Polyurethane Flooring - Comments
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Do the new floating floors have a Polyurethane coating ? or can we do this after its been laid?
We are doign this in our kitchen which is HIGH TRAFFIC and we have a dog that sometimes has accidents. I dont want to lay this floor if i will have stain issues Thanks so much Penny Armstrong Decatur, IL USA
penny at August 6, 2007 07:46 AM
Posted by: penny at August 6, 2007 07:46 AMI just installed an engineered hardwood floor in my dining room and want to know if you can put an additional coat of polyurethane on the floor for added protection.
Renee Watson at June 5, 2008 11:33 AM
Posted by: Renee Watson at June 5, 2008 11:33 AMHi Renee,
It's hard to say, according to the directions from different brands, some polyurethanes need raw wood to adhere to while some claim that they'll adhere to just about anything. I would think too that it's going to depend on what the engineered hardwood floor already has on it.
Most likely, the best thing to do is give the flooring manufacturer a call -- their website probably also has a webform or email address to contact somebody for support. If nothing else, they can probably advise you if this will violate your warranty or not and have recommendations for polyurethane brands.
After you get an idea of what brands will work with your floor, call those manufacturers to see if they actually recommend use on prefinished engineered hardwood floors.
Remember too, that these floors are exactly the same (on the surface!) as a traditional hardwood floor. That means that later on, if you ever want to, you can strip, sand, stain (if you want to), basically refinish these floors. You obviously don't want to get down deeper than the hardwood layer though. ;~)
The Flooring Lady at June 6, 2008 10:20 AM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at June 6, 2008 10:20 AMDear sir, I am in the construction material business and have used Polyurethane foor in a kitchen. It puzzles me why many obvious white spots appear on the floor surface. Based on your exprience, can you please shed light on the causes and what steps can be taken to eliminate such white spots?
Thanks. Yours sincerely, Mr John Lim
Mr John Lim at July 17, 2008 02:24 AM
Posted by: Mr John Lim at July 17, 2008 02:24 AMGood day Mr. Lim!
Actually, I'm a ma'am, that's why this site is called The Flooring Lady.
A little more information would be most helpful. What kind of flooring material is this? What kind of a finish does the polyurethane provide - matte, satin or gloss?
The Flooring Lady at July 17, 2008 11:05 AM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at July 17, 2008 11:05 AMWe are installing unfinished Brazilian Cherry flooring throughout our first floor (1000 sq. ft.). We are very confused about whether to go oil based or water based polyurethane. Is there a preferred?
Richard Swert at July 24, 2008 12:16 PM
Posted by: Richard Swert at July 24, 2008 12:16 PMI think it's going to depend more on what the rooms are used for, how much foot traffic they're going to have and preferred cleaning methods. Diamond Coat Varathane Polyurethane has some very good products, you might want to look them over to help you make a decision.
I think too that there used to be a preference for one over the other, because of off-gassing/VOC's, though many manufacturers now have low or no VOC products - mainly due to customers preferring not to breath in the fumes while products are off-gassing.
The Flooring Lady at July 24, 2008 12:54 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at July 24, 2008 12:54 PMDear Ms. Floor Lady: I am having the same problem as Mr. Lim. I have a hardwood floor which has gloss polyurethane on it. After a couple of years, it has developed MANY white bubble spots in the polyurethane. How do I get rid of these so I can have beautiful hardwood floors again.
Nancy at August 19, 2008 01:05 PM
Posted by: Nancy at August 19, 2008 01:05 PMSometimes the solution can be to lightly sand the spots with steel wool, apply a coat of gloss to the areas and let dry. The white spots should now be gone. However, if this is happening all over the floor, it may be a sign that it's time to refinish your floor. Sometimes, all that's necessary is to lightly sand the whole floor and reapply your poly, sometimes you need to totally strip your floor (either chemically or thru sanding) and reapply your poly. If your flooring had a wood stain applied, you may need to do that too, but let's hope not......
I'd suggest to try the steel wool sanding/poly on just a spot or two first to see how that looks. Good luck!
The Flooring Lady at August 19, 2008 03:30 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at August 19, 2008 03:30 PM
Sometimes, all that's necessary is to lightly sand the whole floor and reapply your poly, sometimes you need to totally strip your floor (either chemically or thru sanding) and reapply your poly.Thanks for the tips!
Best regard!
Polyurethane coating at August 22, 2008 12:21 AM
Posted by: Polyurethane coating at August 22, 2008 12:21 AM(Read the article that everyone's commenting on.)
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