After beginning what I thought was to be a DIY minor floor "patch", I decided to sand and refinish all of my downstairs floors. After maing several phone calls and interviiewing local contractors, I made my choice and turned them loose. The sanding went well, and they were very patient with my new stain selection. I also had them replace some old wood in my dining room which went very well. Thus, my overall impression was good at this point.

The finisher used a sealer on top of the stain ) satin was Minwax Golden Pecan , sealer was Bona Quick Dry Sealer ). I do NOT know what they did in terms of abrading between coats, etc. He let the sealer dry 24 hours before applying the Traffic poly.

Aside form a couple small missed spots, in general the poly came out well with the following concerns and questions:

One, I realize water based finishes are "thinner" in appearance than are oil. However, in this case I can feel the wood grain in many areas. The grain IS coated ( not bare wood ). Is this normal for Traffic?

Two, in many of the seams between the wood ( I have 2 3/4 inch wide red oak flooring ) I can feel small dried bubbles. Very few in the middle of the wood. Is this normal ?

I plan to ask how many gallons were used. I found 2 tags in my home indiciating 2 gallons but that may have been the second coat. I have approx 950 sq feet of floors. Even if 2 gallons were used per coat, that would still be somewhat on the "light" side per Bona's recommendations. Obviously, if it were 2 gallons total it would be waaaaay too thin, so I am assuming at this point it was 2 per coat.

My dogs are now in a kennel and it MAY be difficult to keep them in there this week due to Valentine's Day ( is a busy time for kennels, go figure ! ). My finisher seemed alittle hesitant to go with 3 coats as he had hear dof peeling issues before but per Bona it seems 3 would work fine as long as the floor is abrading somewhat ( It is SUnday today and the 2 coats of poly were installed on the Friday before ).

I don't have any previous experience with Bona Traffic to know if the thickness I am seeing is normal as compared to 3 oil based. I know with oil I could not feel any woodgrain when the job was done. Thanks in advance fpr any help!

First, If applying Traffic over stain, you are NOT supposed to use Bona Seal. It says so right on the Traffic container instructions. Second, Minwax stain is a slow drying stain and usually requires more than overnight to completely dry. You cannot apply a waterborne anything over an oil stain that is not completely dry. As far as coverage, Bona says two coats over one coat of stain is satisfactory, if you use their 350 sq.ft. per gallon coverage, which I find impossible to do. When I use Traffic, if I am not using BonaSeal as a first coat, I will apply the stain, allow it to dry thoroughly then apply three coats of Traffic at about 450 sq.ft. per gallon. I abrade between the second and third coat to make the floor smooth and ensure a good bond. If I had been doing your floors, I would have used 6 gallons of Traffic finish. Sounds like the floors need abrading and recoating with another coat.

Gary,

Thx for your reply. I've stained many things in my life though I've never done a "large" floor refinishing job myself. But, I do read labels and often get amazed at how much information is out there which goes unread, etc ( ie the not using a sealer if stained ). I interviewed 5 different "pros" in my area, and found most had a very strong oil preference, which led me away from them. The guy I selected seemed to know what he was doing to a degree but after he had gotten started I began having some doubts. The minwax stain he used was on the floor for about 36 hours before the sealer was applied, which was then let dry for about 30 hours before the ploy went down. I pray it holds Thus far I'm not seeing any signs of peeling, etc though it's very early in the game.

Still, I try hard not to offend someone who has real world experience versus my reading labels and asking questions. Yet, your reply confirms my gut feel, and I will first find out how much product has been applied. If the kennel can keep my dogs for 3 more days I'll probably pursue the 3rd coat, and insist he abrade the surface for a smoother finish. Just hope the kennel has the space due to the holiday. If not I may have to keep the dogs off the floor as much as possible and reschedule the final coat next week ( darned kennel I use is an hour away.. long story but it's anecessity ). Thx for your reply.. just hope the stain was dry enough not to off gas, etc!

That was my though too, it sounds like the finish is thin and needs some more poly. Have the guy abrade it and put another coat on it. The bubbles that you found in the cracks sound like there was still some wet oil (stain or sealer) in the cracks.

Thx for the reply. I"m having the owner stop by without his crew in about an hour to discuss the floor. Overall, it does look like a good job in terms of no drips, no lines, no swirls, etc, and the finish feels hard to the touch on the wood. Overall, I can't complain excessively compared to many of the other posts made here which had turned into major issues. I did learn this morning they applied 4 gallons of Traffic in 2 coats ( about 475 sq ft per gallon ) plus the 1 coat of the Bona sealer ( realize bona says not to do that ).

The thought the bubbles in the cracks being from not quite dry oil or sealer is a bit disturbing I guess but it makes sense. Can't help but think the bona fast dry stain would have been a better option here. As long as my installer stands behind his work

If I get him to abrade the surface and add yet another coat, any thoughts about the bubbles in the cracks in terms of if it will cause future issues or not? I'm not seeing any other signs as to the poly not holding, etc. Thx again for the insights!

I guess I was fortunate in my choices for a contractor. He came in, felt the floor and quickly agreed it needed to be abraded and 1 more coat applied ( no extra charges ). I was lucky in that my kennel can keep the dogs, and that i had a place to stay tonight, but also feel that I was lucky that the guy doing the work was very reasonable about things. WHile the use of the sealer is questionable, at least his willingness to make things right is good. 90% of the little bubbles were just that.. very small, and the finihs on the wood already feels very hard and is sticking. I am very hopeful the 3rd coat will make the floor look and feel great. Thanks for the replies as they both helped me confirm my gut feeling and also to reaffirm the desire to do things right even if it involves inconveniences. Thanks again!

I had a 3rd coat applied on Monday afternoon, and about 30 hours later must say I am very pleased. Finish is very smooth, very well done and overall is avery attractive finish. It made for a total of 6 gallons of Traffic. I'll wait until I can see it in natural lighting but for now am very pleased. The final coat made ahuge difference and getting rid of the small bubbles was also a welcome change!

Glad to hear it's working out for you. Make sure you tell that contractor you will be happy to give a positive reference. I have found that two coats of Traffic are just not enough. I have really tried and don't think it can be done in the real world. Bona is probably trying to get us contractors to use it based on less coats=less cost. But it doesn't work out that way. Three coats over a stain or sealer is what I'm having to do. So that contractor is finding out what he will have to do in the future to make his clients happy and bid accordingly. Traffis is $$$$.

Gary,

I wish more satisfied customers would do more to help their contractors.. so often we here only the bad, and I'm certain there are many contractors who try very hard to do great work. Sometimes, things do go badly for one reason or another, and when it does is when one most wants a good contractor.

I've already recommended mine to 2 other friends and will keep a few of his cards handy for the future. His pricing is fair and his willingness to do the job has been good.

The floors last night looked great and I think you are dead on the money regarding the 3 coats of Bona Traffic. The smoothness increased dramatically and it simply looks better. The cost of the 3rd coat is worth the difference in what the final product looks like and no doubt how well it will last. I haven't yet seen the work in daylight but last night can say I was very pleased, and will gladly recommend both Traffic and my contractor. One definitely does not want to use someone who has no experience using Traffic or whom isn't comfortable. I ran into that when interviewing contractors as most down here wanted to use oil, and had little knowledge of the higher end water based products. That said, my contractor DID use the sealer which he shouldn't have per Bona.

I do appreciate the comments here as they were very helpful. My gut instincts told me I needed another coat and your comments help seal that thought. It worked out very well! Bad news is when my dogs return home it is predicted to be raining again! ugh!