wax wood floors vs poly?

9 years ago

My mother is thinking of installing wood floors in her condo. I'm in charge of research. I am wondering if anyone does old school waxed floors any more. I realize they require upkeep but on the positive side, if you do the upkeep you never have to sand them down again.

Anyone still put in waxed floors? Pros and Cons?

(I did numerous searched before posting the question, but did not see any posts addressing this specifically.)

thanks in advance for your replies!

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Comments (4)

User
9 years ago
Wax alone is never used on wood. It would be a joke as far as finishing goes. Wax on top of shellac is what was traditionally used, and it's fine for a piece of furniture that sees no wear. Meanwhile, in the real world, people that use their floors do not want to be stripping and applying new and buffing constantly and worrying about damp feet creating white spots on the wax, and worrying about spills damaging it.
glennsfc
9 years ago
If you want a non-film forming finish to a wood floor, look into the hardwax oil products, such as that made by Rubio.
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Another option would be to hire a floor refinisher to clean with mineral spirits, treat the floors with Dura Seal Renovator and buff with fine steel wool then apply paste wax and buff. It's probably similar to the product you mentioned. Wax and buff again in a couple weeks then in six months. Do high traffic areas as needed then clean with mineral spirits, apply wax and buff once a year. Lower traffic areas won't need as much attention as high traffic areas. Once you get a nice wax patina you'll be able to buff out scuffs and you can switch from a paste wax to a liquid wax (NOT self-polishing wax) that will dry faster and buff up nicely.
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My suggestions may not be applicable to your situation. I have dark oak flooring from the 1970's that was supposedly factory-finished except that the finish wasn't very good. So I wax. Try to remove the old wax with an oil-based solvent such as mineral spirits(? I forget what I used) or lacquer thinner. These are pretty bad, so make sure you have adequate ventilation. Your hardware store may have other suggestions. Just get on the floor with the solvent, paper towels, gloves, gentle scrub brush, and trash can. It's easier to control the amount of solvent and cleaning if you clean the floor manually. The paper towels indicate how much junk is left on the floor. Being close to the floor gives you a better idea of how much soil/sand/debris is left. I used to use Johnson's paste wax, which was fine, except that the flooring has a very "rustic" texture which made removing excess wax impossible. The build-up eventually turned yellow. So now I use Bruce "liquid wax with cleaner". It doesn't last as long as paste wax, but the process doesn't take as long. Again, I just get down on the floors, pour and wipe to spread, wait a few minutes, and buff by hand with old terrycloth towels or old socks. I used to use a buffer, but it got too hard to handle as I got older. Plus, the areas next to the wall had to be buffed by hand anyway. Just put yourself in a Zen state. Wax as needed. You can spot wax the areas with heavy traffic. Just don't wax too frequently. Once a year may be enough. HTH
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Given that we have actually attended the World of Concrete convention, I’d say I’m quite comfortable with the material. What you’re describing is pretty much a failure of the material in design or install, not typical. Even your average garage floor, which is the cheapest of the cheap in install and quality, doesn’t have the durability and etching issues you’re describing. The costs you’re describing are also WAY out of line for anything I have seen, even with fiber reinforced and stained, with multiple sealing passes. Especially on a slab, you’d be hard pressed to hit $12 a square foot all done and done unless you’re being seriously ripped off, especially on top of an existing slab - that makes everything easier :) Over timber framing the costs go up and the mitigation needed to create a good base becomes more complex, but still not significantly beyond a tile product. And the possibilities for design are vast (props to WoC again, I didn’t know half those techniques and products existed!). I agree it’s not a budget finish in some circumstances, but having a good mix design for residential finish application is NOT difficult to obtain, especially if you’re working with a good contractor and not just directly with the batch plant (easier but only if you know what you’re doing, like with any fabrication mill). I wouldn’t be scared off OP - if it is a look you want go for it. If you’re ‘meh’ about it, a cheap tile will be easier to manage, especially in a small space. But you can do a very nice job, even DIY, if you have a slab already and like the material. What can I say, I’m an optimist and concrete is fantastic stuff.
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User
9 years ago
In short, if you want a floor that's easier to touch up, doesn't look plastic, don't mind slipperiness and regular maintenance, get the wax. Wax is usually applied after two coats of sealer like the ones made by Dura Seal.

If you want a floor that is less slippery, can be maintained easily and don't mind that it is hard to touch up if you get a scratch and needs to be recoated every 5 to 15 years, get poly.

New generation hardwax oil finishes add a bit of durability over waxed floors but still need specialized maintenance products.

Do a Google search and you're bound to find volumes of opinions on each type of finish.
ralphevans
9 years ago
The wax-finished surface has a beauty all its own, although it cannot really be said that it reproduces the effect of a hand. The old standard does a good job protecting wood but needs periodic rewaxing and buffing. And eventually the built up layers have to be stripped and replaced. That's the downside. The upside is a deep patina that most other finishes can't match. It's also easy to blend in paste wax over worn or damaged areas Ã¯Â¿Â½Ã¯Â¿Â½" something that's difficult to do with urethane without leaving lap marks.

wax wood floors vs poly?

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glennsfc

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ralphevans

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