Anyone with Waterlox or similar floor finish?

16 years ago

Hi guys,

I'm putting new wood floors in the house we just bought (my second kitchen remodel in three years! :-). I've been hearing about modern tung oil (Waterlox or Synteko) or linseed oil (Trip Trap) finishes for wood. On the one hand, I love that they don't show scratches as much as poly, and they're easier to renew. On the other hand, I've read they're more easily damaged, especially by cleaners, solvents & urine (yes, I have a potty-training two year old). And I wonder if they're as water-resistant as poly.

So, does anyone have this kind of finish on their floors? How has it held up? How high-maintenance is it?

Thanks,

kim

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

ajpl
16 years ago
We used linseed oil on our ceilings and a different oil product on our floors. It looks nice but is very soft. It does cause water to bead up and you can easily wipe the spot away. We wish we had used the linseed on the floors as well b/c the stuff we used smelled terrible. We will use linseed when we do a 2nd coat this summer.

We had a similar floor in our old house and I will say that cleaners like Mr. Clean can eat away at the finish and urine definitely leaves a stipped spot on the floor (cat urine in our case as the boy was pretty quick on the toilet training). If you could clean up the offending liquid quickly it left no mark except for the removal of the oil and then you can reapply the oil. For regular cleaning we used Murphy's Oil Soap and liked it.
ccoombs1
16 years ago
waterlox finish is more easily damaged, but it is also VERY easy to spot repair. I have heard bleach is very hard on it so if you like cleaning your floors with bleach, waterlox might not be the right finish for you. For me, it's perfect. I have a big active pit bull in the house and I know she will scratch my floors. With waterlox, it does not worry me one bit.
Related Discussions
u-sand and waterlox finish question
Q
Comments (8)
Oh, your living conditions sound exactly like mine!! We live in the country with lots of dirt and sand. We don't have a "shoe-free" house and we have 3 indoor/outdoor dogs, one of which weighs 70 pounds. I installed quartersawn white oak floors, sanded them myself with a U-sand and finished them with the medium gloss Waterlox (I think it's the original finish). The Usand is really really easy to use and catches almost all of the sawdust. But it also is VERY slow going. My floors were almost perfect prior to sanding and it still took forever. Things that needed to be sanded off (mfg grading marks and some machine marks) were nearly impossible to sand off. I did save a bunch of money, but I honestly do think when I get ready to install the flooring in the master bedroom, I will hire some pro's to sand it. DIY waterlox, on the other hand, was a very positive experience. It is very easy to apply and the finish is gorgeous. It scratches....but no worse than any other finish and the scratches are easy to touch up. When applying it, use a vapor respirator. You can get one made for paint fumes at lowes for around $25. It blocked all the odor. When I did my floors, money was really tight and hiring a sanding crew was out of the question. That's the main reason I used the U-sand. I don't regret it, but I know a pro could have gottem me a lot nicer job. Since you have 1/16" of wood to remove, I honestly think you may be better off getting a crew to come in and sand. A U-sand uses four orbital pads. The pros will use a big drum sander. If you have never used a drum sander I'll warn you....you can destroy your floors really quickly with them. It's not something that I would ever try doing, and I'll tackle almost anything! Cindy
...See More
Problems with Waterlox & can you use oil based poly over Waterlox
Q
Comments (6)
We have butcher block counter tops including around the sinks in the kitchen and the bathrooms. I used Waterlox on all of our butcher block counter tops two years ago. We loved it at first. But after 2 years it has some deep stains that can only be removed by deep sanding down to the wood. This brown stain is caused by getting baking soda based cleaning and bathing products on the surface especially around the tub and the sinks. This causes a medium brown stain wherever the baking soda water splashed onto the surface that must be sanded out. There are also some light colored stains around the sinks that I don't know what caused them. These look like water marks, but I don't think they are caused by water. Possibly these are caused by splashing mouth wash containing alcohol, but am not sure. I would not use Waterlox again if I had to start over. I would use an oil based exterior poly urethane made specifically for wood floors that can also be used on counter tops. Just my opinion. Try a small spot to experiment.
...See More
Butcher block w/Waterlox finish...not what I expected
Q
Comments (24)
Thanks for all of your input. I've discovered what was in the container that came along with my countertop - mineral oil. Which explains why the countertops have not performed up to my expectations. After talking to my contractor and the fabricator, I believe the breakdown in communication was with the office staff of the contractor who actually placed the order for the top. They did not specify a waterlox finish that I had emphatically requested. So...my contractor has agreed to refinish the tops himself with waterlox. During this discovery process, I talked to the man who owns the company that made my countertops. He said the process to re-do the finish would be to go over the wood with mineral spirits a couple of times to draw out the oil as much as possible (I have not added any more oil). Go over the wood with a fine grit sandpaper to smooth the roughness and then proceed with the waterlox application. One coat per day. Can anyone who has experience with this process give me advice? Will these steps be enough to get a professional finish on the tops? I am disappointed that I will not be able to finish the undersides of the counters because they are already bolted down to the cabinets. I am afraid that may cause problems down the road. Any input from experienced users of waterlox would be greatly appreciated!!
...See More
Waterlox / antique door finishing question
Q
Comments (5)
Your door looks incredible! I spent two weekends of my life fiddling around with various finishes and techniques to get new poplar to match the original in my house, and while I'm proud of my results, I see I have barely scratched the surface. Thank you for the tip about the Bartley's. I will definitely try it. Does the Bartley's give a slight yellowing to the color tone the way polyurethane does? Because if you look in my first picture, you'll see that the molding framing the door has a yellowish cast when compared to the door itself. I was counting on my last clear coat to impart a bit of yellow to bring it all together, but if the Bartley's is really clear, perhaps I should do something else first. I'm curious because in your picture it looks like you used the varnish for the exterior side of the door as well. I've been looking for something to finish the front door of my house, which is in an enclosed front porch, but still, the exterior side is subjected to temperature and humidity extremes that might not be compatible with some interior finishes. Do you think the Bartley's would work in that setting as well? Thank you, again, from steering me clear of a disaster. I am looking forward to trying waterlox on bare wood, but you are right, a penetrating finish over sealer would be challenging. The more I learn, the more I realize I need to learn... :-)
...See More
mom2lilenj
16 years ago
I have waterlox in my soon to be kitchen (well maybe not really soon) and dining room. My floor is varied 3"-5" width 100+ year old quarter-sawn oak floor. It's a bit beat up and I like it that way, so I wasn't concerned about scratches. The first day we moved the dining room furniture back in, we noticably scratched the floor in a couple of places. I rubbed them out with a rag soaked in mineral spirits. The dog already peed on the floor once, cleaned right up with no spots. I picked Waterlox specifically for the water resistance because it soaks into the wood, if you get a scratch it still protects the wood where as with poly if you scratch it enough, water can penetrate and get under the finish and if bad enough can lift the finish. I use a swiffer with the dry cloth if dusting and the wood floor wet cloth for heavier cleaning. So far it's been very easy to take care of.

I'm not sure if it's true or not, but I heard Murphy's Oil Soap is fine to use, but can dull the Waterlox finish.
artielange
16 years ago
We have Waterlox on 1500 sq ft of cherry flooring that was installed 14 years ago. We have never refinished it. The less traffic-y areas still have a beautiful shine. The kitchen isn't glossy but does still have a sheen. I have 3 dogs and have had kids growing up through these years and I absolutely love the Waterlox finish. It is much more natural than a polyurethane-type finish. Recently we have been commenting that some of the floor areas could use refinishing but we have definitely gotten mileage out of Waterlox and I wouldn't hesitate to use it again. My cleaning team uses Murphy's Oil Soap on it every two weeks.

Anyone with Waterlox or similar floor finish?

Comments (4)

ajpl

ccoombs1

Related Discussions

mom2lilenj

artielange

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US