What finish for my Jatoba Floor

[Cyrille de Brébisson]

Hello,

I just finished installing a Jatoba Floor, but now the question, is what type of finish should I use to protect/finish it? That thing is so oily that I have no idea what the hell will actuall penetrate in the wood!

thanks, cyrille

[nailshooter41]

Can't say about an entire floor, but when finishing oily exotics, I sand as desired and vacuum carefully.

Then I reduce the oil on the surface by wiping with laquer thinner, toulene, etc. Something that flashes off really quickly in order to keep from wicking further oils to the surface.

Your rag(s) need only be damp with this stuff and make sure you are in a really well ventilated area.. plenty of fans pointing outside... no AC to pull the fumes around the house.

Then apply an even coat of 1 1/2# cut shellac. >Lightly< sand. Apply your finish as you normally would. Allow extra drying time as the oily stuff combined with the shellac sealer will prevent the wood from soaking up the thinners, so it may take longer to cure completely.

Good luck. As always, try it out on some scrap first and see how well the finish resists abasion.

Robert

[<tdevery]