Your hardwood flooring needs more than just a stain. The top layer is referred to as the finish and it is what helps keep your flooring looking great for years. In part one, we talked about the most common wood flooring finish; water-based poly urethane. If you missed part one of our hardwood flooring series, click here. The other two options we’ll cover today are oil-based polyurethane and hard wax oil.
Oil-Based Wood Flooring Finishes
There are three main categories of oil-based wood flooring finishes you may want to consider for your wood flooring finish:
- Oil-based polyurethane
- Tung oil
- UV-cured oils
Oil-based polyurethane is, by far, the most popular and well-known of the three oil-based wood flooring finishes. It creates a smooth and protective layer on your wood floors. For a long time, it was the most popular option of all flooring finishes. Tung oil isn’t so much a protective layer on the wood floors as a layer that hardens the wood itself as its absorbed into the wood. Some people like Tung oil because it’s a natural product and you can more easily repair minor scratches. UV-cured oil finishes are most common in pre-finished hardwood. The finish is applied ant then the exposed to UV light to harden the finish. Check out more detailed information from CARLISLE wide plank floors®.
Hard Wax Oil
Although hard wax oil finishes are popular in other parts of the world, they aren’t as common here. It requires a significant amount of maintenance and much more frequent applications to keep the floor protected. Instead of a finish that dries like a polyurethane, it never actually cures. It also doesn’t have any UV protection so you’ll notice the color of your flooring changes more rapidly in rooms with direct sunlight than those without. On the plus side, they require only one coat in most instances and almost no VOCs. Learn more from CARLISLE, one of our trusted manufacturers.
Which Wood Flooring Finish is Best?
That very much depends on your home and situation. If you’re looking for new floors and want a hard finish with little sheen, consider installing pre-finished hardwood flooring with UV-cured oil as the finish. Moving into a home where you need to refinish the floors and have some time. You may want to choose oil-based polyurethane. If you need to be able to live in the home while the flooring installation or refinishing is going on, a water-based polyurethane may be your best option.
Authentic Hardwood Flooring can help you choose the right flooring for your home and help you decide on the right finish. Call us today for your free in-home consultation and estimate today at (727) 786-6330.
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