Oil VS, Water poly cost
gregdrose
7 years ago
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millworkman
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Oil vs. Water-Based finishes
Comments (14)I'm in the same boat here as far as having to choose between the two (oil/acid or water based). As part of a gut to the walls remodel, I'm having about 650 sq ft. of CVG fir floors installed. I've talked to my flooring installer at length about the relative pros/cons of the various finishes. The conclusion I've come to is that yes, durability can be equal or better with a water based finish, but depending on the wood, the look may or may not be what you want. The guy doing my floors is a one man operation, hard to get because he is so much in demand for the quality of work that he does. He told me that, at least for the fir that I'm doing, although the durability would probably be the same, I most likely would not be happy with the water based finish, even Bona Traffic. He said that for some woods it's great, but does not bring out the color like Glitza does, at least for the fir. We are going to do the first 2 coats with Glitza acid cure, then the top coat with Glitza's new water based finish. According to him, the new water based finish from Glitza is truly state of the art, the best there is at the moment. So, I'm going to sacrifice & find a place to stay for couple of days (with my two cats) while the initial two coates of Glitza acid cure is applied. We are then going to cover the floor with a felt cloth and masonite, finish the rest of the work on the house, then at the end, do the final finish coat with the new Glitza water based finish. I really want to bring out the best in this flooring. It is old growth, 200+ probably year old Doug fir, sold in a hazardous tree sale by the forest service. It was rough milled and stored for about the last 6 years. The material for my floor was hand picked, then sent the the mill and milled into flooring for my project. My interior doors, entrance door, and all of my base, case and window trim has all been custom milled from the same batch of wood, so I'm really excited to see it come together....See MoreOil vs water based poly for hardwoods
Comments (7)Well, first, thanks to all for not abusing me for failing to realize there is a GW Flooring forum. Duh. I have hung out for years on the kitchen and appliance forums and just assumed this would be the place to post. Appreciate all of you helping despite the mistake. At any rate, I did search Bona Traffic and clearly it's the only water-based poly that gets props. Otherwise, oil based is regarded as more durable than other water based polys. Not sure if we'll like the yellowing with the oil, but the floor guy is willing to do some samples so we can see. Would you reject water based if they can't do Bona Traffic (which I gather requires some expertise, and not all vendors will use it) and go with oil based? The location is second floor hallways and master bedroom, not super high traffic areas, but also the stairways, which do get a lot of traffic. Finally, can Bona Traffic be used over existing water based poly? It's time to rescreen our kitchen floors, which were done with generic water based (before I got smart and posted on GW)....See Morered and white oak natural finish-water or oil poly
Comments (4)The floors will look different with water based finish, since that rich warmth you like is the result of using oil based finishes. Water based finishes do not add the amber/rich tint. That results in a look that often looks washed out or bleached. It is actually the natural color of the finished wood with no added color, but people are so used to the added tint of oil based finishes, seeing an application without the amber tint looks different. You are correct in the fact water based finishes dry more quickly and do not smell as bad. The science of creating finishes have made water based finishes better and almost as serviceable as oil based finishes. Once oil based finishes completely cure(up to 30 days for area rugs) and 2-3 days to walk on, there should be no odor. I applied oil based floor poly on our floors and the smell was gone in three days. It was(is) nasty when applied/curing, but no odor after curing. Getting the rich color you like will be problematic when using water based finishes, since that tone would need to be created with a stain or dye. Not impossible, just difficult to find the exact recipe of colorants....See Moreoil vs water based poly for refinishing wood floors?
Comments (5)The 2part water based products in the middle to high-end range (more than $130/gallon) will out perform your every-day oil based finish. To get the toughest finish for your budget, I like to see 3 coats of whatever you are working with. The two-coat system often requires a 'buff and recoat' by year 15 (some people need it done by year 11 or 12). If you go with the three coat system RIGHT AWAY then you can skip this step in the future. The benefits to water based: They are clear and colourless and do NOT turn yellow. They have a very fast 'cure time' of 7-10 days. They are (normally) low odour which is a great benefit to those of us who have chemical sensitivities, asthma, COPD, migraines, history of nose bleeds, etc. The down side to OIL based: They turn orange rather quickly (within a few months) and they get darker and darker as they age. They take a LONG time to cure (full hardness = full toughness) like 30+ days. The ODOUR is one of the greatest drawbacks to oil based. For some, they can 'handle' living on the same level of the floors within 2 weeks. Whereas others (I'm included) cannot live in any part of the house until 4 weeks has passed....See Moreneedinfo1
7 years agojnavarro31
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoJane
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7 years agoVith
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoUser
7 years agoUser
7 years ago
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