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My wife and I are building a home and our builder is suggesting that we consider a wood floor in our kitchen. I have seen them used in kitchen and bath designs before but I was wondering what the negatives are. It would seem to me that moisture may be a problem, especially liquid and food spills. Can the floor be stained if something with a high acidity falls on it? Also, since the kitchen is one of the most high traffic areas in a home does the floor need frequent (2-3 years) refinishing? Does anyone recommend a minimum number of polyurethane coats on the initial install? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
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Ryan,
Wood floors in the kitchen are an excellent idea. The positives are: wood is soft on the legs and feet when a person is standing in one spot for awhile; things dropped are cushioned a bit; as the floor wears and gets dinged, it develops "character", but is still repairable; dirt doesn't show up like on other surfaces; and, it looks great. Don't worry about spills, unless you are in the habit of not cleaning them up for hours on end.
Jack
*ryan.... i f you want it .. go for it...our standard is 4 coats... one initial coat.. and 3 finish coats...in kitchens we use 8 coats and area / throw rugs in the high traffic areas like in front of the sinkalso.. we use either poly or one of the premium cross-linked water base
*Ryan, wood floors work well in the kitchen as well as the bath. I believe though Mr. Smith is a bit excessive on his poly coats. I use DURASEAL polyurethane, first and second coat high gloss which achieves a harder finish, final; coat is satin to knock down the sheen. According to the manufacturer 3 coats achieves optimum protection .I have found in high use, wet environs that the DURASEAL will hold up 4-5 years before refinish is necessary. Then one coat of satin after screening. walk gooddavid
*xMike, just curious about your choice of words. Whats the difference between "one initial coat and three finish coats" and "three initial coats and one finish coat"?
*I've never seen it necessary to use more than four coats, three will usually do and last five to ten years. I use oil based Poly usually. Too many coats can actually create problems with complete curing.