JayB wrote:
I now have a new unfinished red oak hardwood floor installed in an
apartment that I will be renting out.
What I want is a truly *CLEAR* finish to put down on the new
unfinished flooring.
I have extra flooring that I have set up so I can test various
finishes. I have already tested a number of stains and, if I have
to, I will go with one of those. But, what I really want is to be
able to put a completely clear finish over the new unfinished
hardwood flooring. I like the way it looks now and I would like to
be able to keep that look and coloration. All of the so-called
"clear" polyurethane finishes I have tried so far are not really
clear. They are amber color, and they also stain and darken the wood
grain.
They are amber because they are oil based. They don't stain the wood, they
wet it. Most people like that because it accentuates the grain. If you put
oil base poly (3-4 coats) on a light wood the wood will be noticeably
yellower.
Water base polys are white when liquid, clear when dry; however, they too
wet the wood just much less than oil poly.
Someone told you about using a wiped off wash of white paint to avoid the
penetration of the clear top coat. That works and will give you an
appearance pretty close to the raw wood. Best to dilute the oil paint about
50/50 with thinner. The downside is that the non-penetration of the top
coat means it is stuck to the residual paint, not the wood; however, I have
never had any problem doing it...all my now 14 year old butternut kitchen
cabinets are white washed.
You should be aware that regardless of what clear top coat you use the wood
is going to change color over time and exposure to light. Generally, that
change is darker.
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2) I haven't tested out water-based polyurethane products yet. I get
the impression that they can be more clear than oil-based
polyurethane. MinWax sells a clear water-based base coat and a clear
water-based polyurethane that goes over the base coat. The clear
base coat is supposed to seal the tannins (or something like that) in
the wood so it doesn't darken, and then hopefully the top coat won't
darken the wood when it is applied.
Lots of luck with that. What happens if the wood has no tannins? Many
don't.
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Are water-based polyurethane finishes okay for hardwood floors?
Yes
Are they durable enough compared to oil-based polyurethanes?
Yes
Are there any special cleaning requirements or instructions for
water-based
finishes that are different than for oil-based polyurethane finishes?
None I know of. Most important thing is to keep grit swept up. Polys
resist scratches well but grit will eventually get them too. Especially if
you used glossy rather than semi-gloss (more noticeable on gloss).
Can I later cover a water-based polyurethane finish with an oil-based
polyurethane finish? I think the answer to that one is "no", but I
thought I would ask anyway.
Yes. And vice versa assuming the one being covered is totally dry and/or
fully cured. However, unless the old surface is pretty worn it needs to be
lightly sanded to promote adhesion.
--
dadiOH
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