I've been refinishing floors working part time for other companies, and I've decided to go out on my own. I plan to mainly use mainly waterborne finishes, and want to be as dustfree as possible.

I've talked to the people at Bonakemi, on the phone several times, and have found them to be helpfull.

I would appreciate any comments, good, bad, or ugly about your experience with the company, its machines, and finishes (especially EON70, and Traffic). Any comments will be greatly appreciated. Thanks..........Pete

Pete,

I have used Bona finishes since they were first introduced here in the USA in the early 80's. The first one was Pacific Plus, then Pacific Strong. When they aquired Woodline, they introduced Ultra Cure. Then came Mega, then Traffic and finally Eon. I'm not including their sport finishes or Woodline products or fillers, cleaners, etc. IMO, Bona is a good company. Not perfect but a company the does try to educate and improve. I have operated their 10" belt sander but don't own one. It seemed like a good machine. Their Atomic dust collection is "over the top" IMO. While I'm sure it works fine, the idea of towing a trailer and it's large size and high price are unappealing. The Onieda system is more portable, less money, and users claim it works great. There are others as well. It isn't necessary to use equipemrnt from all the same company. I have a Lagler Hummel and Randmeister; but also a Clarke buffer and Super 7 edger. Use what you like. IMO, as far as floor finishes, while it is overpriced, Bona "Traffic" is as good as they get. Not always easy to use but durable stuff. Good luck it your venture.

I have used Traffic once and thought it looked very nice. Outstanding flow, nice sheen. Haven't caught up with Eon yet, maybe you could tell us about it?
I used Bona from day one also with Pacific Plus and Strong in the 80s. I went to Bona school in the early nineties too. I also had a lot of personal experience with the guys from Basic Coatings, attended Bruce school with a bunch and calls to tech help. I was once a product rep for a filler/finish company and had plenty of contact with both companies all the way to the top. I found Bona to be a little too corporate for my liking. I much preferred the BC style and with all other things being equal, chose to use the boys from Iowa Street Shoe as my primary finish. They have been making water base for bowling alleys for about 35 years.

Personal preferances aside, I have beeen thinking about primary finishes again lately. Traffic vs Street Shoe. I always want to use the best because it is a minor cost in the long run, but looking at the two there is a major cost difference. Traffic is more expensive per gallon to start than SS. Traffic has an application rate about 40% more than SS. This is huge. With no real data to prove Traffic more durable, I have to stick with the proven. I read many complaints about the "plastic' look from water base and wonder if its not the fact that Bona specs such heavy, thick coats? Just some food for thougt. I think that Traffic is probably easier to use than the notoriously difficult SS, but SS has gotten better with better flow and fewer bubbles. I can attest that my customers are getting a good 10+ years in high traffic situations from the old SS formula, so I stick with what I know.

As for machines, the mechanics I used to manage preferred Lagler over the Bona machines. They said it was too light. Had lots of bells and whistles that were attractive, but give them the Hummel anyday. You can pick up used Bonas fairly cheap.

Bona has some good ideas. Finally, somebody built a better dust bag. In case you didn't know, original Hummel bags have a baffle in the middle to keep the dist from circulating around the bag, allowing better pickup. Superior in every way over a Clark bag for exapmle. Bona took it one step further and added a bottom zipper making emptying so much more bearable. Finally some improvement! (for years I dreamed of marketing disposable bags)

Give Bona credit for pushing the DCS systems too. I bought a Clarke system recently, but Bona raised the bar there. My mechaniccs all liked the DCS and once i bought it for myself, i can see why. Edging is much more pleasant and fewer worries about dusting the customers house makes my job a lot easier.
Bona deserves a lot of credit for raising that bar, whether I like their corporate policies or not.

Thanks Guys, I really appreciate the feedback!
Unless I get a lot of bad comments, I like the idea of dealing with one source for finishes and machines untill I get up and going. After a while I'll give some of the others a try, and might make some changes based on the results. Thanks again............Pete

Pete
Not sure of your situation, but as far as equipment goes, you should base your purchases on local distributor support rather than choice of finish. Do you have a nearby distributor? What equipment do they sell? Do they stock parts? Who services in the area and what are they familiar with? What is their experience/preferences with the different brands? They talk to a lot of experienced floor mechanics. Who can provide backup service in case your primaryservice lets you down? How easy are parts and is the machine field servicable, if necessary? What is the dominant brand in the area? Usually there is a good reason one brand dominates. You cannot underestimate the value of parts availability.
A broken machine can put you out of business. I have quite a story about a bad distributor and a broken part.
I wouldn't buy any other edger than a Clarke. Either one but I prefer a Super 7R. It will last you a lifetime.

Good advice from Marco. It is common to keep your prices low when starting out to obtain work because you don't have a track record. Be careful! General Contractors will try to take advantage of you and shop owners as well. They will try to get you to do the little cut up hallway with 12 doorways and a small entry for the same sq.ft. price as a 1500 sq.ft. floor. Economics can't support that way of doing business. Get your prices up to the norm of your area as quickly as possible or you'll be operating in the red in no time. Remember, first of all, you are operating a BUSINESS, not a hobby.

Thanks again guys, for the great advice.........Pete