My first install & finish, we laid about 1050 sf of 3 1/4 " finish in place maple. All done sanding finally, last screening done with 150 grit. Floor looks GREAT. My question is, should I use different pads (220 grit) to buff out the sealer and latter between finish coats. We are using Bona's Bona sealer and Traffic finish. Any and all help would be awesome.


thanks karl

wouldn buff the sealer it likes to gum up and sling boogers. You will need to buff the floor at some point to smooth out the grrain raise and remove any debris. I like to do it after the first coat of finish (not sealer) then put second coat on and hot coat the final. I also wouldnt put a screen on waterborne a conditioning pad with 220 strips is way better for intercoat abrasion.

On a newly sanded maple floor with one coat of Bonaseal, i would go ahead and apply the first coat of Traffic before buffing it. With maple (and other wood like brazilian cherry) you wont get much grain raising after the seal coat, therefore you can get the floor just as smooth by buffing it after the first coat of finish.
Also, depending on how many coats you want, i would recommend buffing with a maroon pad before your final finish coat.