hardwood floors...

[Patrick Melchior]

what is the best, toughest, finish you can put on a hardwood floor?

best regards,

patrick

[Peter Quinn]

2K Urethane is pretty tough stuff.

[Jason Roehl]

Probably something you wouldn't be able to buy. There are some very good finishes out there that the flooring finish retailers will only sell to the professionals. It also depends on what you want to spend. $100/gallon? $200?

[Stephen Cherry]

Waterlox is repairable.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I'm very disappointed with the way the Varathane oil based poly I used back in May has held up.
IMHO - that's one you can cross off your list.

I don't know if it's due to VOC regulations or if the parent company (RPM) has fiddled around with the formulation to cut costs.

Varathane, when it was made by Flecto, was a defacto standard by which most over the counter floor polys were judged at one time.
IMHO - that time has now passed.

[Patrick Melchior]

the reason why I ask is.... a co-worker of mine built a house on the Outer Banks, NC 2 years ago, and his hardwood floors are scratching under the dinning room chairs terribly. He has put various types of "cushions" on the chair legs but they still scratched the floor.

[Kevin Bourque]

the reason why I ask is.... a co-worker of mine built a house on the Outer Banks, NC 2 years ago, and his hardwood floors are scratching under the dinning room chairs terribly. He has put various types of "cushions" on the chair legs but they still scratched the floor.

Were they prefinished floors or did somebody sand and finish them?

[Kent A Bathurst]

the reason why I ask is.... a co-worker of mine built a house on the Outer Banks, NC 2 years ago, and his hardwood floors are scratching under the dinning room chairs terribly. He has put various types of "cushions" on the chair legs but they still scratched the floor.

I go to the Outer Banks regularly. One possibility is that there was a drum run or striper run in the surf the middle of the floor finishing, and the crew all ran out to their pick-em-up trucks to hit the beach. I kid you not - I have seen roofing crews come down the ladders hell-bent-for-leather and race off............... 'Course, I got in my 4WD rental and followed them.

[Ole Anderson]

I'm curious what type of finish you see now on prefinished flooring. If you look carefully, it gives off sparks when you cut it. Dulls the carbide blade terribly. Understand it has aluminum oxide in it. Can't imagine anything tougher.

[Chris Tsutsui]

A well engineered Conversion Varnish with high quality polyester resins should spank other coatings.

[Stephen Cherry]

the reason why I ask is.... a co-worker of mine built a house on the Outer Banks, NC 2 years ago, and his hardwood floors are scratching under the dinning room chairs terribly. He has put various types of "cushions" on the chair legs but they still scratched the floor.

Polyurethane should hold up to this pretty well. That's what I have on my floor, and it is OK. Maybe it's sand. This is where Waterlox may be the right choice since it can be repaired.