Hardwood Finish | Water Based Hardwood Floor Finish

If you suffer from environmental sensitivities or don`t like the toxicity of oil based or polyurethane based hardwood finishes then you can opt for water based one. There are plenty of reasons to prefer a water based finish over oil based one. Some areas of the world have even banned oil based floor finishes because of their off gassing, odors and health issues.

The raison d`etre of any hardwood floor finish should be to enhance the beauty of the wood and seal it. All polyurethane, whether oil or water-based create a film over the floor that protects it. Contrary to popular belief, polyurethane does not penetrate into the wood. Instead it is builds up on the surface. After all polyurethane is not like water - it is a plastic.

However oil based hardwood floor finishes have a more familiar, old fashioned look to them than the newer water based hardwood floor finishes. It smoothes out the grain of the wood and develops into an attractive amber-brown color over the passage of time. However once a floor is varnished with an oil based finish it can take weeks or even months for the odor of the varnish to totally dissipate which is not good for you, your children or your pets.

The fact that water based finishes emit less fumes is the reason that more and more people are turning to moisture borne and water based finished. Another reason is that an oil finished floor can take at least three days to dry and you may have to wait as long as a week before you can replace your furniture in the treated room. With a water based polyurethane finish, the varnish is dry within one or two days after applying the final coat and the fumes are usually gone in a day or two. Another perk of using water based polyurethane floor finishes is that it dries after only one hour. You can walk on it and put your furniture back in the room immediately without damaging the surface of the floor. Studies have also shown that water based hardwood floor finish is tougher, more durable and lasts longer than oil based hardwood finishes.

However as quick drying and odorless as water based polyurethane finishes are there are some drawbacks to using them. First of all water based hardwood floor finishes do not age the floor in the same attractive way that oil based finishes do. Your floor will remain its original color for years to come. If you don`t want your floor to look like a gymnasium floor then make sure you choose an exotic wood that you like the look of and can live with in the first place!

Second of all rather than giving the wood that smooth polished look that an oil based hardwood finish does, the water based version causes the grain to lift a bit from the wood. This gives the floor a bit of a rough feeling. If this does happen after you apply water based polyurethane finish the situation is not hopeless. There are some types of sealants that contain alcohol that you can buy and apply over the water based finish to restore the floor`s smoothness.