Minwax "Polyshades" -- why not for floors?

I started an earlier thread yesterday with the subject heading : "CLEAR hardwood finishes? -- moisture cure, etc.".

I now have related question and I decided to post it as a separate topic in a new thread.

My question is about Minwax Polyshades -- which is a product that has stain and polyurethane combined into one. The idea is that it can be used in a one step process for finishing wood instead of having to stain first and then cover with a polyurethane finish.

Ironically, Pecan Minwax Polyshades is the one thing that I have tried so far that actually seems to look the best for the floor project that I wrote about in my other thread.

But, the Minwax website says that Minwax Polyshades is not recommended for floors.

My question is, does anyone know WHY it is not recommended for floors?

I am thinking of just using the Pecan Minwax Polyshades anyway, which looks pretty good, and then putting a clear polyurethane finish on top. Can anyone think of a reason why that wouldn't work?

Reply to
JayB
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JayB wrote: ...

Because it isn't designed for floors, maybe??? :)

Actually, floor varnishes are specifically made much harder than those for other applications because of the abuse floors take than a buffet top, for example, doesn't.

Quite a number, actually. :)

The first one being while I like a lot of the Minwax finishes, I think the polyshades product line sucks and wouldn't use it on a kids' throwaway craft project, what more anything useful.

For your application, the primary thing I'd worry about would be surface adhesion of the topcoat long-term that there's no way to test other than waiting to see if it fails or not. Not a gamble I'd really go for.

Truthfully, what I'd recommend given the length of the thread (which I've not read at all, btw) would be to hire a professional finisher and be done with it.

Reply to
dpb

Simply put, the surface does not dry hard enough to protect against foot traffic.

Reply to
Leon

The color is in the coating, not in the wood. A scratch through the coating would remove the color.

Reply to
norminn

Jay,

Using a tinted finish is a pretty standard approach, especially in commercial finishing applications. It has some drawbacks.

  1. You really need to minimize overlap because greater thickness equals greater opacity (darker color).

  1. Really (really) hard to do spot repairs. That being said, Poly is real hard to do spot repairs anyway.

You could make your own tinted finish. Get the best floor poly you can get and add some liquid transtint. It might take some experimenting to get the righ color but once you have the formula you are good to go.

Reply to
SonomaProducts.com

One coat of Polyshades looks OK. Two coats is brown paint.

Reply to
J. Clarke

Interesting. I've been doing more researching and some people say they have used it on floors with no problem and others say it's a bad idea. Those who used it said they put clear polyurethane on top and that protects the finish.

Using a tinted finish is a pretty standard approach, especially in commercial finishing applications. It has some drawbacks.

  1. You really need to minimize overlap because greater thickness equals greater opacity (darker color).

  1. Really (really) hard to do spot repairs. That being said, Poly is real hard to do spot repairs anyway.

You could make your own tinted finish. Get the best floor poly you can get and add some liquid transtint. It might take some experimenting to get the righ color but once you have the formula you are good to go.

Reply to
JayB

On Sat, 7 Nov 2009 12:54:14 -0500, the infamous "JayB" scrawled the following:

Polyshades? RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! There is absolutely no way in hell you could ever get a smooth, unmottled application on the entire floor with that pure, unadulterated crap. Tried it once and didn't like it.

Make a small box out of wood and apply Polyshades to it, inside and out. Now tell me that you still like the stuff and would consider it for anything else, ever again.

If you want color, dye the wood with a waterborne dye and apply a waterborne poly finish over it. (This is the only place you will ever see me actually suggesting the use of plastic on wood. Disclaimer: I haven't yet used it on flooring.) You need to keep a wet edge on both products during installation (or they look like PolyShades)

Bona puts out a very highly esteemed (and extremely expensive) waterborne poly finish for flooring.

I've used and like Zar oil finishes, so you might try their waterborne poly floor finish.

McFeely's likes Poly-Ox.

Deft puts out Waterborne Clear Wood Finish.

Best bet: Ask local floor finishers what brand they use and why.

-- The Smart Person learns from his mistakes. The Wise Person learns from the mistakes of others. And then there are all the rest of us...

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Reply to
Larry Jaques

I mistakenly used polyshades on some stair treads, not realizing it wasn't recommended for floors, and it did not last long at all. Eric

Reply to
eag111

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