Use paste wax (only) on fir floor?

Question

I want to re-do the fir floors in my living room and main-floor bedroom. The existing finishes include nothing, varnish and paint - the floor was "finished" only where the furniture and rugs weren't. We're going to sand the floor lightly with an orbital sander. We're not so interested in sanding to bright wood as in just getting the paint and varnish off so we can have a more uniform finish.

Reading about various finishes for fir floors, they all sound too difficult and time consuming to apply; we'd have to practically move out of the house. I'm thinking about just applying some paste wax, something that could be reapplied as needed by me without having to refinish the whole floor again in a few years. And my sense is that I can sort of take my time and finish, say, 1/3 of the floor, then move stuff, do the next third, etc.

What are the drawbacks here? I realize that re-applying wax fairly regularly may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it works for me since I use paste wax on my kitchen floor (vinyl composition tiles) already (by hand) and it's the kind of zen job that doesn't bother me.

Thanks for the help.

MLW

Phisherman · Accepted Answer

Wax is probably the least durable finish for wood.  If you decide touse another finish at a later time, it may be a time-consuming processto get all the wax removed.  A much better finish is Varathane, avarnish specifically formulated for wood floors.  A good wood finishwill protect the wood from water damage, perhaps its worst enemy.

Joseph Meehan · Answer

Rent a floor sander and you will save enough time to finish the floors right using standard floor finishes (yea wax is a standard finish but it has a rather limited life span and you can expect to spend a lot of time "repairing" it. A hand held (is that what you were planning to use) would take years.

Get the advice of a knowledgeable who knows the sander you are renting for instructions.

nospambob · Answer

Waterbased Varathane dries very fast and no odors.  Flecto states onthe label "Our hardest finish".  Downside of polyurethanes is theydon't like to stick to themselves so sanding between coats isnecessary, scuff sanding will do.

m Ransley · Answer

Wax will have to be redone every year with medium traffic,  Wax yellowsand darkens, and will buildup.  There are a few Quick drying  floorproducts  out there.

GotOuttaIdaho · Answer

Thanks, everyone, for your help. You're probably right about the wax, but I have to think in terms of something I alone could do and maintain in the future, which means not having to remove absolutely all of the furniture (where to put it - out on the lawn?) for several days.

Is it practical to think of doing, say, one-third of the total area, then doing another third at a later date, etc.? There simply is no place to put all of the furniture at once. Is it difficult to blend finishes if doing it in sections?

MLW

Daniel L. Belton · Answer

For something that won't take days to cure and will still give you a good finish, try tung oil.  it dries in a few hours, and is easy to apply.

nospambob · Answer

Pure tung oil takes a LONG time to dry.

nospambob · Answer

Comment based on posts in rec.woodworking where comparisons are oftenmade between pure tung, not tung mixed with other shtuff, and boiledlinseed oil.  The BLO is really for the most part oil with metaldriers mixed in presuming Japan Dryer.  BLO is used to enhance grainappearance then topcoated with clear coats for protection.  Wasn'tmeaning to pick nits merely trying to extend understanding.  Even BLOtakes time to "dry/cure" as you'll find out if you try to topcoat ittoo soon.

Joseph Meehan · Answer

From my experience it is absorbed more than dried and that does not takeall that long.    I used it on some floors in one old home I had and it worked well, butit has its down sides as well.

Use paste wax (only) on fir floor?

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