Poly or equivilant for floors (NDR)

Phil Nowack

Phil Nowack

Well-known member
OK.. .I am going to be putting reclaimed white oak plank flooring in my house. It is T&G, straight lined, min width of 6.5" with an avg of 8". The question I am asking is... what type of polyurethane would you recommend?
 
The look is to be rustic.... But the poly, is about protection. More than appearance... Right? I would do a satin finish. I want durability.
 
I sanded down and redid my oak hardwood floors last year, I had good luck with a quality oil-based polyurethane. I believe I did 3 coats, it may have been 4. I would recommend satin as well because the glossier it is the more scratches and imperfections will show up. Make sure you wear an organic vapor respirator and it may be a day or 3 before the smell clears out.
 
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Don't use poly. Check out Waterlox tung oil. You can tint it with stain so it takes on a darker shade to your liking and it applies with a lambs wool applicator. The tung oil brings out the character in the reclaimed wood with the end result being a work of art. Poly will not have same impact. Also, scratches in poly often require sanding. Tung oil only requires reapplication. Have it here on my wide plank oak and pine and love it. Many people that have done similar floors provided me with the same advice.

One issue with wide oak is it has a mind of its own. Regardless of T&G and other anti-cupping measures it has a tendency to curl. Face nailing or screwing with bung plugs is the only proven method to prevent the working.

Good luck.
 
Chris, with the tung oil, that does not protect against water does it? I thought it would leave marks? I was thinking, and have been advised by several that instead of face nailing if you put adhesive under them and blind nail,that should stop cupping. What are your thoughts? Could you send a few pics of your oak plank floor?
 
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As far as finish use a good quality oil based sealer. I used the old school dura seal on my wide plank oak 15 years ago. It basically was similar to the old fashioned boiled linseed oil and OMS by my estimation. It has protected well, but dulled out fairly quickly. Not a problem for me as they are rustic floors.

However do not use any adhesive. I made that mistake and it did not allow the floor to move freely. I ended up with two large gaps at my narrowest point in the dry winter weather with the woodstove going. In the summer they close. If I would of not glued the floor each board would of opened slightly rather than all in one spot.
 
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Give me a day to dig out the camera to take a few pictures. Another issue with adhesive beside what Jode mentioned is cracking. If you do not let wide boards move seasonally they will split and you end up with splinter that need touch up months latter. My wide pine upwards of 22" was kiln dried and aclimated for several weeks and in the end it pulls in about one eight of an inch at each seam. Part of the rustic charm!

When I finished my oak I went 4:1 Waterlox to early American stain. The pine was a touch heavier on the stain.

One word of caution with Waterlox is the same as linseed oil - self combustion.
 
The best way to control movement in wood is to control the humidity.
Easy to do in some areas of the country, hard to do in other areas.
 
I have been planning my future retirement house/cabin for a while now, and have also been thinking about different flooring options. Wanted the rustic look and durability, and ease in maintenance. As far as wood flooring goes, I also have looked a poly, oils, waxes, and Waterlox. The following link sold me on the Waterlox, if I choose wood flooring. As Chris N said you can add a stain to it or as in the case of the link they did not use a stain and just used the Waterlox and it comes out looking somewhat stained. The repair of scratches, gouges, etc. could not be any easier in my opinion.

http://www.addicted2decorating.com/...rs-with-waterlox-instead-of-polyurethane.html
 
Yes but a little goes a long way. Used it on about 1800 sq ft of flooring with four coats and want to say I used about four gallons in total.
 
According to the specs... Only 500 sq ft per gallon.... (Per coat).... Which means 1500sq ft x 3 coats = 9 gal.....
 
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