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Woodworking Remodeling Flooring

Is it really the same as minwax?

last month

hi all- i have a question about hardwood stains.

I’m putting in red oak flooring to match existing red oak in the house. I asked my floor guy to try out a duraseal neutral and country white stain mix (3:1 ratio). he told me this is pretty much the exact formula for minwax pickled oak and wants to just do that instead. is this correct?

As an aside, I really had my heart set on doing a different stain combo (bona nordic seal and bona hd traffic) but he said he’s not confortable working with bona products…..

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Comments (10)

millworkman
last month
last modified: last month
No idea, have him do sample boards. Minwax is typically considered an inferior DIY product in general and most flooring pro's use higher quality products.
ci_lantro
last month
Minwax is bottom of the barrel stain, IMO.
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Thanks for your reply, so at least I know it should dry somewhat, we had a hot day and the finish felt a bit better, I used 400 wet sand paper on a block of wood followed by 000 synthetic steel wool, to rub down the stain a bit so it is not as thick, and hopefully cure better.. adding some water too I have alot of control. It brought back some of the grain details in areas that are too thick. At this point I am going to continue with the finishing without stripping. The pillar is the solid oak, it has not been rubbed yet but but it might become too light if I do. With this minwax stain, there was just no way I could achieve this level of color without glazing and dry brushing, at least on oak. I wish I researched more and used a more professional stain product that gives less headache, the repeated coats really left alot of bubbles and particles.. hopefully the layers of clear coat will embed and give a flat surface and hide the imperfections a bit. Note this is the english chestnut color and I had originally not planned to go this dark but the uneven tone of the stain kind of lead me to this. I am going to use a spray can sanding sealer that dries in 15-30 minutes it should not be enough time interact with the finish, especially if I left the stain cure for longer.
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HU-913321892
Original Author
last month
Thats the sense im getting from houzz. what makes it inferior? im a little worried cus every time i mention a stain he comes back with some minwax equivalent…
Mrs. S
last month
last modified: last month
I think you chose the wrong flooring guy. Time to find another, or at least investigate further. If it were me, I'd rather spend a little more to get the color I wanted, whether that meant doing samples 3 or 4 times, or paying extra for the person who has worked with everything and knows how to achieve what you want. I mean that I would respect the tradesperson's input as to choice of product, but it better not be because Minwax is the only product that person is comfortable with. That's not good enough, and it shouldn't be good enough for you.
HU-913321892
Original Author
last month
@Mrs. S you’re prob right….im so not assertive/confrontational so it’s hard for me to fire someone but he really seems like he only does minwax and doesnt seem open to trying much….
seagreen3
last month
I don’t think having had your heart set on Bona is an “aside”—it should be the main point.

Take a deep breath and let the flooring person know you’ve decided to go in a different direction than is his expertise. Then go find someone who does Bona.

How sad it would be to live with (and pay for) a finish you didn’t want, simply to avoid disappointing the first flooring person you consulted.
HU-913321892
Original Author
last month
So how does this work if i decide he isnt the guy to stain my floors? he already fixed the subfloor, scraped, did some repairs and put down the new floor. if i tell him im getting someone else to stain, im assuming we pay him less than the original quoted price? i just feel funny because perhaps he wouldnt have taken the job if he knew he wasnt going to be doing the staining….not sure what my question here is lol
seagreen3
last month
Did you sign a contract? Even from your questions here, it seems hard for you to be clear about what you want and to not be dismissive of yourself. But you’re in charge of what you do, including whether or not you decide to take this advice:
If you haven’t signed a contract and can pay your current person for work done so far, do so. Before you hire someone else, think long and hard about everything you really want (all the details) and how to be clear and firm about it, so you’ll hire better next time. Then you’ll not only get the floor you want, but also better communication/assertiveness skills.
Remodeling is never really only about the house.
HU-913321892
Original Author
last month
Absolutely agree with you here. I am also now a more educated consumer so I can higher better this time around. Thanks foe talking this through!
HU-913321892
Original Author
last month
*hire

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