I have this on going project of a circa 1832 federal style house that i raised up 3′ and put a 13 course basement under.I took the 20″ plus wide boards of the third floor and used them on the kitchen floor after leveling the old floor.These boards are poplar and soft(not punky),being 175 years old.I used water based varethane because my wife and son have ahsma(didnt want fumes) and put six coats on.My two boxers have destroyed the finish and was wondering if anyone had a good product to use, I am in the middle of an addition and garage.The hallway and the kitchen addition will also get this flooring because they are tied together.Some advice would be great.thanks
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I like waterlox on old softwood floors a whole lot.
steve
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the safest finish for floors is the most natural one.. shellac..
Shellac is safe, you've been eating it all of yopur life.. it's on pills and candy. Shellac is also extremely quick to dry. The first coat dries hard enough to walk on in 15 minutes..
If you are extremely hyper you can use medical grade alcohol to mix it with instead of denatured alcohol. When they denature alcohol they use 2% of something to make it not drinkable (or high school kids will go to hardware stores for prom night <grin> )
What that is varies a great deal.. most of us aren't bothered by it but if you are medical grade does not have those impurities..
A few other things.
The finest antiques are restored using shellac,
first because that's likely the original finish and second because shellac brings out the BEAUTY IN WOOD BETTER THAN ANY OTHER FINISH MADE BAR NONE!
Second Shellac is an extremely durable finish.
third shellac repairs in the event of scratches easier than any other finish made. Most scratches can be eliminated with nothing more than a brisk brief rub with denatured alcohol dampened rag..
If the scratch or mark is big enough new shellac will melt perfectly into old shellac and make an invisable repair..
That's the trick, new melts old and makes an invisable repair! It doesn't matter if the shellac is 80 years old or 80 hours old.
If you want to see what my 150 pound NewFundland does to my shellaced floors after over 3 years go to 85891.1
By the way this is probably the worlds easiest finish to apply yourself, ask and I'll walk you through the steps..
I totally agree on the Waterlox ... and your vet may be able to get creative with dog toenail clipping -
Jeff
Thanks for the help,Ive got a couple things to do then Ill be putting my floors in.thanks again.
+3 for Waterlox
Sir Winston Churchill