Hi all–
I’ve done my due diligence with the search engine and read a lot of positive things about using Waterlox in a kitchen. I’m about to put some old-growth reclaimed maple in my kitchen, and I wondered if any Breaktimers had used Waterlox on maple before. My floor installer is willing to try the Waterlox, but he’s only used it on open grain woods; i.e., oak. He seems a little skeptical of the idea of using a penetrating tung oil finish (which is what Waterlox is) on maple.
Any thoughts? The alternative he proposes is a water-based finish called Street something. I’m leaning towards the Waterlox, though.
–Olsh
Replies
My flooring experience is extremely limited, but...
I've used Waterlox on maple flooring. I agree it didn't seem to penetrate much. I put three coats down, sanding lightly between coats.
The first time I did it, on a freshly sanded maple floor that had been reclaimed from a basketball court and installed in the current kitchen many years before as well as a new maple floor in the dining room, I applied three or four coats and let it dry and it looked great for a couple of days.
Customer wasn't so thrilled.
Somewhere on the website are instructions to wait seven days to let the oil cure. I'm sure that the can says nothing beyond waiting 24 hours for it to dry.
The second time around I lightly sanded the floor and reapplied the Waterlox and it had five full days after the last application before anyone stepped on it (client was out of town). That surface has held up a whole lot better than the first one did.
On the other hand, it has only been a year or so, but they are still happy with it.
First pic is the new dining room floor. Second pic is of the kitchen, the floor is visible.
Rich Beckman
Another day, another tool.
If he wants to use Basic Coatings' Street Shoes, by all means let him do it. Much better for a high-use floor like in a kitchen. It is a moisture-curing urethane. Very tough. Used by professional flooring contractors and finishers. Not a DIY application.
Cure time is fast, and recoat time is same day. If your guy is good, he should be proposing two coats of their sealer, followed by at least two coats of their finish. Give him three days after he is sanded and dust-free, and he will be done. Try that with an oil-based finish.
Go satin, not high gloss.
I am off my Street Shoes soapbox now, and I must say, I love Waterlox. Used it today, both the sealer/finish and the satin finish products. Handrail, some wood counters, wooden pulls, a couple transition thresholds that won't get stepped on much.
Waterlox has tung oil in its recipe, but it is much more like a varnish than a penetrating oil finish. I love its long open time that virtually eliminates brushmarks. It is a beautiful finish for furniture.
Check out what the people at maplefloor.org have to say about finishes that qualify for gym floors. Go to http://www.maplefloor.org/literature/finishlist.htm#GROUP4
You won't find Waterlox products anywhere in the lists, group 1 through 5.
Edited 3/16/2004 11:29 pm ET by Bob Dylan
Waterlox is an old-time finish. Not really a penetrating oil, more like a long oil varnish with extra thinner. Was fine for gym floors in 1940. I like it. It is actually about 50% solids after curing (gloss only). Not as durable as modern finishes, but very easy to touch up. Old gym floors had a quarter inch of finish after they re-applied waterlox twice a year for decades. You absolutely cannot walk on it for at least a week. That assumes warm temperatures and good ventilation. Wait even longer otherwise. You need a good 5 or 6 coats on new work. One coat sealer ("original waterlox"), 3 coats gloss, and final coat whatever sheen you want to see. I wait 2 days between coats and a week after the last coat. The gloss is significantly more durable than the satin but does not penetrate as deep.
3 coats of a good oil-based poly go on quicker and last longer. I don't use the water based finishes, so don't know enough to comment on those. For waterlox in a kitchen, plan on adding a coat once or twice a year for maintenance. No surface prep required, just wipe it on. unless you waxed it, then you have to strip the wax first. I like the look. Not milky and not too thick. Doesn't have the plastic look of some new finishes. But, its not tough. Pets will tear it up.
Thanks for the replies, everyone. Time is absolutely of the essence on this job, so it sounds like Waterlox is out. I'll go with the Street Shoes.
I'll post a pic or two when the job is done. Can't wait to see how the gym floor turns out, although I am dreading the miles of edge scraping in store for me: there's a lot of dirt above the tongues!
--Olsh
Got those pics ready yet?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
As a matter of fact...
Flatered that you remembered. You should know that I learn from you every time I visit this site--and that's virtually every day.
Having said that, the floors went in this week. The reclaimed maple required about thirty hours of scraping, all told, which was an unhappy surprise, since the photos I based my purchase on depicted boards in much better shape than the ones I received. But we scraped out all the old gunk--poly, dirt, solidified testosterone (the flooring was formerly a gym floor), etc--and the boards came together nicely. We weren't shooting for perfection, just the look of a vintage maple kitchen floor.
After consulting the floor gurus on this site, I decided against Waterlox, since drying time was an issue, and went with Street Shoes.
I think the floor came out very well. Attached you'll find a pic so you can judge for yourself.
All the best,
Olsh
Had a little trouble attaching the jpeg. I'll try again.
Well, I managed to post the jpeg, but on reviewing it, you can't really see the floor very well. I'll try to post something that showcases it a bit better.
Here's a jpeg of the closet floor. Unfortunately, many of the boards were painted, so we didn't know about the birdseye until the floor was sanded. But there is nice figure in many of the more visible boards as well.
I hope this one comes out better than the last...
sure looks to have been worth doing. The stain almost makes it look richer than maple.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I definitely think it was worth doing, even though it was a painful process. And by the way, that's just three clear coats of Street Shoes. The color is all in the wood.
Not a bargain floor, though. The boards were three dollars a square foot, plus shipping (about $275 from Wisconsin to Baltimore). Add in the scraping time, plus the four dollars per square foot for the installation and finishing, and you'll see that we're talking about a premium flooring product.
A floor made from reclaimed boards is kind of thing that aesthetes like my wife and me can appreciate, but that my grandfather would never understand. I can't wait for him to see it for the first time. No doubt he'll poke at some of the gaps with his toe and say, "Can't you afford a new floor? Take my advice. Get rid of the typewriter and get yourself a real job."