Hi everyone,

First, I want to thank all the experts on this website who give freely to adventurous and incorrigible DIYers like me. I have gathered a LOT of information from browsing these forums.

I plan to refinish my floors with a U-sand rental sander. Flooring is red oak with what looks like poly finish that was under carpet for 20 years.

Could one of the experts critique my final sanding and finishing steps?

1) Final sand with U-sand using 120-grit pads.
2) Lay on coat of Seal Coat to get an amber tint (or should I stain here??)
3) Apply first coat of Fabulon
4) After 24 hrs, abrade with 220-grit on pole sander (or do I need to rent a buffer and pads here??)
5) Apply second coat of Fabulon
6) After 24 hrs, abrade with 220-grit on pole sander
7) Third and final coat of Fabulon.

Thanks,

Mike
Fremont, CA

You do not need to use Seal Coat to get that amber color. The Fabulon OMU will give you the same look. So skip the Seal Coat and go straight to the Fabulon floor finish, of which 3 coats applied at 500 sq.ft. per gallon per coat is more than adequate. Universal sealer/Seal Coat is kinda hard to work with in that it dries VERY fast and easy to get lap marks. It's a little more flammable due to the alcohol content and typically costs more per gallon. The only reason I could see using it is if you felt there had been contaminates on/in the floor that would prevent the Fabulon from adhering well. Make some test samples on some inconspicuous spot to check for fish eying and color. You can sand between coats with the pole sander. Just takes more time and effort. Your process sounds fine.

Thanks Gary! Appreciate the feedback.

I'll skip the sealer then.

I plan to start on Saturday and I'll report back here for everyone's benefit on how things went.

Regards,
Mike