Finish for softwood flooring

[danny777d]

We’re installing fir flooring.
What finish would be best?

I’m looking for something low-maintenance and (ideally) low VOC, but we can stomach the temporary VOC issue for long-life protection. We don’t want a high-gloss finish — leaning towards satin finish.

I’m guessing a Rubio finish wouldn’t offer enough protection in this case.
I see good recs for Bona Traffic here.

 

[onocoffee]

At my old shop (the building and floors were built in the 1920s) we had pine floors and because of the traffic, we refinished them every year or two. We'd clean them, scuff them down a little and recoat with Samseal that we got from our local hardwood flooring dealer. I think it worked great - and we had very heavy daily foot traffic in that shop.
https://sampsoncoatings.com/products/sampson-sam-seal-professional-urethane-wood-finish/

 

[bobtskutter]

I've used Bona Mega on OSB furniture items I've made.  It soaks in well and gives a tough finish - but i'm using it on cabinets and doors not floors.

It does smell quite strong whilst curing and also seems to go through a second cure when the ambient temperature warms up.  You can clean up with soap and water.  I like using it.

The 5L containers come with a filter in the spout for you to pour directly on the floor and apply with a roller / (stick with rubber strip on bottom [can't think of the name])

Bob

 

[Tom the Remodeler]

We’re installing fir flooring.
What finish would be best?

I’m looking for something low-maintenance and (ideally) low VOC, but we can stomach the temporary VOC issue for long-life protection. We don’t want a high-gloss finish — leaning towards satin finish.

I’m guessing a Rubio finish wouldn’t offer enough protection in this case.
I see good recs for Bona Traffic here.

Hi Danny,

What kind of "protection" are you looking for?

Rubio and the other plant oil based products will soak into the wood fibers and generally resist staining, etc..., but they will not leave a film.

Bona and other film forming finishes sit on top of the wood like a sheet of plastic.

Neither product will make the wood itself any harder. I installed Rubio on our Red Oak floors in 2020 and it's holding up very well. We have cats who inevitably vomit food or hairballs on the floor, once I've cleaned the spot with the Rubio floor cleaner I can't see any staining. We're probably due for a renewal application in a year or two, but that just means moving the furniture out of the room for a day. No sanding, just clean the floor, buff-on/buff-off oil, let cure overnight, then move furniture back into the room the next day.

Bona Traffic is a nice product as far as film finishes go, but keep in mind that to refinish your floors you'll need to remove all of your furniture, sand to bare wood, and allow time for multiple coats.

Knowing that both types of products require some degree of maintenance, a question you may ask yourself is:
-- Would I prefer a more frequent but lower impact service schedule?
-- Would I prefer a less frequent but higher impact service schedule?

I opted for the more frequent but lower impact service schedule......

 

[leakyroof]

I've used the Bona products since I needed a water based, low odor Floor Finish for a Relative's Kitchen Floor originally, and have used it since on other floors once I got the hang of it.
The Traffic held up to Wheelchair usage, which I think is a pretty tough requirement due to those thin wheels putting some weight down on a small section, then the person in the chair rotates or pivots those same wheels.
It never showed signs of lifting up from that- dried fast and easy. Clean up as noted is easy since its not Oil Based.
I've used both Pads on a long handle as an applicator, and tried the squeegee method as well.
I prefer the Floor Foam Applicator pads, just seem to have more control for me, but the rooms have always been small too, so that might be a factor.

 

[Cheese]

And I opted for the less frequent but higher impact service schedule...... [smile]

Here's some hard maple treads I installed, they're finished with 2 coats of Bona Traffic and 1 coat of Bona AS (anti-slip). The marks on the upper landing are from the claws of an 85# retriever that sometimes becomes very nervous about going downstairs.  [smile]
You can see in the 2nd photo, which is a close-up, that the maple has been indented but that the finish is still intact.

I decided to go with Bona Traffic because it is used in commercial applications.

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

 

[leakyroof]

Flexible Finish for those nails/paws.... [wink]