What does Bona say?

@SJ McCarthy: I emailed Bona but haven't heard back yet.

@G&S Floor Service: Thanks, that's what I was concerned about.

Bona will tell you that they do not recommend their products over Duraseal. Same with other manufacturers.

Call them. Customer Care Center: 877-289-2662 That will get you a faster answer hopefully.

We do it all the time, but skip the ClassicSeal.

@Johnson Flooring Co Inc when you say skip the ClassicSeal do you mean do the stain then straight to Bona Traffic? I'm thinking of waterbased Duraseal weathered oak stain and was going to do the natural seal and then traffic? This is all so confusing to me.

That's what Bona says and that's generally what we do. The exception is if we water-pop the floor before staining. Here's the TDS for Traffic which states near the top "no sealer is needed over a stained floor". https://www.bona.com/Global/Documents/United%20States/Technical%20Data%20Sheets/TDS%20Bona%20Traffic%20US.pdf?epslanguage=en

FYI, I don't think Duraseal makes water based weathered oak stain. It's solvent based, available in a quick drying formulation. The Bona TDS also recommends preparing a sample or test area but you shouldn't have any issues as long as the stain is dry before applying the Traffic.

Thank you for that info that helps a ton! My contractor says that applying Bona is a lot more expensive and less durable than just the standard duraseal oil based products and application. Is this true in your opinion?

In my experience, standard oil-modified polyurethane wears better, and it certainly costs a lot less. The downsides are slow drying, smell and ambering. As much as I like oil poly, I feel Weathered Oak would turn yellow over time if you use it.

We used to recoat a salon floor regularly. At a seminar I asked an expert if he had any recommendations for a finish that would wear better than Traffic. He recommended oil poly and said it wears better than any of the top shelf waterborne urethanes, even the one his company sold. Unfortunately the salon was in a residence hotel and we could use it due to the odor. Depending on your wear and tear, Mega HD Clear might be a viable option for you. It costs about $50/gallon less than Traffic.

How many coats of the Mega Clear HD would you recommend? Do we need 3 coats of finisher with Bona product? I know with Duraseal it's stain then 2 coats poly. Trying to avoid labor for an extra coat with Bona.

Unless we're water popping it's generally three coats total, one sealer or stain and two coats of clear finish. More finish coats makes little sense to me. In a home, presumably one would take care of a scuffed, scratched, worn floor before wearing through the finish.

Can I ask what water popping the floor does to it?

Water popping will cause the wood fiber to expand and allow stain to penetrate more, resulting in a darker tone. Down side is raised grains, which can be difficult to remove for a water base system.

You can definitely use sealer over stain .

Also if you apply the product at the recommended coverage rate bona traffic out performs oilbase poly any day of the week. No matter what product you use if the sanding was not done correctly the finish will wear prematurely as well . In my area you have hacks who sand 36 grit and jump to 100 grit and apply finish at a coverage rate of 1000 ft per gallon and then the homeowner wonders why the floor is shot in a couple years

Yes, their sand and prep work is one day for 1000 sq. ft. Some clients choose time over quality.

Hello, I am planning to have a contractor stain my red oak floors with duraseal quick dry and then apply 3 coats of bona traffic hd. He’s saying I don’t need to apply a sealer over the duraseal because the stain already has sealer in it. He says go right to the traffic hd after stain is dry. Is this correct or should he be applying duraseal stain, then a bona sealer and finish with 2 coats of hd traffic?

Additionally, i obviously want to avoid ever having white line syndrome in the future but really want traffic hd in satin- is the bona mega less likely to have white lines between boards down the road?