Hello,

I’m looking to stain my red oak floor that we recently sanded. It’s down to the bare wood. I’m planning on using Bona fast dry. I’d like to stain it to match the following pictures. I thought red mahogany might be close but this has some orange. Any thoughts on how to get the stain close? What about mixing stains to get the color? I realize this floor is laminate so wood will be different.

I’d also like opinions on Bona traffic satin vs semi gloss. The local sales rep said 99% of the people use satin. Is one more durable than the other?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2452/4266350161_2b4887bd64_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4266349809_a071bfb3b5_b.jpg

Thanks

Yeah, I think the straight red mahogany may be too red. BONA has a Golden Oak color you could try mixing in with it. You know, red and yellow make orange, sorta. That's about the best you could hope for. And I know BONA says to apply TRAFFIC straight over a stained floor without using a sealer, but you really can use a sealer. In this case, to get a better, warmer look, use BONA's Dri-Fast sealer



Allow to dry overnight and buff/abrade lightly, vacuum and tack and apply the first coat of TRAFFIC. It will work fine as I do this all the time. Plus, you'll only need two coats of Traffic this way and get a fatter looking finish which will also look warmer and deeper. Trust me on this. Do NOT try too apply the finishes too thick or thin, 500 to 600 ft per gallon MAX. Waiting for the stain to dry overnight is best, regardless of what BONA says. RE: durability. Both satin or semi-gloss are equal in durability. In modern finishes, sheen does not matter concerning durabilty. TRAFFIC"S satin is pretty low luster but very attractive, especially on a stained floor. A lot of my customers like it. Plus, it will show wear less. The semi is nice to but considerably shinier and will show scratching easier. I like the satin. If you have to buy two gallons, you could mix satin and semi together. If you want, I'll tell how to do that properly.

Thanks for the quick answer. Are there any Bona stains that are close to this? What about Cherry or rosewood? Is there another brand of stain that I should look at? What would you do if you had a customer that wanted this color? It doesnt have to be exact, only close.

As for the sealer. What advantages does it give? Is it cheaper than traffic so I would save one coat? I have almost 1000 sqft to stain and seal. I'm figuring 4~5 gal of traffic. Does that sound right?

I really appreciate your help.

Thanks.

Try the very large link below. on the second page are some blends. You could try starting with the dark walnut


http://www.bona.com/upload/United%20Sta ... 002-06.pdf

Ok, the BONA DriFast Sealer is an oil-based polyurethane finish designed by BONA as a first coat "sealer". It is basically a thin, oil-based polyurethane with fast dryers in it. Due to various VOC laws around the country, calling a floor finish a "sealer" instead of a "finish" allows some minor breaks in some areas VOC laws. It's a game all the coating manufacturers have to deal with.

It is considerably less cost than TRAFFIC. I think TRAFFIC is about $120.00 a gallon now. DriFast sealer? About $7.00 a quart ( or $25.00 a gallon or so ). But the main reason for using it is to get a deeper, more amber golden color to the floor. So, for 1000 sq.ft, you'll need:

2 gallons of stain
2 gallons of BONA DriFast Sealer
4 gallons of Traffic

You'll do one coat of stain, one coat of sealer and two coats of TRAFFIC. And you'll have an awesome looking finish, IF you do it correctly.