Hello folks,
I am by no means a pro. Just a guy that has learned quite a bit as he goes a long. I have refinished a few floors as I own a 100 year old multi family home w/ wood floors. I purchase another old home that my wife and I just moved and am working on the floors now. Actually the house is pretty ripped apart as I am working on pretty much everything
The flooring I put down is 5" white oak w/ visible knots and looks pretty rustic for the tight budget I am on. I purchased the scraper linked below and am starting the hand scraping tomorrow.
http://yhst-69597175499612.stores.yahoo ... sckit.html

I planned on using bona dri fast for the stain but am not stuck on it. I just want a decent stain.

My problem is that w/ the hand scraping and old world/rustic look that I am going for. I was really hoping to use waterlox. Outside of the look of it I like that I wouldnt need to sand to put down another coat when the floor starts to wear. I assume that the floors being hand scraped would make the refinish of a poly type finish a nightmare.
At $800 to cover my 1200sq' though I simply can not do it.

What are my options here that will keep me visually and financially happy?
Thanks so much for the help.

flavo, Rubio Monocoat works great with white oak. My buddy and I covered over 1,000 sf with just over 2 liters. And the beauty of it is easy touch up and maintenance. You can order small samples.

http://www.monocoat.us/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13772863@N08/5026560036/

Very interesting stuff. I wish it didn't take me so long to come here and ask. I would more then likely already have my color picked out and shipped. I found the website below that gives a real world review of it.
http://www.peteshardwoodfloors.com/ARTC%20Monocoat.htm

Thanks for the help

I was told when I got the scraper that I should buff the floors before I put the finish on. Should I still do that w/ the monocoat? The above website I listed said I should water pop the floors before applying the monocoat. That led me to believe that maybe I shouldn't or maybe didn't need to buff after the scraping.

John, hope all is well did you make it out to surfaces? I hear the hard wax oiled floors were all the rage this year.

KevinD,
I did not make it to Surfaces, but I did hear that many of the prefinish lines now have oiled products in their line. The Oiled look is becoming more and more popular in the US and the repair aspects make it a fantastic finish. We don't have any wax in ours, just Natural Oil components.

Let me know when you sell some of those and I will be glad to hook you up with the Maintenance products.

John Armfield
WoodCare USA

I've been noticing that as well. It's really catching. And why not? I still wax my floor. lol But wax is not oil and oil is not wax.

So John, pray tell whats the difference between Woca and Rubio? Rubio has no wax either. From what I can tell it's more of a penetrating finish than a build up finish. Anything built up needs to be sanded down for that easy fix like Rubio, no? Please inform me, I ain't no finish guy but I know what I like and I like natural.

I'd love to know as well. Plus the rubio to me seems easier for a novice like myself .

My above post I think got lost in the shuffle so I'll ask again.
I was told when I got the scraper that I should buff the floors before I put the finish on. Should I still do that w/ the monocoat? The above website I listed said I should water pop the floors before applying the monocoat. That led me to believe that maybe I shouldn't or maybe didn't need to buff after the scraping.
I guess a more direct question would be. What will happen if I don't buff after the scraping and just go to the finish?

Great question! How are you planning on scraping it? With accentuated ridges or sorta flat like the real old style hand scraped was done?

Rubio says it prefers to have a 100 to 80 grit final so the finish can penetrate easier. So whats going to happen with the ridges if you have them and buff it? I would call them and ask. The guys there seem very qualified to answer your questions.

I am personally not a fan of the accentuated ridges. I am going w/ a much more subtle scrape. That is great to know about the 80-100 grit. I believe what I will do is scrape. Then go over the floor w/ one of the 1/4" soft pads w/ the sand paper on it by hand. Thanks for the conversation. It is exactly what I needed.
That rubio has a lot of really cool different looks you can get out of it too.

The Woca Oil system is a 2 coat process. The reason for this is to get the Woca Oil to penetrate the wood to provide maximum protection. The greater penetration of the 2 coat process provides more protection than an oil that sits mainly at the surface. Woca has 30 years experience in developing and selling these hardening oils.

I would suggest you try the Woca Oil and see for yourself which one you like better.

John Armfield
WoodCare USA