Wood floor finish durability

[Gozo]

This is not exactly garage flooring related, but I'll ask anyway. The hallway from the garage to the house is 3/4" thick red oak tongue and groove board and it's been worn down to where the past finish/sealant is gone. I want to sand it down to clean wood, restrain, and reseal. We had the kitchen floor (same material) redone about 5 years ago and it looked great, but very soon after got ratty and worn looking again. It was done with a wipe on stain and 3 coats of Minwax solvent based satin polyurethane. I don't want to go this same route for the hallway as this entry is used much more than the main front door, and it will get worn even more quickly. Any ideas on what type of finish/sealant I could put down that would be more durable? I'd rather not have to through sanding and refinishing for a good 10-15 years (or more).
Thanks

 

[enfd56]

3 coats really isn't enough for lasting durability . It is really difficult to obtain prefinished hardwood longevity . You should put between 7 - 10 coats of the poly , sanding the first 3 coats and then scuffing the last coats . Pain in the rear , but it will last much longer .

 

[James-W]

We had our hardwood floors refinished by a professional hardwood floor company about 18 years ago and they still look really nice. But the finish they put down smelled so bad that we had to leave the house for 3 days and even then we could still smell that stuff. But I will say this, whatever that stuff was called it is a super hard floor finish and it has stayed looking really good for many years now.

 

[Angelfire]

I haven't done a finish on wood floors in quite a while and with the VOC laws having changed significantly over the past 10-20 years, I cannot recommend a product (that all being said, I will be refinishing floors in the next year or two so will be watching this thread to see what's out there). With that said, I sure wouldn't be looking at the likes of minwax or anything for that matter, that is in the big box stores. Do research onlne in the professional boards to see what you can find out. There are a number of options to consider such as straight oil (easy to re-finish/spot repair), urethanes (very durable but take work to refinish), Swedish conversion finishes (excellent stuff but not sure it's even available anymore due to VOC laws), water based (when these came out they were horrible....however, I had good experience with them about 4 years ago on a non-flooring project and I keep hearing/reading they are getting better all the time), lacquer (works and gives a relatively easy repair path but dangerous to put down...highly flammable).

At the end of the day, you will get what you pay for and if you're looking for long term durability, you will be paying a helluva lot more than buying a can of minwax. When it comes time for my floor, I will probably be giving a hard look at moisture cure polyurethane, water based lacquer, etc... A couple of companies that come pretty well recommended for durability and water based are General Finishes and Hydrocote. I've used some General Finishes products (not on floors) and have been happy with the application and results. I have no experience with the Hydrocote but they keep popping up in other boards I subscribe to as being top notch.
Good luck.
Cheers.

 

[jake00]

I'm in the floor biz.

The minwax poly isn't suitable for foot traffic.

That said, find your local hardwood flooring distributor. They'll have the products you need. 2-3 coats depending on the "system" is all you need. Tell me what big cities you are near and I can recommend a dist.

 

[Gozo]

I'm just outside of Richmond VA. The local flooring distributors have recommended Minwax or Bona. I've had crappy experience with Minwax and Bona seems like snake oil or a miracle, depending on whom you ask. I've not found someone local who has used it so its all hearsay.

 

[mopar440_6]

I refinished the living room in my old house about 5 years ago. Red oak T&G wood, sanded down completely, 1 coat of Minwax Gunstock wipe on stain, followed by 4 coats of Varathane flooring poly (from Lowe's). It held up very well considering we had two large dogs and two small children.

Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk

 

[jake00]

I'm just outside of Richmond VA. The local flooring distributors have recommended Minwax or Bona. I've had crappy experience with Minwax and Bona seems like snake oil or a miracle, depending on whom you ask. I've not found someone local who has used it so its all hearsay.

See these guys,
http://www.horizonforest.com/contact/richmond-branch-office/

Bona makes a great water base , Minwax is homeowner grade , you want dura seal (both made by sherwin Williams.)

 

[ozyborn]

Duraseal. Tried it, will not use anything else now.

 

[[memphis]]

I used to sell Sansin... a low VOC waterborne finish. I have used it on multiple projects and it is used on very large commercial projects.

Somewhat difficult to get locally but there is a TN distributor that I know has it on hand. He can talk your ear off about it if you wish.

You can get 3 coats done in a day and not be fumed out of your house like Minwax etc.

http://loghomeservicestn.com/
(423) 838-9783

If you call, tell him Jeff sent you; he will remember me.

Sansin Floor is a 3 coat product but because of the high solids content the finish is much thicker.

ex. Varathane 3 coats would be equivalent to 2 coats of Sansin.

Cheap finishes will contain aluminum oxide in them to boost coating hardness. Problem is if you drag something across it will leave a white line. This finish does not contain aluminum oxide. That being said I am not saying it won't scuff but it will be much more difficult to do so.

This is the University of British Columbia

 

[Gozo]

Thanks all for the pointing in the right direction. The place jake00 linked is close by and looks like they have dura seal and bona. I may stop by and see what they have to say and if they have treated floor samples. If nothing else, they may have recommendations as well as who I could use to get the whole downstairs refinished, as the more I look at it, the more I see that should be done. As the size of the project grows, the less I feel I want to tackle the sanding part. 500 sq ft of concrete to grind and epoxy was enough fun. (Still holding up great BTW). 1000+ sq ft in the house, too much fun for me!

 

[Firebrick43]

Most floor coatings can be hard and fairly durable but once damaged there is little you can do to fix them, especially polyurathane, except sand back and redo. Go this reason I used a more traditional approach. We have very hard hickory flooring and I finished it with zinser seal coat which is a few axed blond(clear) a shellac. It's food safe( if your kids chew on the floor) and the solvent is 200 proof alcohol. It's wiped on in several coats. It's topped with johnsons paste wax applied with steel wool to knock the sheen down. It isn't nearly as hard but a yearly paste wax app and buff keeps it looking great and fixing is just dewaxing with alcohol and applying another coat of shellac in the area. The old shellac melts and ties in seamlessly with the new. Apply wax again and bobs your uncle. It's safe and low skill approach but maybe more labor intensive. Can use denatured alcohol (don't drink as it's purposely poisoned for tax purposes) or a 200 proof grain alcohol. Just don't get to drunk applying it!

Poly never looks right repaired

 

[Gerald O]

This is the University of British Columbia

I bet that ceiling has great durability against foot traffic...

 

[Angelfire]

I bet that ceiling has great durability against foot traffic...

Glad I wasn't the only one that noticed that........

 

[[memphis]]

I bet that ceiling has great durability against foot traffic...

I posted a pic of the project in case the OP wanted to research it more; as well as the actual gallon container in case he wanted to track it down.

Typically... Architects don't spec piss poor performing products on premium projects. The UBC building does have some wood floors as well.

Like I said, I don't work for the company anymore but it's still a very good finish and if VOC's are a concern this blows the competition out of the water, but thanks for the smart remarks.

 

[EdT]

I have reclaimed heart pine floors in my house that I built 30 years ago. I used WATCO penetrating oil finish on them and have only had to reapply in the very heavy traffic area in the kitchen one time in that 30 years. Unlike many floor finishes, the oil penetrates into the wood so there is not really a layer on top that can get damaged and peel off. So, when things need a little touch-up just clean the floor well and apply some more oil wiping up what doesn't penetrate. I did another part of the house with "new" heart pine and used Dura-seal penetrating oil finish to match the color of the old stuff in the other part of the house. It too has held up very well, but since the stain color is darker than the underlying wood, it shows up if you gouge it. The old, reclaimed wood is pretty dark all the way through. Bottom line, penetrating oil has worked well for me, but it's not going to give you a mirror-like finish if that's what you want.

 

[jake00]

I

Cheap finishes will contain aluminum oxide in them

What pro grade hardwood floor finish has aluminum oxide in it?

 

[samarcus77]

I think this is a good example for trial and error but it is also a good idea to get some professional help if you really need it.

 

[Gozo]

I think this is a good example for trial and error but it is also a good idea to get some professional help if you really need it.

Yup. Not really up for trial and error. We're thinking of getting the whole downstairs refinished. That means lots of moving stuff out and dust and fun. I'll see if I can get some recommendations for professionals and will hope to see some client examples. Maybe I should sell the place and just rent.
(Not after all the work to get the garage floor looking so nice!)
Thanks to all who chimed in.

 

[Moto]

I'm just outside of Richmond VA. The local flooring distributors have recommended Minwax or Bona. I've had crappy experience with Minwax and Bona seems like snake oil or a miracle, depending on whom you ask. I've not found someone local who has used it so its all hearsay.

Bona polyurethane is what was used on my floors. They still look like new after 8 years.