WE GOT GREEN: Erin uses water-based polyurethane on hardwood floors

Water-Based polyurethane for Hardwood Floors

After ripping out the carpet in our master bedroom we sanded the very nice, but 50 year old oak flooring underneath.  As part of my  requirements for redesigning our home I always want to start by  looking into environmentally friendly products.  So in an effort to work with materials we already have, and not consume unnecessary laminate flooring I took a trip to Southern Lumber in San Jose and talked to someone there about the difference between water-based vs  oil-based stains, and water-based vs oil polyurethanes.  The professional at southern lumber right away discouraged me from using water based anything- just because it takes so many more coats. However I pressed him and told him I have plenty of time since I am  doing it myself and not paying a contractor by the hour! When he showed me a sample of oak stained with a water based stain however I had a few things to consider.  The samples looked like they were painted.  The wood grain was hardly visible and the stain-since it is water-based sites on top of the wood and very little soaks in so it ends up looking fake.  So did I want to use an environmentally product even if it would not achieve the design I was looking for.

After deciding that I would go with an oil based stain I was determined to go with a water-based polyurethane.  Again the sales associate had nothing good to say about the water based polyurethane. Though I was persistent and kept asking does it hold up like the oil, his answer was yes but it takes longer to apply.  Well that was fine by me.  So by the end of our conversation you would have thought water-based polyurethane was the best thing since sliced bread!  I purchased Zar oil-based stain and Zar water-based satin polyurethane.  We  applied the stain and polyurethane as per the directions on the cans. The water-based polyurethane had very little smell and wiped clean with water!  It was nice to be working with an easy to clean product that you do not need paint thinner to get off your hands.  We applied four coats which was time consuming since you have to sand, vacuum, and wipe with alcohol in between each coat.  It seems to be wearing just fine although it has only been 1 week.  We have been walking on it and I have not been able to notice any differences between it and  the oil-based polyurethane wood floors I grew up with.  We will used the same combination in the other two bedrooms and hallway!!

                         
                       (before)                                                       (after)

Next we will be looking at paint and trim (baseboard and crown molding)!!!

Erin & Tim

About We Got Green
We Got Green is a GetWithGreen.com exclusive where homeowners tell their everyday real remodel stories, and their efforts to get a bit greener during the process.  Decisions by our homeowner contributors may not always be the “greenest” due to limitations they may incur such as budget, locating products, time, etc.  At GetWithGreen.com we believe their decisions reflect the reality of the world we live in today, and we believe that every eco-friendlier decision a homeowner can make is better than doing the same they’ve always done.    

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