dust collector bag on your sander after sanding recently dried oil based poly. The poly gets hot as it cures, and a full bag of curing dust can start a fire.

I used a sheepskin mop to apply the poly. You work a "wet edge" in the direction of the grain. WASH the mop in whatever thinner is to be used with the poly before using it, to get out any stray hairs. Or, if you have a compressor, just blow on it with air.

For spots under radiators where the mop wouldn't fit, I cut a triangle out of a paint pad, and stapled that to a piece of wood cut at an angle.

 

[ontcanuck]

In the flooring industry water based polyurethane satin finish is by far the most common finish & method. Start with a sanding sealer and 3 coats of finish coat, sanding between coats. In Canada most oil based paints or varnish is outlawed and in the very near future it will not be available anywhere. I have done countless floors in my days mostly with oil based polyurethane and when I switched to water based I became a believer in water based products. I refinish ( spray doors) kitchen cupboards in waterborne paint. All car manufactures use waterborne enamel for environmental reasons.

 

[Voi]

We have oak floors and used an oil based sanding sealer and Bona Traffic HD, a 2K waterborne. I would not let the other comments about waterbornes concern you if you go with Bona or another 2K waterborne.

If you want the amber color and grain popping effect of an oil based product you can use an oil based sealer like we did. In our case we moved out so the odor wasn't an issue.

You can also tint a waterborne sanding sealer or use a de-waxed shellac as your sanding sealer. It's my understanding that most prefer the look of shellac vs. a tinted sealer.

 

[busyallthetime]

+1 on Bona Traffic. One of the preferred water based poly's by professional floor finishers.

We have oak floors and used an oil based sanding sealer and Bona Traffic HD, a 2K waterborne. I would not let the other comments about waterbornes concern you if you go with Bona or another 2K waterborne.

If you want the amber color and grain popping effect of an oil based product you can use an oil based sealer like we did. In our case we moved out so the odor wasn't an issue.

You can also tint a waterborne sanding sealer or use a de-waxed shellac as your sanding sealer. It's my understanding that most prefer the look of shellac vs. a tinted sealer.