A great hardwood finish will protect your floor and give it an amazing look. Today, there are many alternatives from a do it yourself water-based polyurethane to an expert acid-cured and still the common oil sealer. This page contains information on some of the hardwood finishes.
The best option for hardwood floor finish is acid-cured. The acid-cured finish is the most preferred for hardwood floors. It uses acid and alcohol for a shiny surface that gets dry within no time and holds in a beautiful manner. Once completed, it displays all the qualities in exotic species such as Brazilian Cherry. This kind of finish can last for ten years or more with good care. You can make adjustments as needed.
Aluminum oxide is the most finish for hardwood floors. This is the finish you acquire when you do not intend to deal with it at all. Aluminum oxide comes installed on the most excellent prefinished hardwood floor. In a single application, aluminum oxide can hold for about 25 years. It makes surfaces less likely to fade, scratch. Although aluminum oxide provides excellent durability, it is hard to refinish. It makes surfaces very hard that you may damage them with a sander. Mostly, you will prefer to replace the floor instead.
Water-based polyurethane is easy to apply. Water-based polyurethane is an average option for several environments, more so environments with more moisture. Homeowners usually find the finish trouble-free to apply hence making it a great DIY project. It gets dry in a few hours hence allowing you to apply many coats in a single day. Even though it is less durable compared to oil-based alternatives, it contains low VOCs, making it great for rooms that have minimal ventilation and the basement.
The best finish for high-traffic is the oil-based polyurethane. Oil-based polyurethane provides middle-of-the-road sturdiness at a friendly price. It is the cheapest option among the modern finishes and adds a warm shine to renowned wood floors like maple or white oak. Contrary to the old-fashioned oil-sealer, this option dries hard with many hours between coats. Compared to water-based polyurethane, it is less costly and often requires fewer coats for the same finish.
Moisture-cured urethane is the best finish for pets and kids. Moisture-based urethane offers a particularly durable surface ideal for families with high traffic. The preferred alternative for bowling alleys, moisture-based urethane does not scuff or scratch easily. It takes about 1 to 2 hours to dry, making it hard to apply. This implies you’ll require a professional hardwood refinishing provider.
For historic homes, penetrating oil sealer is the best. Even though newer finishes lender many of the old approaches outdated, most of the people who own older homes still prefer the penetrating oil sealer. This old-school product mostly uses tung oil which soaks up well into the wood as well as gives a low-gloss polish. It is a DIY project for people with patience as it takes between 1 and 2 days to dry between layers. It isn’t as durable as recent alternatives and you’ll have to re-apply every 2-3 years.
Choose the finish that can offer the protection your flooring requires and adds something unique to the look of the hardwood. Also, decide the sheen and shade you intend to add to better your hardwood floor natural beauty.