Ok,, Ive got about 200 hrs in this oak floor and i finally was able to apply my Bona Seal. QUICK QUESTION,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, The can says to abrade with a USED 120 screen however i have none. A buddy told me i can use 220 or 400 grit sand paper in between my Bona Poly applications,,,,,,,, can i use this same paper before my 1st coat of poly?


And also can you elaborate on this process? I am scraed to death to sand my poly. I just dont see how it wont smudge it ir scratch it? Can anybody explain this process to me?

Just so you Pros know,,,,,, i have the UPMOST repect for you guys. I cant believe how much work this floor has taken. I landscape and am in pretty good shape,,,,,,but this floor has kicked my butt a couple times! Very hard detail oriented work. i had no idea it would be this hard.

Good news is its flawless. 400 sq ft Oak with Purple heart threshholds ,, brazilian cherry border and i was able to run a strip of maple aside some 5" brazillian hickory. Also have a Mahogany door jam going in on one of my purple heart thresholds. I finished all this in 2.5 weeks! LOL,,, i anticipated 4 days! I was affraid to use a floor sander so i spent 3 days in knee pads belt sanding the entire install from 80 all the way down to 120.... than hand sanding down to 400. I ran off all my help a wek ago because i was being to picky and hard to work with.

So just as long as i dont screw up this poly,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, it will exhibit top quality craftsmanship. I went way out of my way on this project to assure everything was exactly right.

If anybody could address these poly questions i would deeply appreciate it.

Sincerely ,,
Mike

Well Mike, if you were afraid to machine sand your floors and chose to hand sand them to 400 grit, then why break with tradition? Just hand sand the sealer with 220 or finer. BTW, which bona sealer did you use? They have different ones and some require sanding while others do not.

Hey Gary,
Im using Bona DriFast ,, and Bona Woodline.

So i just "scuff" it in between coats? Like just a quick scuff? Than vac it ,, than wipe it agian?

The term is "de-gloss" or "abrade". Yep, basically, just knock it smooth with 220 grit or 300. Should go quickly. No need to over sand but don't skip areas. Do the same after every coat EXCEPT after the final coat. After sanding, vacuum well, wipe down with water dampened clothes, allow to dry and recoat.

Thank you very much Gary.

I just put 1 coat of poly on last night. This floor looks magnificant. If youd asked me a few days ago i would tell you all the work cant be worth it. But its paying off now.My wife is speechless!

Why not just use a maroon pad and some delta sheets?

Well i used some 440 grit,,, was a piece of cake!

2nd coat is on and looking really good. Can says 2 coats so thats all I am putting on.

Anything i need to do to this last coat?

And we all know what that means!