DIY Home Improvement Forum banner

White Oak, No staining just sealing have dogs

5K views 7 replies 3 participants last post by  Big Dave 
#1 · (Edited)
My situation:
1956 Split Level in PA
Living room/Dining Room approx 20' x 30' total space
Floors are white oak and approx 3" wide

Front door and back door open onto wood floors
We have 2 dogs. Try to keep nails trims but ya know how that goes...
Speaking of...they will come flying down the stairs, hit a corner, dig in for traction, make a right, and shoot out the back door.

We have a 3x9 carpet at the back door and plan on putting "something" around the corner the navigate.
We like the natural finish of the wood so we will not be staining just sealing.

I have already done a 9x12 bedroom in the house. Minimal traffic. I used Varathane sealer from Lowes.
Came out pretty nice IMO.

We will stay at the in-laws while work is being done so odor/dry time is not "too" much of an issue.
That being said...I think 3-4 days at the in-laws is max we want to deal with.

Who has any suggestions for sealing? Oil vs Water.... Brands...etc.
I have seen a lot of talk about Bona Traffic but am not sure where to get it.
I found one place online. It was approx $78 per gallon. We want to do a good job and that kind of money is not out of the question but would like to stay under that.

I "think" I saw one post from 2006 where Big Dave talked about putting down Zinnzer sealer? then a water based finish.

Can anyone or Big Dave expand on this?

And back to the stairs... How does someone like me sand the vertical part of the stair.:wink: Not the part you step on the "toe kick"? Does that need to be hand scraped? Is there a tool to rent?

Forgot this also. The floors creek. We have been setting the popped nails but when we set one - the one next to it pops up. Arrgghh..
Are there ring shanked or spiral shanked nails to use for this?
Lemme know if the creeking floor should be another thread...

Thanks,
pez
 
See less See more
#3 ·
Going to freshly sand. Drum Sander, one of those orbital edgers and probably an Orbital disc sander to finish things off with.

Also, wife believes the tongue & groove is broken and thus problems with creeking. She says floor is 3/8.

Thanks for the fast reply Big Dave:thumbsup::thumbup:
 
#4 ·
If it is going to be a fresh sand then you can put the waterbase right over the wood. I would at least use a natural stain otherwise the waterbase finish will bleach it out and make it too white looking.

The Traffic is a good finish and very durable but their line of Mega is good and it's not a two part finish.

With the Traffic you have to mix parts A and B and then if you don't use it all what's left over goes to waste.

With the Mega you use what you need then put the lid back on and save for the next coat.

You will want to stain with a natural stain, wait 24 hours then use their Bonaseal product to seal the floor. About 4 hours after that you can put on your first coat of Mega. Wait overnite then put on the second coat of Mega then about 6 hours later you can put on the third coat. Wait 24 hours then buff the floor with a maroon pad which is equal to about 320 grit sandpaper. You will also want to put some 2 inch wide strips of strip of 180 sticky back sandpaper on the maroon pad to get rid of any tough spots. After that you will want to tack the floor with a damp rag, let dry and apply the last coat of Mega.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Ive never used the water based products you're talking about. Are they alot superior to the typical water based finish? I've only tried water based on an apt. floor some years ago and I hated it. It looked pale and lifeless and didn't hold up well.
I've always had great success with oil varnish and recommend it (without knowing anything about the water based products youre talking about), I used simple satin oil varnish (not polyurethane) from SW on the oak floors in my own house about 6 yrs ago and they still look great.
Alot less expensive than 80/gallon as well.
The oil varnish lends a nice warm color to the wood.

Be very careful when you sand that you don't sand through the face of the flooring and expose the tounge etc. It doesnt take long for a drum sander to eat through the thin surface of that flooring. Keep that sander moving. Its always easier to go back and sand an area again a little more, than it is to turn sanding dust back into wood floor, if you catch my drift.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Can Mega be purchased by a home owner? I've read that Traffic is hard to get unless you're a contractor.
We REALLY like the finish we achieved in the bedroom by only using the Varathane sealer.
http://www.rustoleum.com/product.asp?frm_product_id=662&SBL=1

Do you have any lower priced suggestions than the Bona products?

Any thoughts on the floor creeks?

THANKS!!!
 
#8 ·
You should be able to buy the Mega on line without any trouble. I get mine from a local flooring distributor. They didn't know I was a flooring guy and didn't ask they just sold it to me.

The squeaks can be caused by several things.

1. wood to wood squeaking between the flooring boards or flooring boards and the sub floor.

2. wood to fastener squeaking which is a loose fastener which allows the floor to rise and fall when stepped on which causes a squeak when it slides up an down the fastener.

You should be able to locate the squeaks, install a nail through the face of the flooring or trim head screw and fill the hole and sand flush.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top