Hi -

First post here, though I've looked around the forums quite a bit. I have a rather urgent question for you all.

I'm currently working in a huge house remodel, doing decorative paint & plaster finishes. I noticed what the builders were planning to do with 2,500 sq.ft. of beautiful raw walnut flooring, and stopped what I was working on to politely accuse them of mass murder. (I used to do a lot of studio woodworking, and have a great deal of respect for good wood.) They were using a commonly available, oil-based stain that completely ruined the wood. They put this on the back of all boards to seal them. I noticed how bad it looked and stopped them before they did the topside of each plank.)

I ran a sample board with high-quality, de-waxed Garnet shellac to tone the wood without killing the grain, then used two top-coats -- Duraguard and C-500 Dull -- from Faux Effects International. These are non-oil-based, pre-catalyzed polymers. These products are bullet-hard and make for a nice, smooth, even finish. Problem is, Faux Effect support does NOT recommend using these products over shellac (although I wonder if they're thinking of waxy shellac.)

Here's the rub, as it were: The client loves the look of what I did. The primary contractor tried to recreate this look with stain and poly overcoats, but he's falling short. He's now looking at using our Garnet and covering it with a poly topcoat, likely from Benjamin-Moore. I'm not so sure about that solution.

This is a remodel in serious Tuscany style. The client wants things to look "old." He shuns glossy or shiny finishes of any sort. Sooo, I'm thinking...

On the advice of my friends at shellac.net, I'm thinking of recommending Bysakhi button shellac, which is very hard and durable. We might perhaps mix in some Garnet to adjust the color.

Since this is suppose to look and feel "old", why wouldn't we leave the flooring at that? Or, perhaps with a top-coat of wax, a la Frank Lloyd Wright? We could knock back the gloss of the shellac with mild abrasion, and get a nice patina to boot. If, for some reason, they don't like the look after the shellac goes down (but before any wax!), they could choose a top-coat that suits them?

The only area of concern is the kitchen area, which is part of the larger, great-room concept that includes the living area, leads to the dining area, etc. In the kitchen, we'd have to put down a protective top-coat over the shellac. I see here (and heard from shellac.net) that Bona Traffic would be recommended.

Thoughts on this project? I have to be able to absolutely guarantee that there will be no problems, or else I won't sleep at night!

Thanks. I'm very glad I found this forum.

Rob
Eastern NC, USA

Your description was very detailed as to what the client expects as far as overall look to the floor, but it may not be practical from a flooring contractor's point of view. First, you cannot top coat a selected area of a contiguous floor and expect it to look the same as the balance of un-topcoated floor. So whatever you do in the high traffic kitchen area must be followed through for the balance of the floor.
Please sed us a few more details on whether or not this walnut is to be stained, or left natural, using only clear products to enhance the grains and variables of the wood.

Thanks, Dennis --

Point duly noted on not treating two areas differently.

We've gone a bit further on testing and sampling since I last posted.

The client still likes the look of the shellac finish, and is keen on some of the advantages of shellac -- easy to apply, easy to repair, etc.

I've talked with a provider of high-quality shellac, and he recommended Bysakhi button shellac for flooring; it's very hard, and probably has the right color. I'm also getting ready to sample some Kusmi 1 and 2 button shellac to adjust color. Then, going over the top of the shellac with brown wax gives a lovely appearance. If we go the shellac route, it's going to be just shellac and wax, with no 'durable' topcoats.

The contractor, on the other hand, is not as comfortable with it. He was able to ding the wood a bit (the shellac held fast, but the wood did dent), and he seems more inclined to go with a poly or varnish topcoat over stain. If that's what he wants to do, the shellac is a no-go and he'll have to do whatever he feels is right to do, and I'll just go back to plastering the walls.

In the next few days, we're going to have a finish-off, I guess.

Any thoughts?

Well now, any poly, whether oil-based or water-based,will not provide any significant protection from denting. A good poly is designed to stretch and conform to the dent rather than shear. You will have the same effect with the shellac you wish to use.
The long chain polymers used in the manufacture of floor finishes do not increase dent resistance.
I suggest a thin layer of steel for that purpose, although it does tend to hide the beauty of the wood, rather than enhance it. (lol)

Update:

After the general contractor tried every type of finish known to modern man, the client decided to go with my finish for the walnut: four passes of Bysahki shellac with topcoats of brown carnauba-based wax. This past weekend, three of us laid down the first two coats of Bysahki on 2,400 sq. ft., including a band of four coats + wax where some cabinets are being placed this week.

The floor looks absolutely fantastic! Everybody's raving about it.

The decision was made after many tests over a couple of weeks. The client took my sample board and ran water and booze tests on the finish, and was satisfied that it was reasonably impermeable.

I think the nicest part was when the cabinet installer (from a very high-end maker) looked at what would have been, compared it to the finish, and told me, "You saved the floor, mate!"

Thanks for all the help. I have a new question about pricing in the pro section of the board.