We have installed about 2000 SF unfinished BC on our home, the contractor asked us what kind of finish we like to apply, oil or water base? According to him, it is more common to apply oil than water on hardwood floor for better protection. We researched the topic on internet, and there is an article stated that for BC, the water base finish retards the color aging process. But the oil finsih brings out the richness of the BC color better and it does protect the wood better. So it suggestes to apply oil first, then water finsih for the 2nd and 3rd coating. I asked my contractor, he said that he has never mixed the finish before, he can do it, but he can't guarantee the result. Has anyone done that before? Can I mix the finish as suggested?

My contractor also asked me if I like to apply stain on the BC floor? Is it a good idea to stain BC? or leave it natural? How much does it usually cost to apply the stain on 2000SF floor? I was quoted around $800 for the work.

Really apprecaite your sharing on this, I want to make sure I am doing the right thing for my investment. Thanks.

Mary

You can stain B. Cherry and that will even out the color somewhat. It will get dark on it's own however. Bona makes a oil-based sealer for use with their waterbased floor finishes. I would recommend using an oil sealer specifically for waterbased finishes or a stain made by the same company that makes the waterbased finish. $800.00 to stain 2000 ft. sounds very fair. I normally charge a little more.

I have put Traffic over oilbase poly.I always used Bona prep first,and have never had a problem.Best to follow instruction on Traffic,use the prep spray.You should have no trouble...

Thank you for the reply.

The floor installer suggested me to talk to the hardwood distributor for applying both oil and water base on the floor, so I went to see the store manager. He said that it is fine to have 2 kinds of base on B. Cherry as long as 72 hours drying time is met. However, he doesn't recommend to stain B cherry because the wood is too hard, he thinks the color could vary even more if the floor is not properly sanded. Do you have problems to stain the B Cherry? Like to hear from you, thanks.

Staining b.cherry can be done, but to me it's like bronzing a gold medal? The key to having two diffrent types of finish is the stain and or sealer has to be completely dry before the finish goes on, period.