Sealing Newly Sanded Old Hardwood Floor

skits · 10-21-2006, 12:50 PM

I'm looking for opinions on sealing my maple hardwood floor. We're about to rent the drum sander and I want something that will stand up to everything (it's in the kitchen). The poly I used in another room just didn't seem to stand up to my dog and kids. My parents had hardwood floors and once every 6-12 months my mom would go over them with Kleer Wood Cleaner (called something like that) and then would look good as new. The surface never wore off and scratches were just on the surface. I'm thinking it was varnish, and I've heard you can't get the real varnish anymore. Is that true? Someone suggested marine urethane, but someone else said that's just another term for poly. Any suggestions?

Rehabber · 10-21-2006, 07:47 PM

Don't buy the poly from Home Dopey or Lowes. get it from a reputable paint store like SW or BM. You will have much better results

jamesdart · 10-22-2006, 01:35 PM

go to a hardwood flooring supply, ask for moisture curing finish. it is crystal cleer, non yellowing finish. you also need the specific reducer. tough as nails. be very carefull when applying it as the fumes are very bad for you. most of them are bad, this is even worse. get the appropriate respirator from them too. some states might not even sell the stuff.

Colonel Hogan · 10-23-2006, 11:38 AM

I have been using a new Water-Silicone based clear finish on furniture, doors and counetrtops lately with excellent results. The product is UNAXOL available only from Moby ************ Supply. They have several different formulations available including Heavy Duty, High-Build, and Exterior, along with available sanding sealers, hardeners, and reducers; in both brush and spray formulations. I will be refinishing my kitchen floor soon. It is 7" T&G Yellow Pine, it was installed 13 years ago and finished with (2) coats of Varathane. The finish finally began to fail about 2 years ago (long honey-do list). The things I like most about UNAXOL are that it is safe, has no noxious odor, and cleans up very easily with soap and water. For my floor I will use (2) coats of sanding sealer, 1-2 coats of Heavy Duty, followed by a top coat of Exterior (ith hardener added).

jan · 10-24-2006, 03:55 AM

Catalyzed water base finishs are a good choice. Bona Kemi Traffic and Basic Coating StreetShoe are both really tough finishs. Supposedly sold only to professionals you can usually still buy them. They're sold through distributors so check their websites for your local dealer. If you're not planning to stain you'll want to use one of their sealers as a first coat to give your floor some color. Water base right over sanded wood is really bland.

Safety precautions for catalyzed water base aren't too onerous but it's worth reading the Manufacturers Safety Data Sheet, MSDS, and following the rules. Besides the instructions on the can they should also have the Technical Data Sheet, TDS. which has information about application. The dealer should also have the right tools for applying the finish.

Good Luck

Jan

skits · 10-24-2006, 07:53 PM

I came across a floor finish called Fabulon. Ever heard of it? Says it's crystal wood floor finish. I'll check out your recommendations too. I saw on a "fix it" show that they kept some of the sawdust (a clean pass) and mixed it with sealer to a paste, spread it over the wood (much like grout) to fill the spaces in between the boards and then sanded once again. How's that idea sound? My floors are 100 years old and there are some "not so tight" spaces. I thought that would make the floor look nicer and not have areas for dirt to fall in. Ideas? Comments?