Replies

1. 
   rredge | May 17, 2010 05:21pm | #1

   Dewaxed Shellac?

   Thanks, you didn't mention shellac.  Are you saying that we don't need to use a dewaxed shellac between the stain and the topcoat?

   I certainly agree with what you say about testing. We have been testing with spare wood as we go along, from which we learned a lot, and today we applied the stain to the floor of a small storage area. The stain is going on well. We chose not to use a wood conditioner (we tested with MinWax conditioner), because our tests showed that it washes out the colour too much, but interestingly we are not having a significant problem with evenness of application. On the other hand, light sanding to get rid of mill glaze (too smooth a surface) seems to help with absorption. The key seems to be to not let the stain sit too long and to use clean, cotton cloths (not paper towel) to wipe it. There is a bit of variation happening, as distinct from blotchiness and overlap (neither of which is good), but the grain comes through nicely and the variation we are getting is aesthetically pleasing. As you suggest, we will give the floors lots of drying time.

   I'm doing this in Newfoundland and I'm not terribly hopeful that I'll find Bona Kemi product here. Can anyone suggest another brand?

   In case anyone is wondering why we don't just use a water-based stain, that raises its own issues and we concluded that oil-based is the way to go. Now we just have to figure out how to get a topcoat on that is durable and that won't yellow the blue stain.

   Thanks.

1. 
   SteveSchoene | May 17, 2010 06:30pm | #2

   The Bona Kemi lines (Traffic, Strong, or Mega)  nor others like Basic Coatings (Street Shoes) aren't retail products anywhere.  I do know both companies do have distribution in Canada, with Bona Kemi having several distributors in the Province Quebec, not just the cities of  Quebec and Montreal.  It's not a retail product anywhere--your best bet is to see if you can acquire such a product from a contractor that finishes floors. 

   I looked at several specification sheets and non-mentioned the dewaxed shellac as an option, but did mention well cured oil based stain as being likely to be OK. 

2. 
   SteveSchoene | May 18, 2010 12:28am | #3

   This is a call for the manufacturer

   With high end finishes (These are expensive finishes, and the performance generally warrants the money) I am a firm believer in following the manufacturer's guidance.  I would select a finish, and then go on line to read the details of the specification sheet.  These specialized makers give much more specific information for their products aimed at professionals, than the consumer grade product maker give for products aimed at amateurs.  This is clearly a case of read the directions.  . 

   Generally dewaxed shellac bonds well to everything--but we note that at least one maker of waterborne finishes, not floor finishes, specifies that the dewaxed shellac must be very fresh or "checking" might occur.  (If Seal Coat by Zinsser is to be used they specifiy that it must be less than 3 months old.  Now I don't know why this might occur, and it's the only example I know where

   As far as dewaxed shellac goes you can get very light colored shellac flakes under names like ultra blonde  And, shellac doesn't change color over time. 

   Also, as a general rule, fewer different varieties of finish in a finishing system the better longevity you get.   Dewaxed shellac is often recommended, but it is really only needed when there is a specific incompatibility between products--like brushng on  a waterborne finish over a water soluble dye, or if an oily wood might cause an oil based finish not to cure properly.  Using dewaxed shellac on everything won't often cause significant harm, but it's only needed some of the time. 

1. 
   rredge | May 18, 2010 10:29am | #4

   Decided to go with Bona Kemi

   It turns out that there is a distributor in New Brunswick. They recommended a coat of their sealer followed by Bona Mega polyurethane. Expensive stuff :)

   Thanks for the advice.