Water Based Floor Finish Over Oil Based

Water based and oil based polyurethane each offer good protection.

Water based floor finish over oil based.

Water based polyurethane cost is two to three times higher than oil based products. Water based finish appears milky in the can but appears more or less clear when applied to your floor. Each coat of oil based finish takes 10 20 hours to dry and has very high. The second basic type of hardwood flooring finish is a water based finish.

This is more than the amount of coats required for oil based finishes. The biggest difference is in appearance. Two less vocs is better for the environment. You should never put a water based finish on top of an oil based finish.

Usually by a square footage factor of 50 cents to dollar more. Made with synthetic resins and plasticizers water based polyurethane is a very durable finish that resists moisture fairly well although you ll still want to mop up any spills or leaks asap. Convenience dry times and smells water based finishes dry in 2 3 hours per coat and have very little odor smells like a very mild cleaning product. However you must buff sand the entire floor to break the existing gloss and completely remove the sanding dust before application.

This serves two purposes. One reason water based floor finishes rose in popularity is because they are manufactured with less vocs than oil based finishes. Water based finish costs more than oil based finish. Polyurethane is actually the most durable hardwood floor finish.

The amount of coats applied in order to give ultimate protection is on average 2 coats. On the other end oil based polyurethane will accent your wood with a rich amber tint. Water based provides a more transparent finish and isn t expected to change color over time. Some people don t appreciate this change in color so this is an essential factor to consider and discuss with any hardwood flooring company you decide to hire.

The bottom line is both materials have very similar overall durability but based on professional experience water based finishes overall are more durable than oil based. One less vocs mean less odor. Jim carroll explains why it s not only acceptable to use a water based finish over and oil finish provided you do it correctly but that it can be the best solution when you want to bring out the natural character and color of the wood. Because most water based finishes possess less solid content they deliver a thinner film.

In general it takes 3 layers of oil based finish to complete the job or 4 to 5 layers of water based finish. When cost and coats are calculated this works out to about 35 to 50 cents per square foot for oil based poly and 80 cents to 1 35 per square foot for water based polyurethane.