We just had our floors completely re-done in matte finish about two days ago. We had some of our red oak stripped and added more rooms with oak. The floor guy used Bona Pallmann Magic Oil, from Germany. It is mostly oil with about 7 percent wax and some kind of hardener additive. I did research about the product after my flooring guy suggested it as it isn't used much here in the mid-west and I had not heard of it. It is suppose to be just as or more durable as the more traditional finishes. The Good Old Opry used for all their floors. I think there was a gas/oil spill on the floors without any incident. We had some friends who sold a multi-million dollar home and the new owners used the same product on their 4,000 sq ft of hardwood floors ( many different species including one with leather inlaid.) Our finisher used it on upscale local restaurant. I read they use it on bar tops. Everyone I spoke to says it is very durable. Our children are now grown, but if it is true that lighter matte floors show the least dirt and wear, this floor would be a dream for a family with children and pets. Yet I must comment that when we had our golden oak natural finish with glossy sheen floors installed over 15 yrs ago, we did have children and big dogs at home. Cleaning and maintenance of those floors were never an issue, I basically swept or vacuumed them and occasionally wiped up with cold water. Although it took many years, as mentioned. the natural golden oak finish did yellow and orange-d up a lot though. These new floors are a very different look from those previous aged red oak stained golden oak orange-y glossy glow. I think this product offers six colors. We used the natural with some white. (It does not look pickling white at all.) The floors are very very very matte. Overall, I will describe them as velvety soft, light and airy. Natural. Warm looking. Very lovely. And although I love them, here is my own personal concern... I worry that they might be seen as being not yet been finished. I am hoping this is just because I've been so use to shiny floors. Also now I've begun to worry if a matte finish would be seen as elegant as satin or shiny floor. What do you guys think... are matte finishes elegant? Do you think they are so unusual people might think they are not finished? I'll be happy to answer your questions or post photos of my new floors, if you or anyone else is interested.

Please do NOT use Rejuvenate or Mop N Glow or Orange Glow or any POLISH on your floors. These "restores your floor's finish to a healthy glow" type of products are temporary polymer products that are considered a "floor polish". Bona produces a 'cleaner' (which sounds like the product you are using) as well as a "polish" with "restorative" properties. The polishes are to be avoided like the plague. While the short term benefit of added sheen is a bonus, the LONG TERM difficulties are the massive down side to these products. If you start down the road to "polishing" you will be caught in a horrible "wax-on; wax-off" situation. You will need to apply the product every 6 months or so. The product "builds up" and looks waxy or plasticky after awhile. And then you need to STRIP the product every fifth or sixth application (every 2-3 years). That means a chemical stripper and "hands and knees" scrubbing for hours and hours and hours. And then you have your dull floor once again. You get to start the whole cycle all over again. Whew. It is exhausting. And this is why we say "No polishes!" on your hardwood. They are far more trouble then they are worth.

It's possible to get the sanding, sealing and two coats of finish done. The FULL CURE must happen (Bona Traffic HD is 5-10 days) = NO ONE working in the house...AT ALL. Then the Ram Board is put down and the kitchen goes ahead with install. Once everything is all set up, a final coat is applied to the entire home and another FULL CURE (5-10 days) occurs before you move in/reno finishes. So the question becomes, do you want to have ONE cure time...or two? Do you have TIME to allow the floors to FULLY CURE before the kitchen goes in? Are you willing to accept a bit of damage to a finished floor? Personally I would get the floor in and leave it. The kitchen goes in over the raw wood. Leave the trim and toe kicks OFF. Get all the wet work done (painting, tiling, etc). Bring in the flooring professional once the kitchen is FINISHED...and allow him/her to do his/her job without interruption and without any pressure. Any issues the subs caused to the floors will be dealt with by the sand/refinish process. The trim gets put in place once the floors are finished. Now you wait the 5-10 days for the cure and move in.

What are you cleaning it with?