Thank you.

We might do on our own and no have access to a wood expert. If anyone has ever find a match even if it’s an entirely different color on the oak than the Brazilian cherry, I will take any guidance I can get. Thanks so much!

You can apply a aniline dye first then apply a oil stain afterwards. You will be able to blend in all three species with no problem.

Thank you so very much. I been testing all weekend and cane up with a dye that is walnut and a stain in Jacobean. It looks the same now on my testing spots of the Brazilian cherry and red and white oak. Do u have a recommendation on the finish? Matte or Satin? Bona or Duraseal?

Bona satin

So we have been apply the Bona water base HD satin finish and with in a day of drying the entire floor looks milky and uneven. The corners look better that is close to baseboards but it’s a darker color. Almost like a halo. Any suggestions or experience with this. We r trying to figure out if it’s the Brazilian cherry which our floor guy says it is or if it’s an application problem or even sanding issue or a perfect storm of them all.

Post images - most likely not enough dry time for stain coat.

Thanks. I will post photos. The floor guys is waiting 48 hours between coats of stain.

IMG_0565.jpeg

Photos

Some people think it’s a sanding issue, some think application method and others think it’s Bona on the cherry. We actually have really three problems now. The cloudiness that appears once the Bona goes down, the halo of darkness around the perimeter of each room and also the waves in the floor of the applications that looks uneven throughout the rooms. It’s crazy, we have gone from just trying to tone down the red to getting the color right and now all of these other problems.

One thing that is apparent is the grit sander at 100 on the corners is what he should be doing for entire room but he refuses to go higher than 80

Love to get feedback from anyone who has worked with Brazilian cherry.

What brand dye and stain?

We have tried three different ways.

1. just putting down two coats of ebony duraseal and Bona hd water based finish on top

2. general finishes dye stain 50/50 mix in dark brown and medium brown with one coat of ebony in no way on top and then the Bona hd water base finish on top

3. Lockwood standard brown walnut dye first and then ebony from duraseal as stain and finishing with Bona hd waterbase

Thanks for any feedback:-)

We also tried Absco oil poly which didn’t do the graying cloudy effect but did go really amber and red which is what we r trying to get away from.

The photos I see I posted yesterday r two coats of Minwax ebony wuth 48 hour drying time between coats and then two coats of Bona HD water base poly finish. The plan was for one more but we stopped. It looks horrible.

Inregards to the image that was posted, Traffic HD cannot be applied over Minwax stain directly. You have to apply Bona Mega or Mega One first. Then apply Traffic HD. You will also need Minwax stains to dry for 72 hours before applying your top coats.

Wow. Thanks so much. Do you think that could be the main reason for the cloudiness? Or possibly a combo of not sanding to 100? Is the duraseal stain known to be the same way? I know duraseal owned by Minwax.

I really appreciate your feedback. I will try again tomorrow a sample. I have been on the phone with Bona for hours and they never mentioned anything about drying longer or the Minwax bono hd combo. So is your suggestion Bona mega for perhaps two coats and then third coat Bona hd? What are your thoughts on doing the ebony stain two coats vs the dye one coat and then one coat of ebony? Thank you again.

Waves is sanding issue caused by their big machine. Waves can be removed with hardplate system.

Halo or picture frame effect is caused by different sanding patterns and grits. Small machine rotates in a different speed and pattern compared to big machine. The final sanding is usually done with a buffer. Which will blend the two different sanding patterns together. Otherwise, edges need to be hand sanded to match the big machine sanding pattern.

Manufacturers will not assist you, once they hear that you applied a competitor's product with their own.

Converting from a oil base stain to water base finish. The oil base stain needs to fully cure. Minwax takes up to 72 hours. You need to satisfy Minwax's cure time not dry time. Bona's own stain cures much faster, 24-36 hours.

Bona's traffic HD will not bond to Minwax stains, because it has a different carrier (chemical). There are no common ingredients between the two products to mix and cling together. Therefore you need to use a product that will act as a primer or universal bonder. Normally a single component water base finish will have a common carrier, especially if it is considered oil modified water base finishes. You can also use dewaxed shellac under the Traffic HD. You only need one primer coat. Then apply two coats of Traffic HD on top.

Depending on the look you're trying to achieve. A dye and one coat of stain will be more dense and rich in color. I do not recommend applying two coats of Minwax stains or any type of oil stains. This usually leads to drying and adhesion issues. Instead, water pop, allow to dry completely then apply the oil stain. That will give you a more darker color.

The gray spots in the photo's looks like the finish has peeled or flaked off in those areas. Can you post a zoomed in photo?

Thank you again for all
Of this extremely helpful information. Few more questions. What do you think is the biggest difference between Bona mega and Bona mega one or Bona intense or Bona Domno ? We love the look of Minwax ebony over duraseal ebony which has more warmth to it so I think we will stick with the Minwax and use a different version of Bona in place of the Bona hd. Or even do what u recommend which is put down one of the other bonas first and then last two applications do the HD? Also have you ever heard of Pallmann brand of the waterbase poly? Thank you again.

Main difference between Bona Mega and Mega One is color. Mega is yellow, wheras Mega One is clear. Mega One has better build and leveling properties. Bona Intense is a sealer not a polyurethane. Pallmann makes quality water base finishes also. Look into their X product lines.

If, you are doing two coats of stain, avoid applying a water base finish directly over it. Any leftover pigments will become a bond breaker. You will get adhesion issues. Instead use a oil base polyurethane. Since you can mix a small amount of oil stain into oil base polyurethane finishes. This will reduce the chance of adhesion issues.

Close ups. This is after two coats of Bona hd waterbase on two coats of ebony Minwax. Drying for two days in between Minwax applications.

What are your thoughts on duraseal either the poly oil based in matte or the poly waterbase in satin. This is Brazilian cherry we r working with. We have a family of five and two animals. Lots of traffic from kids in and out of house. Which is why we went with the Bona HD. We went away from the oil because it tends to bring out more red in the wood than the waterbase but really anything better than the mess we have now. I did read that some folks prefer duraseal oil for cherry when u stain dark? Thanks again for your help.

So after re reading your recommendations. It sounds like even if I moved to duraseal stain instead of Minwax, I could still have an issue with not just the Bona hd but any Bona poly waterbase or really any waterbase poly?? Do u recommend if I really want the waterbase then I Shd stick with either water pop and then one stain coat and I can use any Bona waterbase unless I use Minwax stain then I need to make sure to use Bona one or Bona mega or Bona domo? Do u prefer the pallmann pall-x to Bona? Also is it okay to do a dye then stain and then waterbase poly?

Sounds like another option is to find an oil poly like duraseal matte that perhaps won’t make the ebony like amber once the oil is applied? When u use the oil do u also do three coats? Do u wait 72 hours between oil base Poly applications? Do u think a poly oil would be as durable as Bona hd or Bona one or mega? I don’t really know what this Bona domo does. My floor guy picked it up to try. And the Nordic seal which a bigger problem.

I also have a duraseal waterbase poly to try.

We feel like it’s a perfect storm and so hard to finger point the issue. Is it the Minwax, is it the drying time not being long enough, is it not sanding to 100, is it the Brazilian cherry? I Shd have just pulled it up but I have so much of it. The oak upstairs looks fabulous. Sorry for the long windedness you have just been so helpful. 🙏🏻

After examining these images, the only real issue I see with it is raised grains. Are you trying to solve the rough surface issue? All you need is a buff and coat, which is standard procedures.

So the floor person we r currently using is doing 50 and then 80. We were told to tell him to do 60, 80, 100 but he doesn’t want to do 100. Also the perimeter he is doing with small machine 100

To satisfy Bona's Traffic HD surface preparation guidelines, your final sanding needs to be 150 grit, at minimum 120 grit. 80 grit is too grainy. You will see deep valleys from the sandpaper and you will get premature wear. The finish will underperform, even if there is no adhesion issue. Show them the instructions on bottle. You can also, print out a TDS (technical data sheet) from their website. If, they cannot follow the guidelines, get someone else. It seems they are all about speed and not quality.

Been trying to get it right with them since nov:-( we still haven’t moved in. Have paid them already for half the job. It’s sad because a number of other friends have used them and it turned out great. That said they all had houses with white oak only. Not my crazy white oak, red oak and Brazilian cherry. I feel bad because the gentlemen is nice but this has been a painful costly experience..

Do you ever do consults over the phone?