alternative to poly for my flooring

[phil freels]

I just installed ~400 sq of 7" rustic white oak. I bought Bona NordicSeal and Bona Traffic HD in satin to coat it. We just finished sanding and the more I look at it the more we like the look as it sits now. From the get go we wanted a natural raw look. There is epoxy in the floor at knots and cracks etc, and I do want to remove some of the dullness of the epoxy after sanding. Im really debating to not poly it. I've looked at Odies, Tung oil, Tung oil cut with solvent, Bowling alley wax, Gilboys hard wax oil. I also am looking at maybe a butcher block wax. Everything seems to put a real sheen on it form the pictures. what's the best option to put something on it but make it look as if there is nothing on it. fyi - I have two 150 lb drooling and rowdy Great Danes that enjoy sliding and running in place ��

[Tom M King]

Bona Naturale. You can put the Traffic over it. I've used it a number of times as the first and also final coats. It's used in hotel lobbies, so is a very tough finish. It's supposedly low VOC, but it's an acid cure urethane so you do need clear air to breathe. I makes White Oak look like nothing at all has been put on it. It's MUCH tougher than any oil you can put on it, which will darken it. It will bring out some color in Pine, but none at all on White Oak.

edited to add: I just checked, and they've added Naturale to a couple of other products. I haven't used it since it was just Naturale. Study the Bona information to see what their current process is. I see there is a Traffic Naturale and some other Naturale. Follow their instructions for use.

[John TenEyck]

Nothing but good to say about Bona Traffic HD. But an alternative that looks like nothing has been applied is Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2C, used on floors in homes, stores, and offices in Europe for many years. There's Osmo Oil, too, but I think satin is the lowest sheen they have and in my limited testing it was not as durable as RM. Another thing that's amazing about RM is that if you need to repair it the repair is completely invisible afterwards. No bull.

John

[Alex Shanku]

I used Pallmans Magic Oil on about 1000sqft of white oak. I love the look and feel. Has held up just fine for 6 years, now.

https://us.pallmann.net/detail/produ...8/magic-oil-2k

[John TenEyck]

I used Pallmans Magic Oil on about 1000sqft of white oak. I love the look and feel. Has held up just fine for 6 years, now.

https://us.pallmann.net/detail/produ...8/magic-oil-2k

From what I've seen, this looks to be an excellent product. Your endorsement confirms it must be.

John

[Tom M King]

Alex, thanks for posting that. I have a small 12x16 Red Oak floor I need to redo in our house after my aged Mother living in it for three years. That is a tempting looking thing to try. I have a floor buffer like the video shows. My concerns are the maintenance product they show to use weekly or daily. I wouldn't want anything that needs that much upkeep.

Also, being flammable, how strong does it smell? This room is in the house we live in, along with 12 breeding dogs. It's on one end, but I don't want fumes that will get in the rest of the house. The Bona things don't require that much maintenance, some don't smell to amount to anything, and are much simpler to apply in comparison to that video, not that the application in that video looks that bad. I use the buffer between coats of Bona too.

My only other better choice would be Moisture Cure Urethane, but no way can I use that with us living in the house.

[John TenEyck]

Tom, Rubio Monocoat has just about no odor, zero VOC's, is pretty darned durable, and dead easy to repair. However, it's an in the wood finish so it's not going to look like Bona HD unless they make a dead flat version.

John

[Tom M King]

I’m not too particular about what it looks exactly like. The Bona is just so easy to put on with an applicator on a broom handle. I can put finish on that little room in probably less than three minutes, and maybe two, without getting down on the floor. There probably will rarely any shoes get worn in there. I think I’ll stick with what I know.

[Alex Shanku]

My concerns are the maintenance product they show to use weekly or daily. I wouldn't want anything that needs that much upkeep.

I use the pallman brand cleaner and a generic microfiber mop just like you would with any flooring cleaner, maybe once a week or every few weeks if the kids haven't tracked mud through the room. I use their "magic oil care" once a year or 18 months, or so.

Also, being flammable, how strong does it smell?

The smell is something like linseed oil or other shop oils. Nothing offensive at all, imo. If I remember correctly, the smell was gone in a few hours.

[Tom M King]

That's more maintenance than we're willing to do. We vacuum when it needs it, and once in a rare while I might mop. Life's too busy here.