Every floor wears out during the years. It's longevity depends on the traffic and the quality of materials used to polyurethane the floor. When the time comes to refinish the floor, our experts will help you to decide what type of refinish needs to be done.
A refinish process starts with the sanding of the wood, the depth of the sanding will be determined by the depth of the scratches in the wood. We use only the latest sanding equipment that uses the "Less Dust" process. And, of course, we will cover all of your furniture and valuables with dust covers to ensure their safety. Once the wood is cleaned of all scratches and stripped of old polyurethane, the natural color of the wood can be left or you can add color by staining the wood. After choosing your color, the next step is to seal the wood with wood sealer as a primer layer. When the sealer is dry it will be buffed to achieve a smooth surface. The last stage is to coat the floor with polyurethane keep in mind that the more coats you apply, the better protection you will have and the longer it will last. Two types of polyurethane exist today in the market: oil base polyurethane and water base polyurethane. Both water base & oil base have advantages & disadvantages.
Water-based polyurethanes provide a clear finish and have low odor. We can recoat them in two hour. If we start early enough in the day, we can apply the recommended four coats and you can sleep in the room that night.
Oil-based polyurethanes leave an amber glow and require fewer coats. But the five-hour wait between coats and 12-hour wait after the last coat will put a bedroom out of commission for a few days—and you’ll have to put up with a strong odor.
We’re installing tongue-and-groove maple flooring in a newly remodeled master bedroom. They love the natural look of the maple but want a finish that will protect it. Is water-based or oil-based polyurethane better?
Both offer good protection; the biggest difference is in appearance. If you love the natural look of maple, apply a water-based (water-borne) polyurethane. They’ll slightly accent the character of your wood without giving it the amber tint of an oil-based poly. (However, some woods, like the oak shown, cry out for that amber tint.) Water-based finishes dry fast— most within two hours—so you can apply several coats in a day and use the room that night. They have minimal odor.
But water-based polys have their tradeoffs. They cost four times as much as oil-based polys. They won’t give wood the rich glow that oil-based polys impart; some even consider them cold looking.
Most water-based polys contain only 30 to 35 percent solids, compared with the 45 to 50 percent solids in oil-based products. Since these solids create the protective finish, you need to apply four coats, as opposed to two or three. And you may need to apply additional coats every two years or so.
There’s debate over which finish is harder, but some experts maintain that hardness isn’t necessarily a good attribute of a floor finish. You want a finish that will flex along with the floor. And a super-hard finish shows scratches more readily.
You’ll prolong the protective life of any finish by eliminating its No. 1 enemies: dirt and grit. Sweep or vacuum the floor often and put throw rugs in high-traffic areas.
Every coat that dries will be buffed again to smooth the surface. Both polyurethane types come with different degrees of shine: Satin Finish (lowest), Semi Gloss (medium), and High Gloss (highest).
Every wood has its own natural color pigmentation. The staining is a process of adding color or removing the color with the process of bleaching. The stain is a clear color you will see the natural grain of the wood. The result of the stain, as far as its final look, depends on the pigment of the wood on which it is applied.