# best way to protect reclaimed heart pine floor



## myoldhome (Mar 4, 2013)

I've installed some reclaimed heart pine flooring (from 1870's home)in my kitchen and would like to protect it without changing the patina or color to darker. I like the bleached white look. I've lightly sanded the floor. What product should I finish with? Some options I'm considering are linseed oil and Rubio Monocoat.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
Seema


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

If you are wanting to keep the appearance as close as it is, I wouldn't use linseed oil on it. For that criteria I would be inclined to use a water based urethane floor finish. It would be water clear and non-yellowing.


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## lacman (Mar 13, 2012)

http://www.monocoat.usCheck out a product called Monocoat.http://www.monocoatus.comIt is available online and may have a dealer link.


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## lacman (Mar 13, 2012)

Sorry i sent the wrong link. It ishttp://www.monocoat.us


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## ricko (Feb 17, 2013)

I dont no how big of area your doing , but I highly recomend Saman urathane [waterbased] very little odour . It is very exspensive stuff , it comes in a floor finish , very hard and durable .


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## scsmith42 (Jan 24, 2011)

My heart pine floors have a moisture-cure, non yellowing poly. When we installed them 7 years ago, this was the most durable product available.


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## myoldhome (Mar 4, 2013)

Thanks for all the great feedback. I decided to go with the Monocoat and it looks awesome.


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## Longleaf Lumber Inc. (Jan 14, 2014)

myoldhome said:


> Thanks for all the great feedback. I decided to go with the Monocoat and it looks awesome.


@myoldhome, realized you've already finished your floor, but we recommend a Tung Oil finish - specifically Waterlox brand. It does change the color of the wood, but really is THE finish for reclaimed Heart Pine flooring. 

Reclaimed Heart Pine flooring will darken over time with exposure to sunlight, no matter what type of finish you apply. 

If you're dead-set on preserving the lighter, freshly-milled surface of your reclaimed Heart Pine flooring for longer, we recommend Vermont Natural PolyWhey, which is a really incredible new product. Dries in two hours flat.


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## Quickstep (Apr 10, 2012)

Longleaf,

You obviously know a lot about heart pine flooring. I've used Waterlox on lots of stuff, but never on flooring. How frequently do you think it would need to be renewed in a kitchen? And.... what process would you use to renew it?


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## Longleaf Lumber Inc. (Jan 14, 2014)

Quickstep said:


> Longleaf,
> 
> You obviously know a lot about heart pine flooring. I've used Waterlox on lots of stuff, but never on flooring. How frequently do you think it would need to be renewed in a kitchen? And.... what process would you use to renew it?


Waterlox looks great on/in Heart Pine, and it does a respectable job protecting floors in high-traffic areas and areas that might see a lot of water (kitchen).

It really depends on the amount of traffic and spillage your kitchen is going to see, but you should get quite a few years, even given good usage.

What's great about Waterlox is you don't have to refinish the entire floor. You can work over areas that might have seen much more action (standing area in front of sink, for example), or you can repair dings and scratches with more Waterlox and a q-tip.

If you're doing the whole floor, you can give it a good cleaning and apply another coat of Waterlox. I would highly recommend allowing as much time as you possibly can for curing. A lot of people rush through the Waterlox curing process. Waterlox says that it really takes 30-90 days. While that's not really an option for most homeowners who are doing live-in renovations, I would give it at least seven.

Hope that's helpful.


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