We recently had a mahogany floor put on our porch. We used TWP to
finish it. What kind of floor mat would be safe to use? I know that
sometimes certain materials will discolor other materials. Is that the
case here? The porch has a ceiling, and the door side doesn't get sun,
although it does get hit with some water and snow, because it's the
north end of the porch.

Anne

wrote:
We recently had a mahogany floor put on our porch. We used TWP to
finish it. What kind of floor mat would be safe to use? I know that
sometimes certain materials will discolor other materials. Is that the
case here? The porch has a ceiling, and the door side doesn't get sun,
although it does get hit with some water and snow, because it's the
north end of the porch.


It would help if you spelt out "TWP".

If that is some kind of paint, varnish or oil
finish, avoid using mats that are plastic or synthetic rubber
as those contain platicisers that can make wood finishes gummy.
Regardless, it would probably be good to use a mat that is open
enough that it does not stay wet or trap moisture underneath it.

Mahogany is a naturally rot-resistant wood. It does not
necessarily need to be finished with anything.

'Water seals', like Thomson's water seal are _almost_ nothing,
IIUC they are just waxes. MY experience with Thompson's water
seal is that it lasts less than a year if exposed to sun and
rain. It may last longer in a more sheltered location but I
would not bother using it again and would opt for at least
an oil finish, again not great protection but better than
a really thin layer of wax.

--

FF

Thanks, FF. TWP is Total Wood Protectant
http://www.woodsealants.com/twp-500-series.htm. It's a penetrating
finish. (I'm not sure how the stuff would be described generically.) We
used TWP because it helps prevent the wood from absorbing water and it
helps prevent fading from ultraviolet light. It was important that
whatever we finished the floor with would not be slippery when wet.
Because our porch is at the front of the house, we did not want to let
the wood weather naturally, which in our opinion looks less formal.

Anne