Johnson Flooring Co. Inc. I have read several of your discussions on the more scandinavian/nordic process on white oak. One of my clients just had some installed using the following process: water pop, Bona white drifast, and now we are debating just a water based standard high traffic sealant or adding another coat of white/ nordic seal on top. The white oak pulled a little tannin-ish with a few pink spots. Not horrible, but the client is looking for a more muted tone in the white and ash range of nordic flooring. Would you recommend adding another coat of white or nordic? Have you run into jobs where water popping and one coat white with one coat nordic seal is sufficient? Thanks again for your time and expertise. We appreciate it.

Oddly enough, taupe colored White Oak sometimes gets a bit of a rosy tone when pickled white. I would caution against doing another coat of stain due to adhesion concerns. Once the wood soaks in a coat of stain there's little to be gained with a second coat. A film of stain on the surface could well cause the urethane to debond and peel.

I think the NordicSeal is a great idea. We do a lot of white floors. For some people you can't get it too white but the current sealers and finishes yield a product that's not as white as in the past. I've been looking to use NordicSeal in place of ClassicSeal on white floors and see no reason why it wouldn't work. When we bleach or water pop we do three finish coats. I think two urethane coats is sufficient for wear so the first coat of sealer does a better job at a lower price.

That said, I don't think you'll see a huge change with a coat of NordicSeal so make a sample in an inconspicuous area if possible. I'd be comfortable with up to two coats of sealer followed by two urethane coats.

Nordic seal cannot be applied over stain. Your best bet is to get Bona's water base sport line paint and add it to Intense Seal. You will not have a adhesion issue that method. Otherwise, you will need to strip the flooring bare. And then apply as many coats of Nordic Seal as you wish. The more coats, the more intense the white. I do recommend abrading after two coats.

I stand corrected! Bona doesn't recommend NordicSeal be used over a stain. I suspect it's to avoid issues with color uniformity if applied over a stain darker than natural, rather than an adhesion issue. NaturalSeal has the same prohibition. ClassicSeal and IntenseSeal don't mention application over stain while AmberSeal specifically states it can be applied over stain.

Natural DuraSeal would be darker and more gold than NordicSeal, NaturalSeal or Classic Seal. Maybe that's the look you want but you should ask for a sample if you go with that person. I don't have any idea what an "oil base sealer in a light color" is but it sounds questionable. I must assume they're suggesting Mega HD for the first coat to save a little money on Traffic HD. It might save as much as 25 cents per square foot. I think I'd use Traffic on both coats.