What brand finish works/doesn't work well on old oak floors

newtonian

18 years ago

Hope board allows posting of brand names.

What oak floor polyurethane finish has worked well for you, or what hasn't?

There are so many choices; finishes and brands and we have no idea what to use that will be durable over the years.

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Comments (7)

E
18 years ago
Are you sanding down and then applying a finish or are you just trying to put a new coat on existing?

If the floors have a lot of imperfections, choose a satin finish.

Describe what you're doing in more detail...
marthavila
18 years ago
I have the same question. And, I'm sanding down a 100+ years old oak parquet floor. Thanks for advice as to best finish!
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bemis99
18 years ago
Bona Kemi Traffic Satin
marthavila
18 years ago
Thank you Bemis99. Can I ask you to go a bit further and tell me why? :) And, while we're at it, I'm also considering an oil finish. Where oil is an option for use on old oak floors, would you still suggest a satin poly finish? Again, why?
vjrnts
18 years ago
We had our 85-year-old floors professionally sanded and finished with Glitsa. It's what our flooring guy called a "Swedish finish" and it was stiiiiiinkay! But it's beautiful, our floors look brand new.

The problem is that I'm sure that the guys who applied it were wearing respirators while they spread it; the fumes 24 hours later when I came in to open the windows were awful, and we could smell it when the house had been closed up for at least a month. If you're doing your own work I think I would pick something a little less pungent. Nevertheless, it's a lovely, tough finish.

Vicki
mary_lu_gw
18 years ago
We haven't used it yet, but plan to use it on all our floors in our old home. I first heard about it here on the forum. Lots of people had good things to say about it.
Link to site below. They have pictures of various applications.
Mary Lu

Here is a link that might be useful: Waterlox : Tung Oil Wood Finish
bemis99
18 years ago
Try searching the flooring forum for suggestions. I finished my 90 year old quartersawn oak floors with Bona Kemi stain and water based poly finish. They look great, and are holding up very well. Professional grade water based finishes are really the way to go if you want to avoid fumes in the house. There are plenty of threads in the flooring forum regarding finishes. Searching Bona Kemi would be a good start.

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What brand finish works/doesn't work well on old oak floors

Comments (7)

E

marthavila

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