We had red maybe white oak floors put down through most of our house, they were unfinished so installed, stained( with sealer) and finished (2 coats, I wanted 4 but they said 2 coats were enough, this is professional stuff, not sure about that ). I was unable to see the brand of " varathane" ( final top coat) as they came in with a a big bucket and when they were finished they just scooped up the remainder and put it back in the bucket. We were told to leave house for a few days smell would be intolerable and we did because it was. We requested a mat finish. Floors looked great initially but we noticed they were scratching very easily and that they are shiny so I don't think they used a mat finish. It's just my husband and I and we never wear are outside shoes in house. Also they are incredibly slippery if just wearing socks.

Needless to say we are disappointed, we contacted the company and they said they would come back out and do one more coat and that the finish is mat but in the end we decided to pass on the extra coat due to the hassle of the smell and having to move everything again.

Well an opportunity came up and our living room is furniture free for a few weeks and we decided to see I'd we could fix the problem ourselves by putting on a few extra coats of varathane ( not sure if that is the correct term ) My husband spoke with someone and they recommended an oil hybrid because it dries super fast and hardly no smell. We purchased the mat finish. We sanded well with a 400 grit and cleaned it well. It went on good, dried fast but the outcome on the finish was somewhat hazy/milky looking. Maybe abit of shine is better it seems to bring out the wood more.

So now we are in the fence as to how to finish this off. So I went down to Home Depot and the guy their basically telling me to forget hybrid stuff go with oil if you want the best finish with the most durability. So my take on this is less fumes/quick dry time versus smell/longer dry time. My thoughts are now floors are for the long run! It's nothing like painting which is easy compared to this so yes I want durability first, looks second, smell not so much of an issue I will deal with it.

I am not against the hybrid I will try another finish like satin but in your opinion what's better? Hybrid versus oil?

If I continue with the hybrid and go to satin for some shine can I do this? What grit of sandpaper should we use if we change finishes?

If oil is the way to go how do I transition from this mat hybrid to oil?

Either way, any opinions for preference on product would be appreciated.

Thanks

i am of the opinion that a disaster is about to occur.

a pro offered to correct and satisfy( you turned it down) and now you are undertaking what pro should do, listening to home depot retired gas pumper who painted once, mixing applications and chemicals and you expect this to end well?

oh boy.

Thank you for your reply. Yes we realize we could have a problem on our hand that's why I decided to do some research, sadly after the fact. But as with most of the posters on this board they too had problems and I believe that's why we are here.

Although the contractor said he would do one more coat not two like I wanted, that was over a year ago. Also we are not sure if it really would have helped. And to go to all the trouble of moving everything and having to leave the house again for 3-4 days due to the smell. I had hardwood in a previous house that I personally refinished and it did not scratch and scuff like this within in a few weeks and that house had a lot more traffic than this one, also as I stated we do not wear our outside shoes in the house. So why all the scratching and scuff marks? The end product must have been cheap I do not know what else it could be.

So now a year later, new furniture on the way we thought let's try and put a few more coats on while the room is empty. I am not sure what my husband said to the person in the the store when he purchased the oil hybrid but I am sure he did explain the situation as stated above. So yes we have a problem as you state so before we go any further we would like to hear from the pros who do this everyday how to proceed. Thanks

I would start by finding out exactly which product they used. Simply call and ask. From there , I think we can start giving you some useful advice.

Sadly we did not part on good terms when they wanted to do only one coat I insisted they do two because of all the hassle of moving everything again. Everything they used was oil based, that is an assumption because of the fumes.

We have already done one coat of the oil hybrid, we did sand and clean, went on great, dried fast, no smell, the only thing I did not like was the finish, it came out dull. I guess that could be expected from a mat finish, I think I read in another post that can happen with mat finishes. Is this correct?

Yes I can just continue using the oil hybrid and just go up to the satin finish, for abit of shine, I can not see any problems with that. Is this correct? If doing so, my question was how much more sanding would I need to do between the mat and satin. What grit of sandpaper? They say 180, but I was just curious as to other opinions. It seems some of the pros on the board sometimes do otherwise.

Floors can be a big hassle, if I had to do it over again I would go with prefinished, installed, over and done with!! Lol. But my husband got a great deal on unfinished floors, thought we could save some money. In the end not really. Oh well, lesson learned! I am just wanting to see all other avenues before continuing, the reason for my questions in my first post. I just want to put on a few extra coats of "varathane". In hindsight, we should have just stayed with oil and recoated. But we got swayed with this oil hybrid for the no smell and fast fry time which is great! Thanks for your reply.

First off "varathane" is the brand name of a finish made by Rust-Oleum. They do make finishes for hardwood.
Secondly, you made the mistake of not taking on the offer of your contractor. Two to three coats are normal, any more he should have asked for more money. Now you went over his work and you have no way to go back on his work compensation wise.
I'd sand it all off and start over.

Bunny,

If I came off a little harsh, my apologies.

you are right.
People come here with problems and I am always ready to help.

But all too often there's a common theme.someone cut corners, tried to save a buck, hired the lowest bid, got incompetent results then come one here complaining how they got ripped off and they are victims as if we should have some kind of empathy for them.

The guy who dod your floors did nothing wrong adn would have done you a disservice applying 2 more costs.
it would be toomany which you have already rapidly approached.

this will cause problems for you for sure.

If you want advice , the best I can give you is twofold

1) your job: hire another professional and start over.do it now or do it next year but you will do it .

2) Do not think with your pocket book when hiring for your home. Never.it ends up bad more than good.do research, check references and hire based on experience.You don't have to pay top dollar but you must pay the right men the right price for the right job, and let them do their job the way the know how and recommend. you are not the pro.they are.

there's an old saying in the biz.

Best of luck
Cheap price pay twice.

If your only issue is sheen, then re coat the floor . We generally use a disc buffer with a white pad and 220 grit abrasive screen or finer.Vacuum thoroughly ,tack the floor and then apply finish.