Both, Great question. I too would like to know the differences between Minwax, Bona Kemi, and Duraseal. It seems like everyone wants to use Minwax in out area but they will use Bona or Dura Seal if we want.

Thanks for sharing cac546. Are you saying you can put a Bona sealer down and then put a different Bona sealer over it? Our floor guy called Bona customer service yesterday about a couple of general questions. The ClassicSeal was so light I wanted to know if we could apply two coats ClassicSeal then the Traffic so we atleast better see it. Bona advise against it. Don't know the specifics around why, our guy just shook his head no while on the phone with them. Point of interest with our samples: After looking at different stains, and determining no thank you, we looked at a sample of the Natural and ClassicSeal. We too could barely tell any difference between the two sealers. The Classic had a touch of tint, but it was maybe millimeters difference. Wondering if that would also have been the case with IntenseSeal. And you definitely don't remember any color with IntenseSeal? You're absolutely right about our species of floor being different from each other and the end result. At the end of the day, we love the warm, honey, creamy blonde floors on this maple. We trust any continued feedback.

I wasn't correcting that. I was making sure you know that Bona Naturale needs to have a sealer underneath. I've seen others here claim it was used AS a sealer. Having the name Naturale is a bit confusing when Bona has a Naturalseal, and natural is a generic term for a wood floor finished clear. It looks like I was mistaken in that Naturalseal is between Nordicseal and Classicseal. I had Bonaseal (since changed names to Classicseal) and Bona urethane on my master bedroom White oak for many years. It's a nice background color but it isn't exactly warm or overly interesting. That can be a good or a bad thing. In my case, I wanted a background floor that didn't clash with anything, allowing me to decorate as I wished. Since you've seen the lightest option and the middle option, perhaps it would be smart to see the Intenseseal or Amberseal. OTOH, if you really like the Classicseal, maybe you should stop looking. It seems like things were easier to accomplish when there weren't so many options.

Hello, We'd be happy to provide some information to help with your hardwood floor renovation. Question #1 - is it Ok to use Duraseal stain and coat with Bona HD seal? Bona’s line-up of water based sealers and finishes generally are compatible with most wood stains, including DuraSeal. As with any stain it is important the stain is completely dry before applying a finish. Please be sure to read the label carefully as the dry time for stains will depend on the color. Some colors can take multiple days to dry vs others that may dry in a few hours. When blending two or more colors together you should default to the longest dry time of the colors used to ensure no drying issues. When mixing different brands of stain and finish coats we recommend doing a small test area to ensure compatibility and desired appearance. To clarify, Bona doesn’t make a product called Bona HD seal, but we do have a number of sealers and finishes and they all can be used over stain. Your contractor can help you select the best finish system to meet your needs. Question #2 - I understand with white oak you have to apply sealant BEFORE you stain your floor? So how does it work? Sand, then put sealant on (Bona?) and stain and seal AGAIN? Please do not apply a sealant before you stain the floor. Bona’s DriFast stain as well as the Minwax and DuraSeal stains are penetrating stains and must be applied to raw wood for them to work properly. If the floor is sealed prior to the stain application the stain has nowhere to go and will not look right and will create adhesion issues when you apply the finish coats. If the floor is stained with Bona’s DriFast stain you may apply either a sealer and finish coats or go straight to finish coats. If you use another brand of stain please refer to their label directions if they require a sealer prior to finish. The reason you may choose to use a sealer and finish coats has to do with appearance. Adding in an extra layer with the sealer can provide a little more build and depth to the floor and on white oak can help reduce reactions and bleed thru from the natural tannins. Question #3 - below are some stain colors that I like in Duraseal-Minwax. What Bona stain color combo can replicate the looks? We can't answer this question directly, as we do not have samples of competitor product blends. However, Bona’s DriFast Stain Collection comes in 26 stock colors and they are blendable to achieve any custom look. Please visit bona.com/inspiration to see the many color options we have available. If you have any further questions, please call our Technical Services Team at 800-872-5515. Thank you and have a wonderful day!