WoodFlooringGuy.com

I have just selected “*********” hardwood flooring for my new condo. The hardwood flooring company has suggested it be finished with an oil, rather than urethane. What are the pros and cons of each? Which would you recommend?

Regarding urethane for hardwood floors, I just finished reading your oil vs. water text. I think I am partial to oil. I have new, beautiful, truly brown walnut flooring that I do not want to yellow. I cannot get my hands on the Circa 1850 Bowling Alley urethane. Do you think that the yellowing or amber-color that happens with oil-based is from the yellow in the wood? If so, I should be OK because this wood has no yellow in it. Or, do you think that the urethane itself is what ambers? If that’s the case I might have to go with the water-based, which I do not want to do.

I am getting a lot of different opinions on which is a better method to refinish my wood floor, water or oil based finish?

I recently had my oak floors refinished with water based poly. I would rather have had Oil but because of time constraints at that time I opted for the water. I want to put a couple of coats of oil on top. Can I just rough up the floor and add coats over water?

We just installed a very expensive hardwood floor (alomediam Brazilian wood-dark wood) and after two coats of varnish, I can see shoe scarf marks. What is the strongest varnish or finish that can used of this type of wood so as to prevent any scratch marks?

Q: I just installed unfinished white oak on my stairs. I’m staining them now. What is the best polyurethane to use that will dry nice and hard. Also, should I sand the poly between coats?
A: There are many good finishes on the market. They might all claim to be […]

We just had the floors redone using an oil based polyurethane and I’m trying to get the stairs to match. The problem is the stairs were originally done with a water based polyurethane. Do I need to completely sand down the floors or can I apply the oil based polyurethane over the existing water based polyurethane? Will the oil based polyurethane warm up the wood or will it be dulled because of the previous water based poly?

All of the green building references I have found say that wood floors should be finished with a low VOC water-based polyurethane, but none of these articles provide recommendations for a brand. Is there a website which provides this information or can you provide the names of some products that are on the lower end of the VOC scale?

We have a 70-year old house with beautiful pine floors desperately in need of refinishing. So far we’ve had 3 professionals in to give us estimates. We have 2 large dogs so of course, durability is our primary concern and we’re aware that we need to trim and file their nails. The first contractor recommended 3 coats of “high quality” water-based urethane with 1 coat of sealer underneath. The second contractor said 3 coats of oil-based polyurethane with no sealer under and the 3rd contractor said 1 coat of sealer under 2 coats of water-based urethane. We’re at a lost as to what to do and have 2 questions for you: 1) which is best for our situation: water-based or oil based polyurethane; and 2) do we need a sealer under the urethane?

We want a non-yellowing non-glossy finish for our hardwood floors that will keep the wood’s natural colour as best as possible. What is the difference between our two choices “Swedish finish” and water-soluble?

…….Do you have experience with a satin clear coat that has low, or no VOC’s, that you would recommend?

I read a couple of threads that suggested water based polyurethane for floors may not be the best idea. Should we reconsider an oil based polyurethane before we start?

We recently purchased a home with wide pine flooring. We love the look, but we also have 2 dogs and their nails have gouged and taken off the finish in certain areas. What can we do to repair these areas and how can we protect the floors from further damage?

What do you think about water-based finishes containing aluminum oxide?

How do you feel about the durability of water-based finishes containing aluminum oxide? my installer wants to use it, he says he will use 3 coats, or I stick with an oil based poly. The less fumes and recoat time is appealing to me.

I’m planning on re-finishing my hardwood floors after discovering black, and I mean black, pet stains. I’d had some boards replaced before for the same reason, and thought I solved the problem with the dog, but not so. I didn’t have the floor resanded and refinished, then, just boards being replaced after being taken from another room.

We purchased our home ~ 6 years ago and the former owners said that the hardwood floors had a “gymnasium finish”. From what I’ve been able to find this means a penetrating oil finish. What is the best product to clean and buff this type of floor? Where can I find a home-model floor polisher? My mother had one years and years ago with rotating bristles and snap on soft pads.

A few people have told me that they think this might be white oak….I don’t know that for sure. My dog has been running around on the unfinished floor for weeks now (as a test) and only in the sunlight do I see nail marks from his paws. Here’s the questions: I have seen floors sanded and polyurethaned and then the dog gets yelled at all the time for running and scratching the floor up. I don’t want to go through that I don’t want to have to keep sanding and reapplying polyurethane on the floors every year either. What’s a gal to do??? A man at the Home Depot here suggested that I clean the floor really well and just apply turpentine on the bare wood as a natural sealer. Please advise me. I have to complete this task soon and I want to do it right the first time. I’ve seen your Q and A list and those people are kicking themselves for their hard work gone bad. I don’t want to go through that. When I am done with the floor, I will restore the baseboards.

We think we want wide plank flooring w/o a polyurethane finish – a manufacturer has recommended sealing with tongue oil after staining. Is this acceptable?

I’ve contacted a few hardwood refinishers in the Winnipeg area to do the birch floors on the second floor of my house. I’m uncertain whether to go with an oil or water-based urethane. Some contractors say they only do water-based, others say that they have not been happy with the results of water-based urethanes. What do you recommend? We have a couple of cats, so I’m concerned about how the floors will show scratches.