Hardwood floor -- cost effective alternatives to poly?

Pick a finish here

i can't imagine any of them are toxic once cured. Perhaps the dog should be OUTSIDE.... hello?

BLO or tung will make the scratch color similar to the unscratched but will do nothing to restore the sheen. Decent poly shouldn't scratch.

Not after it is dry.

What is BLO?

boiled linseed oil, which is non-toxic when fully polymerized

Hmm. Didn't know that about non toxic. I saw the aconym, and for a moment I thought it was BHO. silly me. BHO is a politician, not a painter.

Do they boil the oil, or do they boil the linseed seeds?

Neither, actually. It is a term used when they add driers and/or other chemicals.

Use poly and chase scratches with wiping poly. Actually our floor is factory finished but our staircase was stained to match and finished with three coats of poly. From what we see it will be some time before we need to worry much about repair but wiping poly will be the solution.

BLO is not durable enough for a long-term floor finish.

RonB

Or when the oil is boiled (heated).

linseed oil is edible. it's the driers that make it inedible.

from wikipedia:

Boiled linseed oil

Boiled linseed oil is used as a paint binder or as a wood finish on its own. Heating the oil causes it to polymerize and oxidize, making it thicker and shortening its drying time. Today, most products labeled as "boiled linseed oil" are a combination of raw linseed oil, petroleum-based solvent, and metallic dryers (catalysts to accelerate drying). The use of metallic dryers makes boiled linseed oil inedible. Some products contain only heat-treated linseed oil, without exposure to oxygen. Heat-treated linseed oil is thicker and dries very slowly. This grade of linseed oil is usually labeled as "polymerized" or "stand" oil, though some types may still be labeled as "boiled".