Hi, I’m looking to stain, and then seal 3/4 solid oak hardwood floors. I am hunting for the ideal clear coat finish to use, and have recieved conflicting advice from “professionals,” over which (oil vs water based) poly finish is most durable.
I’ve been told Dura Seal is a water based, floor grade finish that pros use. I’ve been told this is the best (best equalling durability)
Yet in a conflicing tone, I was told from a different source (professional install company) that oil based finishes are the most durable and lasting,….)
I’ve been told that the Minwax floor finishes don’t endure well beyond a year or two,….
Any suggestions on what the pro’s use? PS my application is a personal residence, not commercial–but I still want the highest quality I can get. Thanks!
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Dura Seal is a brand of Sherwin Williams, but comes in four "flavors", with three waterborne floor finishes and one oil based finish. I suspect that the single part waterborne is significantly less durable than the two part finishes, with X Terra being the top of the line. Other 2 part waterborne finishes include several from Bona Kemi with Traffic being the top, followed by Mega. Basic Coatings makes a Street Shoe 2 part waterborne. I think the two part waterbornes take the award for abrasion resistance. I suspect the oil based will handle household chemical accidents a bit better.
I chose Bona Kemi Traffic when we had a house build a couple of years ago. I can't provide evidence that it is better than top of the line 2-part waterbornes from Basic Coatings or DuraSeal. All of these specialized floor finish brands do contain an oil based model. Definately go with products made specially and specifically for floors. Any brand you can buy in a big box store isn't likely to have nearly the same performance.
One thing with the waterbornes. If you want to have the richer color that comes from oil based fnishes you should specifiy the particular sealer designed for that purpose by the maker of the waterborne finish. Of course, waterbornes won't yellow much if any further over time (though the wood it self is likely to darken).
Thinning waterborne finishes is seldom a good idea. More than a little added water can cause the finish to fail to coalese properly.
As challenging as it is to refinish a floor I'd not want to use a less that top of the line product that is specifically made as a floor finish.
Jotoba can also present finishing problems since it can be an oily hardwood. This means that oil based finishes might not cure properly, and that waterborne finishes may exhibit adhesion problems. The usual solution for such problems is to do a wipedown of the surface with acetone or lacquer thinner to remove oil, with the finish applied as soon as the solvent has evaporated.
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