Q: Is using a maroon pad to abrade a floor before applying oil-based polyurethane enough for good adhesion? I’m coating over Tung oil / Waterlox.
A: I’ve used Waterlox a number of times. It has certain advantages over polyurethane, especially when it comes to applying additional coats or mixing stain in with the Waterlox. However, it isn’t a hard coating like polyurethane tends to be. I’ve never applied poly over Waterlox, but I would think a maroon pad should be more than adequate.
Waterlox tends to be rather a soft coating. I wouldn’t be surprised if you could apply the first coat of poly over it and gain adhesion. I would recommend doing 2 test spots. One abraded with a maroon pad and the other not. When the finish is dry, scrape the spots with a coin or dull knife edge and see if it peels or flakes. It is likely this question is answered at the Waterlox web site. Let me know how it goes.
Webmaster’s note: keep in mind this is Waterlox specific!
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