Water-Based Polyurethane vs Oil-based

[lizziecupcakes]

There are lots of very long and enthusiasticly debated threads on floor finishes in this forum.

My attempts to summarise have been:

Traditional - use 3 to 7 coats of Shellac (Mylands shellac barrier seal for floors - other brands like Fiddes Shellac Sealer are also available...) then 2 coats of beeswax and canauba (Mylands Traditional or Harrells - from W.S. Jenkins)

or

Modern - Bona Prime undercoat then Bona Traffic HD if you needed something harder wearing

That said, plenty of members here have used Osmo polyx and been happy with it

Hi
I’m just wondering if the shellac adds colour/stain?

I’m really nervous about ruining my floors with the wrong colour.

 

[lizziecupcakes]

Also, can anyone confirm the smell that comes off:

Osmo polyx
Shellac
Bona Prime

 

[lizziecupcakes]

I should also add, the Osmo Polyx comes in glossy, semi-matt and matt.

I don’t want glossy at all, but is the semi-matte still quite glossy?

I’m not sure if I should get the semi-glossy vs matt

Thanks all (we are finally here at the flooring stage, well, after the wallpaper is up and painted)

 

[Cubist]

I've used the Osmo products on a number of occasions and have found that;

• The drying time of the gloss/satin/matt (sometimes referred to as raw) is gratefully brief and two coats applied over 24 hours will be touch dry within 24hours of final application.
• They are all low odour during use and that fades rapidly again within 24-36 hours.
• Theres a need for caution though as the final finish does not like exposure to detergent laced water.
• Personally I prefer the matt/raw finish, particularly with oak, mostly because I like its 'natural' wood appearance and also because it better resists (or rather it limits the appearance of) the kind of scratches that arise from the small particles of grit that can sometimes become lodged in those felt pads used under the legs of furniture.

I have, in the distant past, used shellac both on floors and as a French polish on furnishings. Again, the odour is quite low until dry but that too is mercifully brief. It can go down rather thickly though and remain soft for for a couple of days so bets not to walk on it too soon.

Never used the Bona products so cannot comment - but I'm a little nervous of the company name from its Round the Horn days under the management of Kenneth Williams and Hugh Paddick.

Congrats on the progress to-date and may all your endeavours be appropriately rewarded. Good luck.

 

[lizziecupcakes]

I've used the Osmo products on a number of occasions and have found that;

• The drying time of the gloss/satin/matt (sometimes referred to as raw) is gratefully brief and two coats applied over 24 hours will be touch dry within 24hours of final application.
• They are all low odour during use and that fades rapidly again within 24-36 hours.
• Theres a need for caution though as the final finish does not like exposure to detergent laced water.
• Personally I prefer the matt/raw finish, particularly with oak, mostly because I like its 'natural' wood appearance and also because it better resists (or rather it limits the appearance of) the kind of scratches that arise from the small particles of grit that can sometimes become lodged in those felt pads used under the legs of furniture.

thanks @Cubist! I think i’m keen on the Osmo. Appreciate you sharing this.

Did you use the Osmo oak stain on pine floors?

 

[a twig]

Never used the Bona products so cannot comment - but I'm a little nervous of the company name from its Round the Horn days under the management of Kenneth Williams and Hugh Paddick.

Should probably point out for the benefit of more recent generations of this parish that Round The Horn was was a 60s BBC radio comedy lest they become concerned about corporate shenanigans

 

[fernicarry]

I’m just wondering if the shellac adds colour/stain?

Not really if its onto bare wood. I tried once and nothing much changed, had to strip it back off again. The water based stain I use dries really dull and not very saturated colour-wise but once you do the shellac the colour goes much deeper and richer. Was a bit of a leap of faith but really happy with how it turned out.

Shellac smells of meths because thats what the little beesties are dissolved in, but it dries within minutes and then the smell is gone. The stain doesn't smell of anything.

Below you can see bare boards, stain only, and stain with shellac (and probably waxed). Had to do this room in two halves so the stain-only board is the control to make sure I get the same colour saturation on the second half. The stain on its own is not exactly confidence inspiring, its the shellac that makes it work. I'm indebted to Mr Newell for pointing me in this direction (although I'm sure he would find fault with my efforts).

 

[Lacan07]

There isn't much you can do about those gouged hollows but bear in mind the fact that if you plan to sand the floor back properly they'll be less dramatic as you are taking a fair amount of material of the surface.

And also the finish your left with certainly won't be the same colour as the boards in your photo on page 1 of this thread. Have you sanded back a sample board yet? Different varieties of pine do vary slightly in tone when sanded, a clear varnish will darken them down slightly.