polyurethane question

For smaller areas the Wooster's foam brushes (available at Lowes) work really, really well.

That's my experience too.

Not after the fact, as far as I'm aware.

You can buy some specialist poly with aluminum oxide additives that are very tough. These are commonly used in factory finished hardwood flooring as well as other wood products. They're fairly expensive and you probably won't find them on the shelf at your local big box store, but they are available.

Reply to
Malcolm Hoar
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This question is about half home repair and half construction materials, so I've x-posted where I think appropriate.

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I'm trying to integrate visual media into what I do as a handyman. I find the advice I get on usenet invaluable, as many of the things I do here in abq are with building systems I haven't seen before, like a residential roof with a zero slope or quarter inch compression water supply to the evaporitive coolers that sit on these roofs, just waiting to fail and compromise everything beneath it.

Polyurethaning is something I do pretty often, and I experiment with which techniques work best. I had the brilliant idea of rolling it on, and I used polyurethane that had become viscous. Long story short, by the time I got rid of all bubbles, I had a very thick coat that now has a gloss that doesn't match the rest of the room. So I'm fishing for tips on how I'm gonna make this look nice.

Let me state a few things that seem to work well.

1) This foam thing works really well. It's cheap and there are no bristles to end up on the floor.

2) Thinning the poly with paint thinner to make a thin coat seems to work best. You can just pour it on then. Thinning seems to be the way to make it not bubble.

3) Keeping a rag and detergent water around for a final cleaning of any hair, sawdust or other loose contaminant works well. I notice nothing averse by applying poly to wood that has recently been slightly wet.

4) Using a scraper blade for removal of any paint speckles or gooey thing that appears when you have your nose right up to it works well.

q1) My first question is fairly general: how do I use poly best to finish a parquet maple floor?

q2) How do I fix the non-matching sheens here?

q3) Is there a way to make poly harder or more scuff resistant?

Thanks for your comment, and cheers,

Reply to
Uno

ok

ok, thx malcolm, I used your response as a serach criterion and go this:

While there really is such a thing as an aluminum oxide finish on pre-finished flooring, it's a proprietary finish applied at the factory. It is exceptionally tough and durable, much more so than polyurethane. But it won't last forever, and it is possible to scratch/mar/damage it. Note however, IT CAN NEVER BE REFINISHED, because it is virtually impossible to remove the old finish. Once the finish is damaged or worn to the point it is no longer acceptable, either pull it up and make firewood or buy area rugs or wall-to-wall.

Reply to
Uno

Or lightly sand it and urethane over it. Works well.

Reply to
Art

Mostly, it's a factory finish. But you can buy this stuff. Here's one example:

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I have never used this product so I can't tell you much about it. But, as you can see, these finishes are available.

This isn't the only aluminium oxide finish either.

True.

This *may* be true on engineered wood floors with a thin layer of veneer. It's certainly not true on solid wood floors (even if it does require a sh*tload of sanding).

Having said that, there are lots of engineered wood flooring materials that include aluminum oxide finishes. I'll wager some of those have been succesfully refinished at least once. But, yeah, refinishing a veneer requires a lot of care.

Reply to
Malcolm Hoar

My comments:

  1. Rolling is a lousy way to apply, creates many, many bubbles. For floors, I pour some out and spread with a mohair applicator.

  1. Poly - oil poly - takes a long time to dry. The sheen will diminish as it dries. If what is now too shiny - and if it came from the same well stirred can as the lesser sheen - just wait a couple of weeks.

Reply to
dadiOH

I always kept foam brushes in the shop and used them to smooth out virtually any finish I was applying. I preferred using a bristle varnish brush to apply the finish, but then would give it a once-over with the foam brush. It did miracles in removing brush marks and leveling the finish. OTOH, the bristles in the varnish brush were superior in getting into corners, around spindles etc. where the foam brush wouldn't fit easily without creating a puddle or run. I also kept an old towel handy to squeeze out any excess finish that the foam brush acquired while going over the finish left by the brush.

Nonny

Reply to
RES

I got run off a job recently because of something like this. I've been canned before and quit people a million times, and it's had nothing to do with my craftsmanship, but this time it did.

I wasn't really ready when I laid the first part of it. I should have had more clamps, but since that was going to come out of my pocket up front, I didn't do it. Strap wrenches would have saved me.

There must have been something very unstraight with the concrete that I didn't pick up on during prep, which I did with a laser. Furthermore, the milling on the edge pieces had a female dado with a different reveal than that of the male members of the engineered flooring material.

I fought it for hours, only 16 inches by 25 feet on the edge of a concrete landing. The result was fixable, and I sure wish I had done so before the client saw it. I would have fired me too.

What are the best methods in laying down engineered flooring?

Reply to
Uno

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