I am currently living with an oak wood floor which we refinished in 1999. It already shows signs of major wear, and is no longer resistant to water spills. Is there a finish which avoids this problem? I believe a floor is to be walked upon, by myself, guests, dogs, etc. rather than to be coddled as a piece of expensive art.
Thanks
Jill
Replies
What was it finished with in 1999? Lots of people use polyurethane--it's pretty durable. But new finish sort of depends on what was used before, unless you want to do lots of sanding. If it was urethane before, should be able to sand lightly ("screen") and recoat.
We used a water based polyurthane, so could do a light sand and repeat I suppose. I was wondering if there was something other than polyurethane. Is there anything else that we could do to protect the floor from water stains? I have recently cleaned and lemon oiled our alder kitchen cabinets, which has me wondering if there is another "thinking outside the box" option.
I've seen a product in woodworking magazines that is applied to floors and is supposed to cover scratches and so on. It needs to be reapplied every six months or so. I can try to find the name of it if it sounds like something you'd be interested in trying. Boiled linseed oil or tung oil may also be something to try.
If you used the rubbing oil type finishes ( like the Waterlox you reference) to start with, you can heal the dings and scratches easy, but not if it was a poly to begin with
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rubbing oil type finishes ( like the Waterlox ...
Rubbing oil? I'd like to know how you apply the Waterlox. I always treated like any other oil varnish, putting a few thin coats on with a bristle brush. I end up with quite a buildup on the surface, and I am wondering if your method leaves a softer more natural "antique floor" type appearance. Thanks.
Yes,
Their recommended application process is to flood the surface, and then ten minutes to a half hour later, wipe/rub off the excess. Then do it all over again the next day.
This is an oxygen cured product, so far aas I understand it. That means that if you leave a thick coat brushed on, it takes a much longer time for oxygemn to reach teh inner portion of that "float" layer so you have a gel layered by a skin on top and bottom of it. this is on a microscopic level of visualizing, but what it translates to is a softer, more easily damaged finish - and - it takes longer to cure hard enuf to walk on or put heavy traffic on.
So instead of two coats put on heavy and then wiped off, I just put it one with a rubbing actionfor enough coats to build the amt of sheen i want for the type of floor it is. I have done from three to eight coats this way and it always looks beautiful. actually, the first coat I alwauys put on with a roller - just spill a splotch on the floor and roll it out. the first coat goes on wood so dry that it soaks right in and needs no rubbing on most woods. Maple would be different. two coats is probably all it would need. The more absorbant the wood, the more caots it takes to build sheen.
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Thanks. I've got a few more floors to do here and I am particularly eager to try it on a couple of poplar floors.
Poplar is an absorbant wood to some degree and a grain that can imitate a poor man's cherry, if you stain it.
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In my case the poplar has been on these floors for 165 years, so I'm going to try to keep it looking "authentic" - a bit aged. It's certainly softer than my oak floors. I like your method of Waterlox application because with it I won't have to worry about as much about a thick layer on a soft surface cracking and peeling.
Now you have me wondering - do you thin out the initial coat(s) with mineral spirits. Are you using the Waterlox "Sealer/Finish" or the "High Gloss?"
It's already cut as thin as I would want it.
original sealer/finish - but top coats with gloss if that is desired
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Don't apply lemon oil or anything else that would interfere with adhesion of your new finish. Take care of refinishing first.
FWIW - My home (built in 1989) has pine floors and oak stair treads. All are finished with 2 coats of oil-based polyurethane and still look like new! And I don't always take my shoes off! Sure - the vapors were wicked when I put it on but that was before moving in..............
What IS wearing out is the finish on the tera cotta tile - grrrrrrrrrrr.
Especially if using water-based polyurethanes, you need multiple coats to stand up to hard usage. Four or even five coats are not uncommon.
I would opt for an oil-based finish called Varathane Professional Diamond Finish. Sand, restain, and lay on 3 or 4 coats of that and you should be good for a while. It should stand up to normal household use quite well, including shoe traffic. But large, heavy dogs with untrimmed claws will destroy any finish and do damage to the actual surface of any wood floor just like studded snow tires would. There are limits to what you can expect a wood floor to take....
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Moisture cure hands down!
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i've asked the same ques. myself having floors and dogs . I do floors and have for 20yrs. moisture-cure and acid-cure are probably the most durable, while penetrating oils are easiest to touch up. wax will water spot.i refuse to use the moist.-cure or acid-cure [really noxiousvapors].even oil-based urethane bothers me though it is durable.the very best water base urethanes [ i can think of about2 or 3] are very good and i feel are almost as durable . be prepared to spend 70 to 80$ gallon. 2-3 coats,quick dry low smell are the benefits of water-base. also moisture-cure requires moisture ,so if you live in the southwest like i do ,its not an option anyhow.