Contractor said floors were going to be fragile for 20 days

Q: Thanks for your blog – very helpful. We just had our floors sanded and varnished with a crystal varnish. The guy recommended crystal because he said it was the most resistant finish, especially since we have children. Is this true?

Also, I’m wondering if it’s okay to paint the room (like using ladders and that kind of thing), and when is it okay to put the furniture back on? We’re planning on leaving 48 hours before painting, and 6 days before putting the furniture back, with no area rugs for a month like you suggested. The guy said it was okay to put the furniture as long as we didn’t drag anything on the floors. He said the floors were going to be fragile for 20 days or so.

Do you think this all makes sense?

Thanks so much again, thanks for sharing your knowledge!

A: Crystal varnish? There is a finish made by F****** called Crystal. It is a lower end water borne finish. The floors will be fragile for 20 days? That sounds odd. I hope it isn’t an indication of the quality of the product he has used. Even slower drying/curing oil modified finishes generally indicate normal traffic after 3 days.