There's a nice long thread in the Kitchens forum about someone who just applied OSMO herself, and others chime in who have had osmo-finished floors for a while -- check it out: Here is a link that might be useful: Show me your OSMO floor

UFSC: Thank you for the great information. I want to test the Pallman Oil further. Has it worked well for you to apply regular stain underneath to achieve the color you want? MiaOKC: I talked to someone who finishes hardwood floors and he really didn't like the Rubio Monocoat at all. He said he has seen a lot of problems, but he wasn't more specific than this. So I have ruled this out. He also doesn't like the Waterlox finish because he says the smell is just terrible, and he's had boards that still smelled two years later. So I've ruled this out as well. Which leaves Pullman Magic Oil and Osmo. I have tested the Osmo and I liked the result. I just need to play around with the colors, and the samples are pretty expensive. I'm having trouble finding a source where I can buy a sample of the Pallman oil. Can anyone help? This post was edited by TXBluebonnet11 on Mon, Oct 7, 13 at 16:50

I realize this post is super old, but I just wanted to share some critical information with anyone considering Osmo on their floors. I just finished installing 2800 SF of flooring and finishing it with Osmo. I think I like the look, but the verdict is still out. It's definitely a more rustic look, so keep this in mind. I don't know if we didn't sand well enough, but the floor finish is not as even as I would have liked. Hopefully the look will grow on me. What I wanted everyone to know is that rags soaked with Osmo will spontaneously combust!!! There's a warning label on the can, but it's not especially noticeable, and we didn't read everything on the can. Well, let me just say... our rags spontaneously caught on fire, so take the warning very seriously. We had thrown the dirty rags in the trash and about 12 am, the bags caught on fire. Luckily, the bags were in our front yard awaiting trash pickup the next morning so the house was safe. Fortunately, my neighbor's dog alerted our neighbor, who called the fire department in the middle of the night to put out the fire. The flames were 6 feet high in no time. So if you use Osmo, do not under any circumstances leave soaked rags lying around and never, ever leave them inside of your house. I just wanted to get the warning out there. I feel blessed that no further damage was done but it would have been catastrophic had we not taken out the trash and if our neighbors didn't have such an alert dog.

daisychain - The lumber place had samples of both stained and natural flooring - what did you read that made it sound like you couldn't stain? So here's the sum total of what I've been told or know from experience - the lumber place that recommends penetrating oil says it is a renewable finish that will not require reworking the entire existing finish if one area is taking more wear and needs a refresh - you can just blend the areas as a homeowner, no professional needed. That's a huge plus in my book. It's a subtle finish, the wood doesn't look coated and that appeals to me because I don't want a shiny floor. The floor finishers that prefer to use urethane products say the fact that oil penetrates and doesn't sit on top is the indicator that it's not really protecting the floor. Well, yeah, I guess I can sort of see that but the second anything breaches that coating (a dropped knife in the kitchen, dogs nails, etc) you can do a spot repair but it will never really blend in - been there done that. I've had petroleum based urethane finishes and water based finishes and of the 2, prefer the petroleum based for the wear-ability and because it doesn't look as plastic-y as water based, but if you want natural floors they will yellow. Mine were stained and that wasn't an issue. People have had wood floors for a lot longer than urethane coatings have been available and those floors lasted a long time. My son used Waterlox on a kitchen island top that he made. He loved it and it held up well in that situation but it isn't a look that I want on my floors. Here's a link to a product comparison page from that lumber yard - maybe this will give you some help. i'm still stumbling in the dark, too.