advice finishing hardwood Maple floor needed

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mikeyny

Feeling the Heat
Nov 16, 2007
294
upstate ny
Hello everyone,
I have about 300 sf of maple to refinish. It was put down around 1910. it is in good shape except for a few dark water spots here and there. I have it all sanded almost ready for a finish. What is the best stuff to use. i think I will use min wax poly and thin out the first coat 50 50 and the second coat full shot. Any thoughts from the pros would be great.
 
I just finished my 100 year old maple floor a couple of months ago. I used waterlox brand finish semi transparent. It's an oil base and would require 3 coats for maple @500 sq. ft. a gallon. So you'd need 2 gallons...~$140 shipped to your door. It wasn't available in my area, so I ordered it online. I finish wood for a living and while different products have their ups and downs, the reason I chose waterlox is that when it comes time for maintenance, you just buff it with 320 grit and re apply a coat. According to my research this was the only brand that could say this. Anyways, alot of gym floors are finished with this stuff, it looks amazing, feels ahell of lot nicer than waterbased on your feet, and is easy to maintain. Yeah, it's gonna stink for about 2 weeks and it's kind of a bad time of year to be doing it, but you won't be sorry.
 
We recently refinished our oak floors using Varathane Crystal water-based poly. It contains aluminum oxide which makes it very scratch resistant. If you go with a water based poly you can do multiple coats without sanding between them as long as you don't let them dry too long. I highly recommend you screen before doing the last coat to level off the raised grain. We didn't and regret it.
 
Make sure you have everything sanded properly. I've seen way to many finishes that look terrible because of uneven sanding. With that being said, I'd also steer clear of minwax for floors. Varathane Diamond Finish is decent and can be found at the big box stores. Bona Traffic is a top notch finish, although a bit more difficult to apply. Thinning isn't necessarily beneficial unless the specific finish you're using recommends it and even then, 50% is usually too much.
 
project240 said:
Make sure you have everything sanded properly. I've seen way to many finishes that look terrible because of uneven sanding.

+1 I know this because I screwed up sanding our floor. Had to pay to get it done right! %-P

Gary
 
I have used Minwax and it is a good product.I wouldn't thin it down at all.Wether you are using oil based or not (I like the oil myself I find it has a little more body to fill in any nail holes,cracks,ect) I would do 3 coats and give a light sanding with about a 220 grit sand paper and vacum it up between each coat.Good luck
 
I love the Minwax poly! It will POP! Shine will be deep and it could be a little slick for a floor but not sure.
 

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smokinjay said:
I love the Minwax poly! It will POP! Shine will be deep and it could be a little slick for a floor but not sure.

I agree with using minwax poly... I use it on tables, bookcases, etc, but not on floors. It just doesn't hold up nearly as well as other products available.
 
project240 said:
smokinjay said:
I love the Minwax poly! It will POP! Shine will be deep and it could be a little slick for a floor but not sure.

I agree with using minwax poly... I use it on tables, bookcases, etc, but not on floors. It just doesn't hold up nearly as well as other products available.

+1 I use Minwax on most wood projects and love it but needed something tougher for the floors.
 
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