We have newly installed red oak. We want to keep it's natural pale look. We tried the Bona Natural seal but it still does not look like the bare unpolished wood. It seems that the grains are becoming more prominent which I don't like. Currently the grains are very subtle, barely noticed. I also tried the Nordic Seal, but this made the floor hazy and pink.

We had our 2 1/2" top-nailed red oak floors refinished with some kind of water-based Bona Natural seal...no stain...almost 2 years ago. The nails are visible in the existing floor, which were sanded enough to remove the stain; nails are not as visible on the matching floor we had them install in the rooms that had previously been carpet. I thought the nail visibility had more to do with how much floor was sanded down to remove the pre-existing stain. Nothing is rusty.

Sorry, just saw this. I feel two coats of finish is sufficient when applied over sealer at the prescribed rate. This is especially true for Traffic which goes on heavier (350-400 sq. ft/gallon for Traffic, 500-600 for Mega). More coats of finish make the floor smoother, filling in the grain, and making wear and scratches more evident. If you're in a situation where you need more longevity, you can have more coats applied and live with the consequences. In most residential situations my customers want their floor recoated when it looks bad due to wear and scratches, not when the finish wears through. The surface accumulates the same amount of wear and scratches whether it has 2 coats or 20 coats, at which point it will look a bit shabby and require a recoat.

Thanks! it does sound more predictable. We live in western suburbs of Chicago and are interested in having our red oak floors refinished with this product. If anyone has experience using it and would like to give us a quote, please post a link to your business.