I made an Oak threshold for the living room/stove room transition several years ago, and it's being refurbished to hopefully last a few more years. Pretty sure I just used a few coats of water based MinWax poly on it the first time, but I'm wondering if there might be a better product to use this time around. It gets abused with traffic from the front door many times/day......and we live in sand. All advice welcome. Fire away. I'll duck if needed.
I’m a fan of Waterlox. It’s a little spendy, but you can wipe on a fresh coat if you get scratches. Very easy to use. That’s my 2¢ Waterlox original tung oil satin finish protection for wood floors, countertops, furniture and cabinets
Hmmm, yep, a "little" spendy. I've never used the stuff, but I've heard of it. I don't need a lot, so I'll have it for a while for other projects. Sounds like a good solution......thanks Eric. Off to source some.
We used 4 coats of Minwax oil based poly in the kitchen here and it lasted well over 10 years with heavy traffic.
Since I already have some poly, I think I'll refrain from "spendy" this time. I'd like to use the Waterlox at some point though.
I have a couple quarts of Waterlox if your not in a huge rush.. could bring to Grayling next time I’m up.
Thanks for the offer, but I need to get this put back in the house in the next couple days. It's ready for the first coat in the morning. One more thing off the list.
I've heard the same for a long time............I'll use what I've got. I've got another board milled down and ready for the final bevel and back cuts whenever it's needed. That one may get an upgraded finish.
Aluminum oxide can be added to polyurethane to make a much tougher finish. Some floor polys are sold that already contain the aluminum oxide like Varathane Crystal Varathane® Crystal Clear Floor Finish Product Page We have wooden floors and 5 dogs that give them hell. This product has held up very well.
I put 3-4 coats of regular poly on everything. Varathane also has a "Triple-thick" poly that I tried (I forget on what) and it worked really well. I put on two coats and it was nice and thick. I will use it again for the next project that requires that type of treatment.
More gooder info. I put the first coat on this afternoon, then got more of the T&G pine on the ceiling.....did more cleanup and brought some of the cut up cutoffs into the house for kindling.
Check out this stuff. I used there concrete oil repellent sealer on the floor of my new workshop and I am very pleased with it. https://www.techdry.com.au/product/timber-water-repellent/ Shipping will be an issue for you blokes however. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
leoht , that would seem to be ideal for a deck or other outdoor use. I'm a bit more concerned with wear and tear on the Oak, so need a durable coating. Went out early this morning and put on another, thicker coat after a light sanding of the first. It's taking a bit longer to dry, as I've only got the temp in there set at 45. If this coat takes too long, I'll crank up the stat a bit. Yep, thought about that too H. I forget the brand I'm using, and don't even remember buying the stuff, but it's just a WB poly. I'll apply at least 4 coats, then let it cure for at least a couple days before installing. Might bring it into the house for the cure......it's already being heated.
I find that oil based poly holds up better than water based as well. Several thin coats as opposed to 1-2 thick coats.
FWIW, I've had issues when trying to lay a thicker layer of regular poly for the 1st or 2nd coat. Just doesn't seem to harden correctly even in warmer temps. But, hopefully you don't have any issues.
Well, thicker is a relative term. I just laid down the 4th coat, and might do a 5th first thing in the morning. Younger brother and I had a shop back in the day and his attitude with finishing seemed to be, if some is good, then more....a lot more, is better. Yeah.....no. Especially when you have a customer waiting on a cabinet. Many thin coats/layers is much gooder. I'm also doing a light sanding between each coat. Under/back cut is 3.5", and the bevel is 2.5"...overall width is 6 5/8". Length (width in the doorway) is just about 6'.
Most gym/basketball floors are just plain old urethane/acrylic finishes. Usually a not slippery finish. They last because they are kept clean and abrasive materials are kept off of them. Abrasives like sand and hard bottom shoes. Some dances held on them are socks only - to protect the floor finish - hence the name sock hops. Epoxy isn't a very good finish for a gym floor because it is slippery when wet, not a good combination with sweat.
