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Recently saw a SYP floor finished with Waterlox. I’m not familiar with the product …….any comments would be appreciated.
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I've used it on several old soft pine floors with very good results.
It's basically tung oil with a modified catalytic resin for hardening it. It penetrates and consolidates splintery soft pine. It's quite amber in color, which I like. It goes on easy with a rag or a brush or a lambswool applicator. When it gets scruffy you can just wipe on some more.
Negatives: takes many coats. 4-5 minimum before a uniform sheen is achieved. If there is wax on the floor, it must be completely removed or the finish will never set up
Steve
*How hard does it get, Steve?
*Re: b WaterloxWe used it at the local historical society on late 18th century pine floors. Probably 10-12 coats or so about 7 years ago.Since that time, the house has had between 12,000 and 14,000 visitors each year and the floors still look pretty good.Thats a hard finish.Jeff
*Thanks for the comments. Steve or Jeff, what about drying time? I'm curious as to why you don't see it being used more.
*It's a marine finish, it stinks to high heaven and takes forever to dry.Otherwise, great stuff.
*It takes a day between coats. Can walk on it in 24 hours, is still fairly soft for a week or so and fully cures in about 3 weeks.One thing I like about it is that it's hard, but not brittle. That is one reason why it's so good on soft floors. It'll dent and ding with the floor, not flake off like surface varnishes.I suspect the main reason you don't see it used more is that it does take many coats at 24 hours per coat.Steve
*One more note about waterlox, which is one of my favorite finishes. Over many years the finish brings a deep reddish-orange color to the wood. Most people like this, but some clients want their wood to stay the same as the day it was finished.
*That sounds impressive. Does it come in Satin, Semi, and Gloss, or what?
*The marine finish is different from the gym finish which is different from the original finish.The more you put on, the richer it looks. Pine gets especially nice looking, maybe something to do with oxidation.Woodworker's Supply carries it, if you can't find it in one of your local stores.BB
*Jim - as BB infers, you control gloss by the number of coats - the more coats the glossier it gets.Jeff
*Thanks for comments .......was thinkin' the same thing as Jim B. .... how hard and tough can this stuff be .......deal with pine floors fairly often ...sounds like Waterlox is just the ticket.
*Well, not to seem dense, but, the name implies it is a water based product. But then one of you guys said it smells something awful as it dries, which I associate with solvent based products. Just what is this stuff? Water or solvent, either way, does anyone know what the VOC content is?
*615gr/l, Jim. Found the website http://www.waterlox.com .....pretty informative
*Jim,There is a gloss version and an "antique satin" version, which the tech guys at the company tell me is just the gloss with some particles added. They recommended using the gloss for everything, as it eventually wears to a satin sheen anyway, and is a little harder. They suggested rubbing it out with steel wool if I wanted the gloss to go away quicker. I've used the satin and it's pretty flat looking.It's not a water-based product. It's mostly tung oil and a catalytic resin for faster drying and hardness. The name is meant to imply that it is impervious to water. It's great for bathrooms and kitchens and such. I know a few people who use it to seal bluestone or tile .Steve