Ways to Protect Your Solid Wood Flooring Investment

Finishes work by providing your hardwood flooring with a coating that protects it from many environmental factors. There are several categories with which hardwood flooring finishes fall under. They could be classified as oil-based and water-based, and penetrating and surface finish. The attributes and disadvantages of each finish category will be discussed below to help you make informed decisions regarding your hardwood floor.

Choosing a Finish

Firstly, the type of hardwood flooring you have installed would likely determine which hardwood flooring finish you should apply. Certain solid wood floors do not take well to certain finishes, and there could be an instance where applying a finish would do more harm than good. It is always best to discuss projects like these with a trusted professional.

A penetrating finish gets deep into the grain of the wood to protect it from within. There are hardwood flooring species such as maple and cherry that do not absorb this type of surface as evenly as other species.

Surface finishes protect the floor by providing it with what looks like a clear plastic coating on top of the wood. This protects it from minute scratches and some water damage, as well as exposure. Most pre-finished floors have a surface finish applied and this looks to be the most popular choice.

Both surface and penetrating finishes could also fall under two major categories: oil-based or water-based.

The use of oil-based finishes seem to be favored by some homeowners because of the smoothing effect it has on the hardwood floor, filling in ridges and warming up the floor's appearance overall by somehow tinting the wood. These oil-based finishes protect the wood from outside elements by building a film over the wood. However, they take quite some time to dry. With water-based finishes, there is said to be the disadvantage of raising the grain of the wood, making it seem rough, but this is only true with the first coating. A sealer takes care of evening the surface, and usually drys fast enough so the floor can be walked on in an hour.

Water-based finishes are also absolutely clear, and will not darken with age as is the case with oil-based finishes. This is great for homeowners who want their light-colored flooring to stay that color.