Waterlox alternatives?

[Jim Podsedly]

I really like using waterlox sealer/finisher on furniture but hate that the shelf life is so short.

I will be finishing 2 cherry/maple dressers in the next few weeks and just looking for what others have used and liked in the past.

thanks,
jim

[Rick Lucrezi]

Would you be interested in teaching me all the ins and outs of Waterlox? It was recommended for my "antiqued" fir flooring im doing, and I thought about doing all my furniture and cabnites the same way. I have no real expierence with it at all.

[Eric Gustafson]

Last weekend I used MINIWAX Polyacrylic. I only used it to protect a temporary worktop and I just happened to have it on hand. But it must have a very long shelflife. I have had that container for years and it still worked perfect. I cannot speak to how long the fiinsh will last or how good the finish would be for a cabinet or other fine woodwork.

http://www.minwax.com/products/water...tive_finishes/

[Jim Podsedly]

Rick,

i wouldn't use Waterlox on flooring. it would not hold up. It is a varnish type of finish. I have used it on desks and bookcases and really like the ease and quality of the finish.

You can pucrchase from woodcraft.
http://www.woodcraft.com/search/sear...query=waterlox

[Keith Beck]

Rick,

i wouldn't use Waterlox on flooring. it would not hold up. It is a varnish type of finish. I have used it on desks and bookcases and really like the ease and quality of the finish.

You can pucrchase from woodcraft.
http://www.woodcraft.com/search/sear...query=waterlox

I thought I read somewhere that Waterlox started as a finish for basketball courts. I think if it'll hold up under those conditions, you would be able to use it on a residential floor.

Keith

[Pat Germain]

Rick,

i wouldn't use Waterlox on flooring. it would not hold up. It is a varnish type of finish. I have used it on desks and bookcases and really like the ease and quality of the finish.

You can pucrchase from woodcraft.
http://www.woodcraft.com/search/sear...query=waterlox

I thought Waterlox was processed tung oil. While you can build it to a shine, it's really not a varnish, is it?

[Jim Podsedly]

Pat - you are right. it is tung oil based.

[Rick Lucrezi]

I hope I havent hijacked this thread but? Waterlox web site advertises floor finnish. I do not want the film finish, so the tung oil is the prefered method as I understand. I know the wood will dent and scratch, but thats the look I am going for. I found out recently "tung oil" can come pure, or mixed with different things for differnt purposes. There is a company back east some where that does all their floors with Waterlox. I was hoping to get some info from you on any tricks you know of to get the best look from the stuff, and if its really worth the cost or would I be better off buying pure tung oil and making my own mix?

[Joe Chritz]

Waterlox is a varnish that happens to be tung oil based. I just had what was left in a quart gel up on me but that can was nearly 2 years old.

There are more than one kind of waterlox. I like the satin original sealer for furniture projects.

This page shows all their products.

http://www.waterlox.com/desktopmodul...aspx?tabid=424

All finishes have shelf life and some tricks can extend them a little and some are longer than others. Any of the non-poly varnishes will give great service. Also there is a difference between borg polyurethane and a finish like Behlen's rockhard which has urethane in it.

I'm not sure on the shelf life of Rockhard but it is a bit cheaper than waterlox and is very nice stuff. Reduce it 50/50 for wiping consistancy. Now that I am out of wiping finish I will pick up some in place of the waterlox I was using.

Joe

[Howard Acheson]

>> i wouldn't use Waterlox on flooring. it would not hold up.

Waterlox would not like to hear that. Waterlox Original started out as a floor finish. In fact, their Waterlox Original Gloss was called "Gym Floor Finish". Go to their website and you will find all sorts of info about relating to using Waterlox Original as a floor finish. It's an excellent floor finish every bit a durable as a less clear poly varnish floor finish.

Keep in mind that "Waterlox" is a brand name of a family of coating products. Just referring to "Waterlox" does not identify what product is being discussed or used.

Waterlox Original is a VARNISH, pure and simple. It's not TUNG OIL. It's a varnish made with phenolic resin and tung oil. Most varnish is made with alkyd resin and either linseed oil or soya oil. The phenolic resin makes a varnish that is quite a bit harder and more durable than alkyd/linseed oil varnishes. It certainly can be used as a furniture finish. However, a characteristic that needs to be understood is that phenolic resin makes it a very dark amber varnish. It probably makes no difference for dark woods but might not look good on light colored woods.

Another varnish made with phenolic resin is Behlen's Rockhard. Rockhard is a reasonable substitute for Waterlox Original.

[Thomas Bank]

I too am a bit disappointed at the shelf life. I have had reasonable luck with transferring the remainder to smaller cans and making sure that they are sealed tight.

As a floor finish, it is not maintenance free. But the advantage is that it is very simple to clean the floor and wipe on another coat if it gets damaged. I'm getting ready to do my woodshop floor with Waterlox Original for precisely that reason.

I did try to do an exterior porch floor with their Marine products and had limited success with that. To be fair, the porch gets direct southern sun exposure as well as snow and rain. I think that just about any clear finish would require annual care.

[Joe Cunningham]

Do you use Bloxygen or something similar?

I use my internal bloxygen--take in a deep breath, open the can, exhale CO2, quickly tighten can. I have a quart can of Waterlox original sealer I bought over the summer, used on a few projects and using this technique it is just fine. I think I have about 1/3 of a can left.

[Joe Spear]

There is still a lot of oxygen left in your breath, otherwise CPR wouldn't be effective. Put clean marbles or smooth pebbles in the can to bring the level up to the top and screw the lid on tight.

[Neal Clayton]

Would you be interested in teaching me all the ins and outs of Waterlox? It was recommended for my "antiqued" fir flooring im doing, and I thought about doing all my furniture and cabnites the same way. I have no real expierence with it at all.

i've finished floors with it. it has a bit deeper hue than amber shellac, but otherwise pretty similar.

the semi-gloss is not really, it's more of a gloss finish. i would order the satin unless you want the gloss for some reason.

it levels very well, can be laid on pretty thick, as long as you start with a clean floor there's no need to sand between coats.

it is more prone to bubble than poly is, so you do need to use a lambswool pad as they recommend, a roller or sponge won't work very well.

and yes it does have a very 'authentic' aged look out of the can due to the color of it and how it absorbs, so it's very popular in refinishing old floors, if that's the look you want.

here's a pic of what you'll wind up with...

the floor in the picture is original to the ~100 year old house, the baseboards and door frame are newly cut, but the same species of lumber. the casing around the door frame isn't finished yet. disregard the mess, there was some plaster work going on after the floor finish . the floor was sanded bare, if you were finishing only with the waterlox, i would guesstimate 4 coats to start to build up a film. as a sealer with something else going on for color after, i would say a good thick 2. these floors are longleaf pine so should be similar in absorbancy to your fir.

i'm using waterlox as a sealer, then using garnet shellac for color, then using the waterlox again as the top coat. the picture is the semi gloss.

in lieu of that, they say you can mix it up to 4:1 with an oil stain to vary the color as well. i've experimented with this, but haven't completely finished anything with that method so haven't run into any other caveats with mixing it.

it will not be slick like poly, you can build a film with 5+ coats, but you'll still be able to see and feel the grain of the wood.