Let's start with the name of the product that was used. There are SOOO many variations of "water" based, that I could choke. I've seen 'water borne' finishes have VOC's so high that they are illegal in California! And water-borne is slightly different than water based (it took me YEARS of working in the flooring business to figure that one out). The professionals who do not have a ton of training (excellent work....but not a lot of chemical know-how to back them up) are often stumped by the differences between water based, water borne and oil modified water borne/based finishes. They all say "water" in them somewhere. But they all have different odour profiles as well as VOC profiles.

I even had one "professional" (it still hurts to use that title for him) who thought he had been using water based products for 40 years. He thought that because they "poured like water" they were 'water based'. He had NO IDEA that he had been using low-grade oil based polyurethanes for the entire time. No. I'm not joking. This guy is still around refinishing floors (and ruining a few cork floors along the way).

Sigh. Needless to say, we won't be able to figure out why an 'odour' still remains. But it is entirely possible that a high-VOC 'water borne' finish will have plenty of odour over the time it takes to cure (10-15 days for some of these products).

And the level of odour is also part of the equation. The oil based polyurethanes can give most people headaches (migraines to many) and to a small few some nose bleeds while they cure. The HEAVY, nauseating, odours can remain for 30+ days...especially if the house is closed up.

Please find out the product your refinisher used...and how long it has been since the FINAL coat was applied.

Photos of the floor and the can would also be very helpful.

Thanks this is helpful information. If it is not truly water based, we’re being told not to open up the house because the floor could warp, how long is that for? How long should we stay out of the house? I’m worried because it’s the middle of winter. It’s been about a week and the scent is still here.

Staying out of the house is a two part decision. The FIRST part is the "cure time". A water based or water borne product has a full cure of 10 days or LESS!!!!

The second part is the personal aspect. If you have medical symptoms while in the home (stuffy nose, migraine, nose bleeds, asthmatic response, etc) then you need to remain out for as long as your symptoms persist.

Opening the windows will help. Raising the temperature in the home (with a few windows open and a whole bunch of fans running) will also help.

Again, this comes down to the ACTUAL PRODUCT. Without that information, it is anyone's guess. Please contact your professional and get the name/maker of the product.

Any warping or cupping would come from moisture causing the wood flooring to move, shrink, or swell.

Ask for the brand and name of the finish. Tell them you want to research how it's to be maintained.

Was the floor stained? Stains usually aren't water based. I suppose you could have a little smell after a week with the house closed up.

Was any other work done, like painting? Are you especially sensitive to smells?

Thanks everyone for your feedback. The poly is called Procoat H20 IL Satin. The stain was Minwax. The poly company is saying it’s probably the stain which isn’t water based but is still “nontoxic”. We are simultaneously having brand new cabinets installed so I’m thinking there is an additional smell because of that. Our flooring guy said keep some fans going and maybe turn the heat up and try to crack the windows but not have them full blown open because that may cause us to get squeaks in the floor - my husband’s biggest fear. I think we just really picked a terrible time of year for this project. We have seen some of the planks separating already but I’m hoping that isn’t permanent.

I have no experience with these hybrid finishes but after reading their promotional information, I suspect it does smell. I see that nowhere does it claim to be low odor. I don't know what the indoor and outdoor humidity are where you live but if it's typically quite dry in the winter, you should look into whole home humidification.

For now, running a little heat to encourage the solvents to evaporate, then opening the house up for a short period to exchange the air should reduce the smell faster.

As I thought this is an oil modified water borne urethane (H2Oil is the actual name). It has a VOC content of 215g/L for the satin which is CARB II VOC compliant (275g/L or less is the requirement for California).

The Minwax stain is most likely oil based. Probably the two put together PLUS winter (unable to open windows for 12 hrs at a time) makes the odour a bit stronger than you would want. The application requirement is 3-4 coats if the sealant is not used. That's quite a bit (high-end water based finishes require 2-3 coats) How many coats did they apply?

The more coats they applied, the longer the product takes to cure...you get the idea.

You can read the product Safety Data Sheet using this link:

https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/53f653_1b7ab1536d6a4843a0abb384dcb10af2.pdf

That's a great idea. After I leave jobs where we're applying oil poly I swear I can smell it in my clothes as I drive down the road. Thanks for that tip!

Again everyone thanks so much for this incredible input. Our vent hood has been installed so we are running that periodically changing our filters often and planning to air out as we can with weather permitting. If I had to do it over again I would definitely go with a no VOC stain and poly (if possible). In talking to our contractor it’s pretty clear they think low VOC means “non-toxic” which makes me nervous for the installers. I knew about VOCs and that there is some level of off gassing potentially for years but it really changes your opinion when it’s not venting and you have a child. We are planning to be out of the house for quite a while. There are VOCs and off-gassing In so many things - my husband wanted carpet but that may actually be worse, but I’ll be choosing my paint more carefully and stick to spring and fall for future home improvements.

So this off-gassing saga continues. We are now in a debate about how cold the floors can actually get before we ruin them. It’s pretty cold outside 30’s-50’s. Some flooring guys say open the windows and air it out, others say don’t. If the floor gets below 60 is that going to cause damage? We normally keep our house pretty cold, in the low 60’s even. My husband hates these floors even more now and is convinced we will damage them. If we did damage them, would we notice that right away or not until summer? I am really kicking myself for not doing prestained. This has been a total nightmare. I may refinish with no VOC product just to be done with this.

Was this a new floor with site-finishing or just a refinishing? What other work was done to the house, besides the floors?

A new floor with site finishing and we had new kitchen cabinets so some of the scent I’m sure is new wood smell and the cabinets but you can physically feel the effects when you leave the house.

How were the floors installed? Nail, glue, floating, glue assist? And yes, new cabinets (how are they finished???Paint, acrylic, stained wood + urethane/polyurethane??? If stained wood, is the finish oil or water based???

So this is an interesting development. Spoke to the installer today and he said that he used one coat of shellac and two coats of poly. I’m wondering if the shellac is either actually varnish or is keeping either the stain or poly from being able to dry out on top of the fact that it’s really cold outside.

Technically "shellac" is a product excreted by female Lac beetles. The excretions are ground up and then liquefied with alcohol. This is an exceptionally rare product. And when used it BECOMES the finish. No need to put anything else on top! And to be clear, REAL shellac is EXTREMELY expensive.

As a laymen term, shellac often refers to oil based products (could be stain, could be polyurethane, could be urethane, could be anything "shellac like") which have HEAVY odours.

Again, you NEED to get the NAMES of the products (maker, product line, gloss level, etc) from the refinisher. The word "shellac" sadly tells us nothing...other than the installer really doesn't know how to use the term "shellac". Or I could be wrong and the installer DOES know how to use the word "shellac" and has correctly stated the use of shellac as the SOLVENT BASED product that is causing all the issues.

Please, please, please get the names of the products. This is the ONLY way to tell. Get him/her to put it in writing (in a text or something). You've been asking us all these questions about timing, etc. but the REAL question you should be asking is WHAT IS IT? We will investigate the concerns from there....but we need the NAMES of the products used.

Thanks SJ. I have asked and posted that they used Minwax 250 and Procoat H2Oil. I didn’t know about the shellac until yesterday. I agree I think it’s unlikely they actually used shellac. I’ve reached out to him to give me the actual name.

They probably used de-waxed shellac as a sealer over the minwax stain, prior to top coating with the H2oil. The de-waxed shellac is a finish and universal binder.

If, this was their purpose, find out how much time was allowed for drying between stain and shellac. The ingredients in the shellac can reactivate the ingredients in the stain.

G&S this is exactly what they did, I’m not exactly sure when he put it on if it was right after the stain or right before the poly but it was all very quick. The scent is just now starting to truly dissipate nearly 5 weeks later and our contractor is still insisting it’s just “new house smell”.

This is one of the best "finish has a smell" threads. Very informative! Brianna , I really hope you get it all worked out. It sounds like it took over a month for things to get better.

Reply - LOL, Oak and Broad, I don’t know if you’re being facetious but I’ve learned so much I thought I would keep posting because I know there will be someone else who will come here panicked and I hope they can learn something. I’ve been so grateful for these pro-responses.

@Brianna

I do have this on another thread but thought it would be helpful here as well. Brianna, I'd love to hear how things went for you.

Hopefully I can offer some additional insight as I am currently in this situation :(

A quick side note, I am shocked that polyurethane brands, specifically Minwax, does not offer more of a warning about the longevity of "off-gassing." It is understandable to deal with a toxic smell during application and sometime after, but the lack of education/honesty about their product, to me is complete negligence. Especially when these brands are carried at DIY home improvement stores and are bought by "everyday homeowners" and not restricted to just professionals.

To sum up my situation... I bought my house in June 2021. I immediately sanded and refinished my floors in the Minwax stain and Minwax fast drying polyurethane for INTERIOR use. I did one coat stain, 2 coats poly. I aired out my house for an entire month before moving in July. As everyone can assume, the smell as intense, a 10/10! When we moved in a month later, I would rate it an 8/10. I cannot stress this enough for people thinking about using poly....DONT USE POLY! The off-gassing is very real!

All of your area rugs, your couch and soft fabrics will most definitely absorb the smell. And if you're like me, you will be washing/ cleaning constantly to get rid of it. I have always had a very fresh smelling home, and this "adventure" has consumed me for the past 6 months and has continued today.

Today, I would rate the smell a 2/10. I ask everyone that comes into my house to rate the poly smell...yes, I'm that person. For those dealing with this, here are the methods I used:

1) AIR OUT YOUR HOUSE EVERYDAY!

This is the most important. Create airflow by pulling air in and pushing air out using window box fans. I did this for 4 months straight. No Joke! Every room with 2 windows has an in and out fan.

2) I CLEANED MY FLOORS AT LEAST 4X A WEEK!

I used my Shark floor steamer. I would fill a bottle with vinegar water and pour it on the floor, then go over with my steamer. I would repeat this with bleach water. This definitely helped neutralize the smell. I started this 1 week after the last poly coat.

3) AIR PURIFIERS!

I used multiple methods, so not sure what has had the most effect.

I have 2 CARBON FIBER air purifiers, which I leave on every day and turn the setting up on high at night. Carbon fiber absorbs VOCs. I also bought Activated charcoal fiber pellets and put them in mesh bags in closets and under furniture. Be sure you activate the charcoal by laying them in the sun for a few hours. Not sure if it actually works, but that's what I read.

I have 2 Filtrete Smart Furnace filters which i taped to 2 box fans and let them run in the house as well. Air filters are expensive, and this does the same thing. This specific filter absorbs VOCs. These became very very black from absorbing the fine particles and worked awesome.

I use a Berger Lamp ever so often and also would put baking soda and water in a small crockpot to neutralize the air.

Please change your furnace filter often during this process. I went through 3 in 6 months.

4) WASH SOFT FABRICS AND FRESHEN AREA RUGS!

It's important to wash any fabrics taht have been exposed to the poly smell. I have consistently washed curtains, couch pillows/blankets, clothes and bedding during the "off-gassing" process. I have most of my clothes and off-season items in totes to avoid the exposure. I spray fabrics that i cannot wash with a backing soda/ vinegar/ eucalyptus mixture. The area rugs that I do have down, I have been freshening up every month or 2 with a similar backing soda/ vinegar mixture in my carpet cleaner. Even sprinkling backing soda on your rugs and let it sit before vacuuming can be helpful.

5) USE CANDLES, WALL SCENTS, ETC...

These can be helpful but the last thing you want to do is mask/mix these smells with poly. Your goal is to really purify and clean the air. Poly has a sort of "warm" smell so i stayed away from "warmer" smelling scents like vanilla or sugar. I found that fresh, minty smells did better. Eucalyptus, Spearmint, Solar Musk, Citrus, Herb and Floral smells worked best for me.

6) OZONE MACHINE

If you use one of these, definitely do your research on how to properly run one. Not sure if it helped much with neutralizing the floor smell, but it did help neutralize fabric smells. These machines work amazing and can make a dent in the "off-gassing" smell. I used it weekly the first couple months. FYI: don't put them directly on the floor, I set it on a stool. It can leave a mark, so I'm told. Again, these can be harmful so do your researched!

There may be other things I'm forgetting. I tried to simplify this while giving as much info as possible. I am glad to see the off gassing is coming to an end...hopefully and I can actually feel comfortable having people over. I will never use poly again on a project of this scale.

Hope this helped someone! :)

@dee_brown311 I appreciate your posts SO much, am currently going thru the off-gassing from refinished floors issue. I wondered if you could please post the link, or the name and Merv level of the furnace filter you purchased? There are so many choices, thought I'd reach out before purchasing the wrong one. Again, thx for your practical and anxiety-reducing post!! :)

Thank you for the posts. I just began to do some research about refinishing the hardwood floors.

My plan is to buff the floor a little bit, keep the natural color, and do the clear water-based polyurethane without the stains. Will I be able to control the ”off-gassing” to a lower level?

As the clients, can we order the product for the contractor? If we can, which water based polyurethane contains the least VOCs?

@dee_brown311 if we don’t use POLY, what other options we can have? Thanks!

Yes, you can go in and purchase or order your own finish. Make sure your contractor has some familiarities on how to apply a water base product. Most 2 part water base poly contains 200 VOC or less. Below is a list of a few. The first four requires the use of a sealer to prevent side bonding and tannin pulls. Fortico does not.

Arboritec Genuine -200

Pallmann Xpower - 180

Loba Supra At - 175

Bona Traffic HD - 150

Ciranova Fortico 2C - claims No VOC detection (cost around $400 per 5 liter)

@marcellinaja Sorry to get back so late...

For my furnace filter, I use the Filtrete MERV 11 MPR 1085. That is the one I am changing regularly. It is recommended you change it every three months but during the "off-gassing" I changed it every 2. I just wanted to keep as much of fresh air circulating as possible. Plus, when/if you sand your floors, your furnace filter captures that dust and gets filled quickly.

Link to filter: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Filtrete-2-Pack-1085-MPR-Micro-Allergen-Extra-Common-20-in-x-20-in-x-1-in-Actual-19-6-in-x-19-6-in-x-0-8125-in-Electrostatic-Pleated-Air-Filter/3123821

For my diy filters I made with a box fan, I used the Filtrete Smart MERV 14 MPR 2500. This system I explained above was something additional I tried, where I taped it to a box fan. These can be used in the furnace as well, but can potentially "over work" your furnace. These filters are more dense and if your furnace cannot pull the air without stress, this could cause damage. so you just want to be confident before going that route. But it worked great as a cheaper method to help absorb the poly smell. My filters were actually black at the end of their life. I HIGHLY recommend them.

Link to filter: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Filtrete-Common-20-in-x-25-in-x-1-in-Actual-24-72-in-x-19-72-in-x-1-13-in-Electrostatic-Pleated-Air-Filter/1000420751

Hope this helps!

@Katherine D

Maybe I should have phrased my "DONT USE POLY" comment better. Don't use oil-based poly!

Water-based has a much lower VOC level, so it says its less invasive. I wished I would have tried the water-based. But I was doing the work and did not want to have errors. You can manipulate the oil poly easier and longer than water-based, but if you have a pro doing the work, that's not an issue for you.

I think @G & S Floor Service gave you some great options. I'd take that list and maybe talk it over with your contractor in conjunction with doing your own research on those products.

I would love to hear what products you chose and how it turned out! ;)