I have lurking in on the forum for a few days and wanted to thank you all for sharing your knowledge. I volunteered my services to a lady friend (that feeds me well) to refinish her 300 sq ft red oak living room this next weekend. I have not done any hardwood floor work for 20 years now and find that the finishes sure have changed. For the most part I used a high VOC poly and a 4"brush for application. In my lurking I see that today's water born are respected and the Bona line is a favorite of many. Not being a contractor or dealer I have found that any of the "pro" finishes are next to impossible to purchase without ordering on line. So, my question is - is there a consumer finish that is worth a darn ? Living in the So. Cal area I am strapped to 275 VOC product. Home Deep, Lowes are about the only choices for shopping after they ran all the little guys out. Brands available are Varathane Diamond, Parks Pro (275voc) Cabot and Zar. Might anyone have anything good to say about any of them? Are they worth the time or should I hold out for a more pro line finish.

Regards
snafu

Street-Shoe from BASIC will meet the 275 requirement. Go to a flooring retailer instead of the box stores. These commercial water-based finishes are so tough that you should put something softer on as a first coat to help prevent "planking" of the floor in the event of movement of the floor during humidity fluctuations.

Thanks for the reply Worthy- 25 calls later and no one stocks Basic coatings or Bona products.
Only one distributor in the LA area that I can find "Gelleher" and they wouldn't even talk to me.
I may be stuck with the over the counter product but which one ?

snafu

Did you try Ace hardware? They carry a couple.

Local Aces have Minwax, Varathane and Deft------ ;-( I can't believe how hard it is to find Bona, Basic coatings and Dura Seal in one of the largest markets in the world.

snafu

The new Ace down the street carrys Bona products. I guess its a regional thing.

Given the three products ou have available to you, I think I would go with the Flecto product as being the most user friendly.

Gentlemen- I thank you all for your suggestions but I think I just did a very smart thing. After totaling up all the expenses for rental sanders and buffers, supplies, finishes and aspirin the project was going to cost about $350-400. More if I got a high dollar finish like Traffic. I searched craigs list and found a professional to do the 300 sq ft job for $500 even. He will be using Dura Seal X-terra or their Polyurethane (450 voc which is non compliant). Which of these two finishes is the hardest ? and which is easier to re coat a few years down the line ?

Regards
snafu

The X-terra is a two component waterbased finish and will not amber over time. Both are good. You're making a wise choice hiring a pro.

Smart choice.
As far as what finish to use, tell your flooring contractor what your needs are and rely on him to put the product he feels is most appropriate for your needs.
First, he will be familiar with the application of the finish, and secondly, it will then be his responsibility for the quality of the work.
In the past, I have bowed (under pressure) to use a specific product at the request of an un-informed consumer and more often than not, have had to re-do the work for various reasons. Never again.