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Refinishing Hardwood Floors

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  • TX OMFS

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    Ok miscreants, I'm about ready to apply the finish. I've done furniture but never a floor. Any tips?

    I'm looking at Minwax products. Not sure which clear finish to use over the stain:

    https://www.minwax.com/wood-products/hardwood-floors/

    My wife likes the Minwax Ultimate Floor Finish because it's clear instead of amber. It's water based. I always though oil based finishes were more durable. Thoughts?

    All started cause we're getting a new couch soon...
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    Lynx Defense
     

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    Dougw1515

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    Ok miscreants, I'm about ready to apply the finish. I've done furniture but never a floor. Any tips?

    I'm looking at Minwax products. Not sure which clear finish to use over the stain:

    https://www.minwax.com/wood-products/hardwood-floors/

    My wife likes the Minwax Ultimate Floor Finish because it's clear instead of amber. It's water based. I always though oil based finishes were more durable. Thoughts?

    All started cause we're getting a new couch soon... View attachment 222289 View attachment 222290
    Just make sure she fully understands, and accepts, the following statement:

    "You can tell me what to do or how to do it - but not both!"
     

    robertc1024

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    TX OMFS

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    Pretty good but long video about finishes.

    Bona Traffic was #1

    Second place tie: Bona Mega 1 and PolyWhey 2500 & 3500.

    Water vs oil seems irrelevant. It's more about the individual products.

     

    baboon

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    Out here by the lake!
    The house I grew up in had hard word thought out. Once a year the buffer head for the Kirby vaccum came out & Johnsons Paste Wax went on. Those floors were dangerously slippery! I took a great fall when coming home late with a cast on my foot on crutches. A throw rug & the crutch made contact.

    My house has hard word too. Most were covered with carpets & had a shit load of paint on them. I just put wax down once.
     

    jordanmills

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    I have only used Varathane https://www.homedepot.com/p/Varatha...vCJMjvhLWQBdQdHZc0MaAiN5EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
    On floors I've refinished. It ain't cheap, but has held up very well in high traffic areas. It's oil based and sure, has plenty of fumes, but that's a minor inconvenience in my opinion for a superior product.
    I think that's what was used on our floors upstairs. They are hard pine tongue in groove (so not really hardwood, but otherwise the same), but they are pretty amazing. The fumes were wild for a couple of days. You'd want to move all the furniture out, do it all at once, let it set, put another coat on, repeat, and then stay out of the house for a couple of days.
     

    Axxe55

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    Oil vs. water based products is always going to be based upon several factors. Equipment, equipment clean-up, and application of the product and environmental factors.

    As a general rule, oil based products are going to be more durable and longer lasting, but much more difficult to apply and clean up, and will product more toxic fumes. Water based are much easier to apply and easier to clean up, and much more people friendly.

    Application? If you have the equipment, (expensive.) spraying is by far the best way to get the best uniform application of the product on the surfaces. Problem is prepping for spraying. In a brand new house, or one that is being completely remodeled, not as big an issue. With your situation, you will have to do lots of masking and covering of things you don't want overspray on, such as furniture, windows, wall and such. Everything and anything you don't want overspray on will have to covered or masked.

    Rollers are going to be the next best way and probably the easiest and least expensive for the average person to apply the product to the floors. Tip: Spend a little extra and get quality rollers and brushes.

    If you decide on an oil-based product. invest in quite a few cheap box fans, and open all the windows while applying the product to promote good air flow. This serves two functions. It will help speed up drying times a little and give you needed fresh air while doing the job. You might also look into buying a quality air respirator like those an auto painter uses. Check any of the auto parts stores that carry auto body supplies.
     

    TX OMFS

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    Bona Traffic HD with a hardener. Use the properly weighted T bar Padco applicator.
    Oil has always been the most durable surface but water based Polyurethanes have come a long way. In paints as well.
    The Bona will get you back on your floors soon without the heavy VOC's.
    I think that's what I'm going to use w/ a Minwax stain.
     
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    G O B

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    I prefer the Varithane, but water based works, just takes about a week to get hard. Furniture will scratch it if put back too soon.
     

    gdr_11

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    Op, one of things you did not mention was what kind of appearance you wanted when finished: high gloss, gloss, matte, or flat. If you are not looking for a gloss finish but want more of a natural wood look, you can also consider tung oil. I used to do a lot of wood floors for sports, office and high end residential and I started using tung oil for dance floors because of the need for some slip resistance but still with an allowance for dance shoes and stocking feet to glide across the floors. Tung oil will bring out the grain and provide a nice look with kind of an eggshell sheen. Not for everyone but something to consider since many homes are now using low sheen wood floors.
     

    HKaltwasser

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    I think that's what I'm going to use w/ a Minwax stain.
    It's good stuff and dries pretty quickly.
    If you wanted to darken it it just slightly, you can also use de-waxed Shelac. It will make it pop a little more pulling the natural grain out.

    I know GDR brought up sheens. The hard wax oil products are pretty popular now too. I have Pallman hard wax oil in my house as well. I've use Rubio hard wax oil too and different surfaces but it's made for floors and comes in many colors and small sample sizes for testing. I's a matte finish that gives it a more rustic appearance and silky feel on your feet.
     
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    Glenn B

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    I much prefer oil based over water based. It is in my opinion easier to work with and more forgiving than water based if you need to fix a whoopsie, it gives a better finished look and is seemingly more durable. I have refinished a couple of floors and installed a couple of brand new solid oak floors - used oil based both times. I also stained the wood before adding the topcoat of oil based polyurethane.

    If by chance you have any interior wood doors that need a new coat of polyurethane, let me suggest Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane. When we had our bathroom first made nice, right after we bought our house about 22 yeas ago, I told the painter we hired not to do the door because I would do it and that I would stain it and use a spar varnish. He was very doubtful that would stand up to the humidity of a bathroom but I don't know what he was thinking because it is used on boats and often gets wet. I applied maybe three coats of the spar urethane (think it was called spar varnish back then) and it came out great. I also applied one more coat about 15 years later when we had the bathroom redone (not that it needed it - it held up even better than I had expected). When we sold the house last year, I did niot bother putting any more on it, it looked as if it had been refinished the day before - great stuff. One of these days I am going to use it when I refinish a wood stock on a rifle or shotgun; been using Formby's Tung Oil for that but that brand sold out to Minwax. While I like most Minwax products, I do not like the current Minwax Tung Oil anywhere nearly as much as I did the Formby's; so maybe spar coat next time.
     

    Brains

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    Looking good so far!

    I recently gave water-based a try on a big table I built (Minwax Polycrylic gloss) and honestly I was impressed. I had originally finished it with spar urethane, but the dry time was atrocious and the smell lasted a good month. I originally only had a "kinda smooth" surface, you could still feel the grain and the wife wanted to get it glass smooth. So, I sanded down the spar in 3 steps, and went back over it with the Polycrylic. Went on easily, dried SUPER fast, very clear, and very glossy. It'll be interesting to see how it holds up over time.
     
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