# Water-based Floor Finish Suggestions



## jlc791 (Aug 5, 2008)

This spring my wife and I are planning on repainting a couple of bedrooms in our house. While we're at it, I'm planning on sanding down and refinishing the oak strip flooring which has probably never been touched since the house was built in the mid-50's. The problem is what to use as a finish.

About five years ago, we did the same thing in the living room and dining room and I used a water based (water-borne) poly finish that was available at H-D in white plastic bottles. (I may have a little left at home that I can get the brand name from but I doubt it.) This was my first experience with a water based clear wood finish and while I went into it with trepidation, I loved the process and the results: It was fast with recoat in just a few hours which kept the dust settling into the surface to a minimum and meant the project could be completed in a weekend rather than a week (or more), the milky translucent color in which it went down made application without missing spots very easy, and the extremely low odor was nice as well. The resulting finish after three coats had a nice gloss and seemed pretty good.

Now skip forward five years and while the general appearance is still pretty good, the finish seems to have scuffed and scratched a lot more than I would have expected so I'm looking for ways to avoid the same issue on the next rooms - and possibly restore my first project WITHOUT starting over from scratch. My wife doesn't trust the water based finish and wants to go back to a traditional poly but I suspect that the more amber coloration would require redoing everything to match.

So, my questions:
1 - what brands of water based floor finishes will really stand up to hard wear?

2 - will I get similar enough clear coloration with a different brand that I can do the side rooms without a color mismatch to what I did in 2003?

3 - can I recoat my original projects without starting over and have any hope of both improving the finish and, more importantly, improving the durability? and if so, with what product?

Thanks,
Jeff


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

I recommend Parks Pro Finisher. It dries clear and very durable. it's availabler at HD. You may want to lightly sand some of the bad areas, but I wouldn't go to the rent-a-sander route unless it's a disaster.


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## jerry (Nov 1, 2006)

An oil based finish will be more scuff resistant and last longer than the water borne,but you are back to the time and odor restraints that you found to be a problem before.

Regards

Jerry


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## jlc791 (Aug 5, 2008)

Cabinetman,

Now that I see the container, I think Parks may have been what I used however I don't recall the catalyst being available. Would that have made a significant difference in the durability?

jlc


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## Big Dave (Sep 16, 2006)

I use Bona Kemi Mega all the time. Just put the last coat on a floor yesterday as a matter of fact. If you want something with durability then I would suggest Bona Kemi Traffic. It is a two part finish that is rock hard. The only problem is once you mix them together then whatever you have left over has to be thrown away. Coverage is around 400 sq ft per gallon or slightly more if it's a smooth floor. I get the 400 sq ft coverage on rough sawn flooring.

Here is a link. Bona Traffic - Bona


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## Seasoned Carpentry (Jan 6, 2009)

I've used Minwax's Polycrilic on many floors. Before I settled on Polycrilic, I used water based finishes with catalyst hardeners and they don't seem any harder than the Polycrilic. There is nothing better than laying three coats down in one day. Polycrilic takes a week for a full, hard cure, so putting furniture back too early will result in blocking, meaning it will stick to the floor after a time. Tests I've seen show that water based poly's are actually harder and more scuff resistant than oil based. They are far better today than they were only a few years ago. I love the fact they are truly clear finishes, not amber colored, and remain clear without yellowing.


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## BHOFM (Oct 14, 2008)

We did a couple of bedrooms eight years ago and
they look as good as the day we did them.

There are just the two of us and we are careful
and never wear shoes in the house.

We used the Minwax.

I think you can just scuff with a pad and re coat, as
long as the floor is clean, no wax or oil.


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