The latest if wood floor finishing

Many people still remember the original oak floors they grew up with. The oak wood floors were original to their homes, installed in the early 1900s and probably only had shellac and wax on them. That was the norm for most homes. The oak floors were the standard and probably the only thing available alongside with other domestic species like maple or walnut. Each year the floors had to be cleaned and waxed. Dad would complain about the white water spots in the floors and the kids loved running and sliding on the slick floors.

As years went by the wood flooring products and hardwood floor finishes have changed. We went through an “oil base vs. water base” era, polyurethane as the standard era, low VOC and environmentally friendly finishes era and now we are back to square one. It seems as if now that we have more options than ever when it comes to wood floors. Not only do we have endless species of wood floors to choose from, we also have an array of finishes to choose.

Hardwood floors are available not only in white oak and red oak anymore. They are available in Brazilian cherry, teak, wenge, mahogany, cypress, eucalyptus, ipe and many more. Wood floor finishes are now also available in so many options. Some of the finishes available for wood floors are oil base urethane, water base urethane, conversion varnish, shellac and wax, low VOC finishes, zero VOC finishes, Tung oil, natural oil blends and much more.

What most of us want out of a floor finish is beauty and durability. Most of our clients have kids and/or pets. They have busy lives and work hard for their money. When it comes to spending that money they want to make sure it is invested in the right products. Nobody wants to pay top dollars for a floor to only have to refinish it two years later. Every finish had its pros and cons. Every client is different in their life styles, cleanliness, number of people in the household etc… For example, a family of six with two big dogs would experience more wear and tear on their floor finish than a single person who does not allow shoes in his/her home. There is no one magic perfect finish for all. That is why we as a company spend a decent amount of time discussing the options with our potential clients. We try to match each client with the finish that is right for them. As consumers progressed into the internet search engine world, more information became available to them. Consumers now are much more informed about everything. With that information also comes misinformation. That is when Avi’s Hardwood Floors advice is a great value. There is nothing more valuable than getting advice from a professional who is trained and experienced in their trade.

As it seems now more consumers are realizing that there is really no magic finish. The best way to use a floor is to maintain it in a minimal way. Instead of putting a toxic finish down and refinishing the floor every five years we apply an oil blend and clean it once a year or so. Technology and chemistry have both brought us a better version of the old shellac and wax system. We now have available to us in the hardwood floor finish world, low VOC oil blends. They are easy to apply, easy to maintain and with the right treatment do not get water spots. The wax oil blends are usually a one or two coat system. Our clients move into their homes within days without a harsh toxic smell lingering inside their homes.

We still apply the polyurethanes and the water base finishes on a lot of jobs. The only difference now is that these finishes have to be re formulated each year as VOC legislation changes. The durability of those finishes seem to go downhill each year. That is my opinion. With simplicity in mind our clients seem to enjoy and love these oil blends we recommend. Natural oils have been around for centuries and now with the advantage of more product selection each home owner can enjoy the durability, looks and feel of a properly finished wood floor.