Oil Or Water Based Floor Varnish

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.

Oil or water based floor varnish. Often used to finish hardwood floors the newer water based oil modified polyurethane lends a more robust level of protection than traditional water based poly. However lots of high end customers are asking for dark stained hardwood floors with a matte finish. Oil based polyurethane has a slight amber or yellowish tint and can yellow even more over time which adds a bit of rich warm amber color to the floors if that s your goal. The biggest difference is in appearance.

The biggest difference is in appearance. Wecannot find matte finish oil base poly only water based and the satin finish oil base has a little to much shine for interior decorators and high end jobs. One reason water based floor finishes rose in popularity is because they are manufactured with less vocs than oil based finishes. Satin gloss and semi gloss.

This serves two purposes. Water based polyurethanes provide a clear neutral finish and have low odor. Polyurethane is actually the most durable hardwood floor finish. All sheen adds a touch of luxury elegance and beauty to your surface be it floor or furniture.

Because most water based finishes possess less solid content they deliver a thinner film. The second basic type of hardwood flooring finish is a water based finish. Minwax water based oil modified polyurethane has three varieties of sheen to choose from. You ll find it in.

Water based and oil based polyurethane each offer good protection. Water based vs oil based polyurethane floor finishes welcome back to another round of ask the home flooring pros. Moreover water based floor finish has little or no odor thus easier to maintain and can be cleaned with just soap and. This is more than the amount of coats required for oil based finishes.

However any water based. If you start early enough in the day you can apply the recommended four coats and sleep in. Two less vocs is better for the environment. Water based finish appears milky in the can but appears more or less clear when applied to your floor.

One less vocs mean less odor. Both offer good protection. The amount of coats applied in order to give ultimate protection is on average 2 coats. You should never put a water based finish on top of an oil based finish.

Following our recent post on maple flooring we had a question from a reader in texas asking us to explain more clearly the difference between water based and oil based polyurethane and to outline the pros and cons of each.