Hi! I just had my red/white oak hardwood floors stained with 2 coats of ebony/dark walnut. They are a really nice, dark, rich color. My floor guy uses masterline oil based poly in a satin finish, but I can’t find much information on this product. Of course I don’t want them to look dull, but I also want little to no shine to go with my industrial glam decor. I have read that different brands with the same sheen look different (i.e. one brand may look more matte while another brand may look more semigloss. different shine %’s or something).

So, my questions are….
Is this a good product to use on really dark floors?
Is oil based poly better on darker floors?
I have read that oil based polys will add an "amber" look to the floors. I like the color they are now and do not want the poly to change it.
Will there be very little shine to their satin?

Oil based poly will amber depending on what oil was used to modify the poly-urethane. The ambering can look green on a dark floor because of the blue/ yellow color combination from the black/"blue" in the darker stains and the yellow from the poly. You may be happier with a water-based finish in a matte gloss, which is very low luster. Any finish can become shinier with traffic, especially stocking feet, over time as they become polished.
Water-based poly-urethane will b e practically colorless, is tough and comes in several gloss levels. It can be considerably more expensive. Using a 2 part water-base will get you the most traffic resistant finish.

I haven't heard of Masterline, but you may find this article helpful on best brands of poly.

http://theflooringgirl.com/hardwood-flo ... mmend.html

Usually on dark floors, we would use oil based because it looks much better/gives you a darker look.

BTW, you should do 3 coats poly, and it should only be 1 coat stain for proper adhesion.

Debbie Gartner