jbean26 Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 Hi All, We are installing a yellow pine floor and a white pine floor in two areas of our new home. The wood was milled from our home site so we are excited to be using it in this way. The two rooms are our loft, which is the master bedroom and our spare bedroom. I'm looking for advice on how to finish the floor. We aren't concerned with dings, scratches, and dents...it's a pine floor and we are fine with the character. I've never been a big fan of Poly-Urethane finishes for multiple reasons. Has anyone used anything that they were really happy with on a similar floor or have any suggestions! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddclippinger Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 As a remodeling contractor I get to use a lot of different products on a daily basis or work with other contractors that use products that I have not. One of the products that impressed me for flooring was Waterlox. http://www.waterlox.com/solutions/ Most flooring contractors use a type of urethane that is a 2-part mix that cures as a chemical reaction. This is a film type of finish that when scratched or dented heavily can cause a little bit of separation at the point of damage and peel off over time. One flooring contractor I met on a job was using Waterlox and swears by it. It is more like using oil on the wood where it soaks into the wood. It is easily renewed with a maintenance coat and does not form a film finish, it looks like a hand-rubbed oil finish. This is highly desirable since rustic log homes are popular here in Montana. Since it is not a film type finish, any damaged area does not suffer from the finish popping off. This is better in the long run. Do not be put off by the price per gallon, if you are purchasing a quality professional product for a floor coating, it is competitive. If you are looking for something in the $35 per gallon price range, you will be disappointed in the results over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbean26 Posted March 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 Thanks Todd for the insight. You are right it is pretty pricey but based on there video's looks pretty amazing when done. Guessing if we wanted something with lower VOC's it might not hold up as well? Just wondering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suiciedchild Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 Harco makes a good shellac based primer/sealer, Lenmar is the brand of poly I use and would recomend , thin about 16oz of thinner to 1 gallon. One of the types of 2 part finsh that Todd was talking about is made by a company called Bona ( I believe that the line is called "Traffic" ) it does work well , i have never heard of it sepperating from the floor but i wouldn't risk it if someone else has. Especially with pine floors that will dent if you look at it too hard. personally i would go with a Low/satin gloss , agian anticipating the denting and scratches will be less visible, An option you may consider that i have seen done a few times before, since you are already anticipating the denting and dinging, leave you floors unfinished ( sanded smooth) for a couple weeks, without the protection of the poly they will get dented and scratched much faster just from the use ( you can also add your own " distressing" through variuos methods like putting a couple small pebbles on the floor and stepping on them lightly, hand scraper , chain or anything really ) , after a little bit of time you can rub a darker stain across the floor and do a lighter sanding after it is dry, the stain will stay in the areas that have already been dented, giveing it the look of already being aged and refinished, then finish like the way you feel comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoboMonk Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 FWIW: We have refinished various floors (pine, oak and maple) in my 80+ year old Sears kit home with Waterlox. We are getting ready to refinish stair treads (Southern Yellow Pine) with Waterlox. I frequently use Waterlox products in my wood crafting business. Waterlox is a fully cooked varnish made with tung oil, natural resins and phenolic resins. Good stuff. Blessings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddclippinger Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 HoboMonk has solid experience I would consider his remarks to carry great weight. I just came over to tell you that a local friend had asked about what to put on his new vertical grain doug fir stair treads and I recommended Waterlox. He loves the results. I have not seen them yet I will have to stop by and check them out in the next week or so. Everything looks good in the beginning anyway, it is the long-term performance I am interested in. I am with FloorBoard too, stick with a satin finish for the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbean26 Posted March 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Thanks again Todd..I think all I need to do is convince the wife that cost is worth it. I told her I thought I'd made the choice but she had a little sticker shock I think. We'll see if I can make it stick though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derwood Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Third milky tung, third mineral spirits, and believe it, third spar. Adjust accordingly for dry times, more mineral, faster dry, thinner coat, more coats. That's not a problem for me but some are two coat types. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derwood Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Third tung oil by Real Milk Paint CO. ( eBay) , third mineral spirits, and believe it, third spar. Adjust accordingly for dry times, more mineral, faster dry, thinner coat, more coats. That's not a problem for me but some are two coat types. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CessnaPilotBarry Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 The oak floors and staircases I've installed in my home are finished with Waterlox Original, and a no-longer available, but very similar competitor, McCloskey Gym Seal. I highly recommend it! We don't baby them, and floors that were done 15 years ago and still look nearly new. To me the real telling is the stairs... Finishing was easy, sand to 150, coat with a lambswool bonnet, screen, recoat, screen, recoat. I've recommended Waterlox to lots of locals. Many ended up using much cheaper home center poly, which hasn't held up anywhere near as well as Waterlox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmykx250 Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Please post pics i would love to see the floors. WE are currently shopping for new (reclamed) heart or longleaf pine. Real milk paint 100% raw tung oil is the directiion i may want to go in- just beacuse i did a walnut kitchen table 1 year ago anf it just looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derwood Posted April 1, 2012 Report Share Posted April 1, 2012 I have a CT river valley tobacco counter in my workshop. Great setup but looking to get rid of it for a fair price. 16' l x 2- 31/2 w with some beech in the mix. Guessing it at at least a hundred years old if not more. You can have it, name a RO and you pay ship. Not kidding, will post pics when I get my stuff off I if youd like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbean26 Posted April 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2012 Has anyone else finished a floor with 100% Pure Tung Oil? I was looking at some results and it looks pretty interesting. I like the that it has no VOC's compared to the Waterlox but I'm hearing a lot of good things on the Waterlox so I don't want to discount it for that reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derwood Posted April 14, 2012 Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 A floor in tung oil, real tung oil, and your house will stink. Not to mention wiping up the puddles that ooze out of the floors would drive you batty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmykx250 Posted April 15, 2012 Report Share Posted April 15, 2012 A floor in tung oil, real tung oil, and your house will stink. Not to mention wiping up the puddles that ooze out of the floors would drive you batty. Derwood- Not sure what you mean by puddles that ooze out? I used real milk paint's 100% real tung oil and have no such problems on my walnut kitchen table. Yes the odor is strong but only until it cures- then it's fine and i love the water resistance of this finish- no it will not develop a shield so to speak like poly will but it definately protects. I love this product and it's great for touch ups because there is no prep to do so. I can also say the table is a year old and still looks great and no liquid stains! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derwood Posted April 21, 2012 Report Share Posted April 21, 2012 Man you love that walnut kitchen tunged up table! ) lol. I was referring to the puddles that can seep out of an overfilled, but good, tung oil soaked grain. When it looks like a glob, puddle, or just too much, wipe down. Then repeat the process till you have soaked the peice. It's tedious, but done correctly, worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Burchfield Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Hopefully, someone sees this and can help me. We had someone install stair treads going down to the basement. He put on 2 coats of stain, but no poly. I don't want to put poly, but would like something that protects the wood, but also gives it a fresh look. Would the WaterLox work for this and is it easy to apply. I'm not a patient person and the thought of doing poly stressed me out bad! Please someone help me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 35 minutes ago, Jennifer Burchfield said: Hopefully, someone sees this and can help me. We had someone install stair treads going down to the basement. He put on 2 coats of stain, but no poly. I don't want to put poly, but would like something that protects the wood, but also gives it a fresh look. Would the WaterLox work for this and is it easy to apply. I'm not a patient person and the thought of doing poly stressed me out bad! Please someone help me! Waterlox is just a mix of poly and oil. If you have an aversion to poly (for whatever reason) then it makes no sense to use Waterlox. I don't think it is any easier to apply than a standard oil polyurethane and is less protective. Polys get a bad rap for looking like plastic, but that only happens if you build a lot of coats. 3 or 3 coats of poly won't look plasticky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 11, 2017 Report Share Posted February 11, 2017 Oil-based finishes will stick up you house, though. I would suggest a water-bourne polyurathane. It really is the best bet for prote ting the stair treads. And they will need it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted February 13, 2017 Report Share Posted February 13, 2017 The last Yellow Pine floors I refinished, we used Bona Naturale as the base coat, and Bona Traffic HD for two top coats. It's what I would use again (edited to add: if people were living in the house). The house we live in, that I built in 1980, has Heart Pine floors that I put Moisture Cure Urethane on. It's never been redone since then, and not in bad shape now. MCU is extremely high VOC, and the Bona stuff is pretty low. Both are really easy to apply, if you know how, but you have to GO! when applying the MCU. The Bona stuff is really easy. You just flood it on, and push it around with a squeegee. I would never put anything on a floor that was less durable than either of these finishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenlyons Posted January 6, 2018 Report Share Posted January 6, 2018 On 2/13/2017 at 6:05 PM, Tom King said: The last Yellow Pine floors I refinished, we used Bona Naturale as the base coat, and Bona Traffic HD for two top coats. It's what I would use again. The house we live in, that I built in 1980, has Heart Pine floors that I put Moisture Cure Urethane on. It's never been redone since then, and not in bad shape now. MCU is extremely high VOC, and the Bona stuff is pretty low. Both are really easy to apply, if you know how, but you have to GO! when applying the MCU. The Bona stuff is really easy. You just flood it on, and push it around with a squeegee. I would never put anything on a floor that was less durable than either of these finishes. How long did you wait between coats of Bona Traffic hd? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted January 6, 2018 Report Share Posted January 6, 2018 I waited until the next day, for no reason other than we had other stuff to do, so we hit that floor first thing in the mornings, and then went to do other things. I don't expect people to pay us to wait for paint, or floor finish to dry. I haven't lived in a house with that finish, but any floor we've ever done with it has brought no complaints. If it was a house that no one was living in, I'd still use MCU-just get it on, and leave until tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimayo Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 I used Waterlox on a piece of furniture a few years ago and loved the way it went on and looked. A year or so ago, someone spilled some kind of medication on it that took off a soft drink can sized spot of finish; down to the wood. Can't prove it, but I don't think that would have happened to poly. Again, I like working with Waterlox, but considering the price, I wonder if it is that much better than a mix of BLO or tung, MS, and a good varnish (I think spar varnish is too soft). I've used this on furniture as well and I don't see a lot of difference except for price. Although, I haven't tried spilling any medication on it . I think ease of repair would be similar. Just my experience, I bow to those with more experience and knowledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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