wood floor coating
Is there any wood floor coating after its been sanded down that wont have ANY smell? I had the contractor do a small room in my apt and how the entire apt smells like oil/keroscene and I have had to get a hotel room. The people living downstairs and above have complained now too and had to pay for a hotel room for them both for the last 2 days now so that there wouldnt be any problems as the condo suggested that. Is there something thats tried and tested I could get from my homedepot I could apply quickly with a brush to finish up 2 bedrooms and the downstairs and upstairs neighbor wont smell. Not sure how it was possible since our base floor is concrete on metal decking on steel beams.
Thanks in advance!
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Water-based polyurethane doesn't have much smell
I've used this product a few times: https://www.bona.com/en-us/products/professional/coatings/waterborne-finishes/bona-mega-one-extra-matte-3x1ga/. It has very low VOC levels, it's Greenguard Certified and I can confirm that having a fairly sensitive nose, though not being chemically sensitive, I detect very little odor.
Another low-VOC option I've heard good things about but have not personally used: https://vermontnaturalcoatings.com/product/polywhey-floor-finish/.
Do you think this is the same thing? THeres only 2-3 bottles left at HomeDepot near me and may go tomorrow morning.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bona-32-oz-Low-Gloss-Hardwood-Floor-Polish-WP500351001/202528486
I also saw this from homedepot that can be delivered in 1 day and it says no odor but not sure how accurate that is: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Varathane-1-gal-Clear-Satin-Water-Based-Floor-Polyurethane-2-Pack-230231/202057141
But this one is readily available: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Varathane-1-Gal-Clear-Satin-Water-Based-Interior-Polyurethane-200231/100176203
> Do you think this is the same thing? THeres only 2-3 bottles left at HomeDepot near me and may go tomorrow morning.
No. Absolutely not. The Bona product Michael linked to is a finish that goes on top of unfinished floors. The Bona product you linked to is a polish for already finished floors.
Bona's floor finishes are top of the line products with top of the line prices. The products available at Home Depot are never going to have anywhere near the durability of Bona or similar.
Are you sure it's the top coat that caused you to have a very strong odor? These days, many top coats are water based with little odor, but it is very common for stains to still be oil based. It can take many weeks for the smell of oil based stain to dissipate to undetectable levels.
So the shoddy contractor I had hired from the building referral used some type of like kerosene or like gasoline smell stuff to strip the floor to clean all of the stains etc on the floor. The floor looks finished already as they arent new but just old maybe 5-10 years as that when the building was built. Do you think the bona product from homedepot would work since the floors look already finished.
I attached a picture.
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I have used an oil-based Varithane floor finish from Home Depot that has been durable but was horribly smelly. Because big-box stores often negotiate reduced wholesale prices with vendors, they often provide an inferior product. For some things it's not important, but considering the cost and effort of finishing a floor, I recommend going with a product that sure to work well. That's what led me to Bona, as it's a professional-grade product. It's also available online.
I have never used a wood finishing product that has no smell. Some more or less, but never zero. The water based products tend to smell less harsh but I prefer the results of oil based. All of the odors do reduce over time but it takes weeks or months.
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If you are going to apply a water based finish, it needs to be applied onto bare wood.
Water based will not adhere over an oil based finish, just like you cannot apply latex paint over oil based paint. You must first remove all of the oil based finish (or paint).
Very difficult to tell anything from your photo. Typically, a floor refinishing contractor will go in and lightly sand the floors, clean up, then apply a first coat of finish. This is usually oil based finish that has odors. They let that cure, then come back and apply a second and/or third coat. The subsequent coats generally need to be the same material as the first coat.
You need to determine EXACTLY what material the contractor used for the first coat, call the tech services of that company, and find out if they have a Low VOC material you could use for the 2nd & 3rd coat that is a compatible material used on the first coat. There are many low VOC oil based finishes.
There will be some smell with oil based finishes. You may need to arrange for alternate accommodations for those nearby. You can try to minimize this by setting up fans to pull air out of the space, but the contractor will not like that as it makes it more likely small particulates will end up in the finish before it cures.
So to clarify, per post #5:
The floors were stripped using a chemical stripper, and THAT is what smelled?
And no actual finish product has yet been applied?
Yes that whats it seems to have been done since the floors dont look like anyhting has been done it it besides the stains removed.
cbut8995,
I'm really confused as to why you don't know a) What you hired the contractor to do. b) What has been done. c) What was planned as a finish.
The building has a handyman that normally does stuff. The referral came from someone else in the building where the handyman has "Friends" that can help you do the work and I wouldn't have to go through the lengthy process of applying to do this and waiting to get approved since they are also the ones to approve so we bypass a few weeks of waiting for it.
Yes, but you hired a contractor. You need to know what you hired them to do.
If you want to solve an issue, and you are not clear on what the contractor you hired did, you need to ask the contractor what they did and report back. Otherwise none of us can help you with your issue.
You need to ask the contractor what they did. What you describe is highly unusual.
I suspect the contractor sanded the floors to remove the stains, then applied a first coat of finish. The wood typically absorbs this first finish coat such that the floors look very similar to a floor on which the finish has worn through.
Head over to mychemicalfreehouse.net. She has posted here on GBA, and her website is full of tested and approved brands for those who are more sensitive (or who just want a chemical-free home).