Floors

Reply to: White Oak is lovely in a natural finish. A water based polyurethane (such as Ultimate suggests) will help it stay in the same tones as you see now. White oak has "tannin pull". Which means it will turn a light yellow as it ages (yellow tannins in the middle of the plank float to the surface = tannin pull). To STOP this from happening, your flooring professional should use a primer/sealant SPECIFICALLY designed for this issue. This sealant will come from the SAME manufacturer as the finish. Do not let them mix and match companies. This is bad juju. Since you are looking for information so that you can enter into the discussion with your refinisher as a knowledgeable customer, you will want to know that water based polyurethanes (especially the high-end two part products) are a special concept. With special training. And special techniques. One of the qualifying questions you can ask will be, "Which water based finishes are you familiar with? Which one's have you had training with?" If the contractor looks at you like you have two heads...and can't answer either question then you are welcome to end the conversation and move on to the next professional on your list.

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Reply to: One answer - Bona Naturale'

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Reply to: Glitsa max or Loba invisi-finish will give that real look and won't yellow. White oak golds as it ages.

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Reply to: Oh cripe I had a whole response written out and it went poof. Argh. I lost confidence in my floor guy - I think he wasn't wiping the stain off but letting it dry on resulting in washed paint look. If that's OK to do (ie I remember hearing it's a problem when you apply more layers like poly but I'm not sure) it might work for you. So I went natural ... Bona sealer to avoid uneven tannin pull due to using a water based poly, (especially on white oak), no stain, then Bona Traffic HD. I have some anxiety he didn't apply the poly in the correct thickness. Sigh. Here are some of my samples. I asked for, but he never did, an all country white one. I originally wanted a chocolate color but realized I like more contrast between floor and furnishings than a mid tone would give me. However, I failed to visualize the tan natural against the grey bathroom tile. (The chocolate would have been fabulous next to it.) I have a small house and should have maximized flow but didn't realize just how much planning that would take at once. I also read on a hard wood flooring contractor's forum about how in the 1980s everyone's white floors eventually looked terrible because the inevitable scratches turn dark from dirt and look awful against the white. Which is why I posted asking for people's experiences today, but I never received any replies. Post back here with a link if you get more answers than I did or if you go with white!

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Reply to: Buy only top shelf wood floor finishing products and you will have an attractive and durable floor. Something like Traffic or an equivalent two-part finish. I've been doing wood floor finishing with Traffic for almost a decade now and my floors hardly show any wear at all. For the lightest effect, seal with the companion sealer, either BonaSeal or Bona DTS. Bona now has a finish available here called Novia. It is self-sealing and environmentally sound, whatever that means in real life. I know little about it.

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Reply to: Megsrob, The water based will give you the more clear finish and you won't have the yellowing. However, I don't know if it will be hard enough to stand the wear and tear as a quality factory finish would. perryrip

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Reply to: Oh, forgot my floor pic ;) Although do they look pretty much like Mike's! White OAK, unstained - just poly'd. Traditional style, top nailed - to match the rest of this old house.

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Reply to: Hello, thank you for your inquiry! The floors are White Oak in Minwax - Special Walnut. We always test a sample first since all wood types take stain differently.

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Reply to: Take a look at Bona "Naturale" for a similar look. Its a water based poly finish that will give a similar low gloss matte look.

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