Update: Masterline poly off-gassing

I wanted to follow up for those who are interested in this subject and to also ask a couple of questions.

Original post:

http://www.hardwoodflooringtalk.com/forum/masterline-poly-stinks-after-months-t14458.html

In summary, a contractor used oil based polyurethane and it has been off-gassing for the past 6 months (smell and also high VOC shown on air quality meter).

The update:

We decided to redo the floors to fix the problem. The plan is to sand and refinish with a Loba 2K water based poly.

A very professional contractor has performed the sanding.

But the floors are STILL off-gassing! We can see this on the air quality meter, it is registering high VOC.

WTF!!!

I’ve been trying to think through what the problem.

The stuff has probably gotten into nooks and crannies and in the gaps at the edges of the floors (next to baseboards).

But clearly, there is an issue with the oil-based poly (Masterline poly probably). Can they go bad?

Here is where things get interesting: the air quality meter records CO2 levels and there was a very large spike in CO2 coincident with the application of water to the floors (water popping).

From:
https://www.l-i.co.uk/blog/blog-archive/the-chemistry-of-polyurethanes

“An important side reaction involves the isocyanate component and water. If moisture is present in the mixture (Figure 4), then the isocyanate will react with this water to form an unstable carbamic acid which then decomposes to form urea and carbon dioxide gas..”

So is it possible the water is reacting with uncured isocyanate to produce CO2 gas? If so, how could this have happened?

Does anyone here know anything about polyurethane chemistry?

Most important question: will finishing with a high quality water based poly (Loba 2K) seal off the harmful chemicals and prevent exposure?

Thanks in advance for any help dealing with this disaster.

https://i.imgur.com/RpYq1Ig.png

I'd check and see if Loba has a sealer you can use prior to the finish coat.
Well yes they to to answer my own question. lol
This nice lady used to frequent here and has answers for you on her website. She has used it, I have not. But I have used Loba Supra on cork floors.

https://theflooringgirl.com/hardwood-fl ... ter-based/

Buy it off Amazon?
https://www.amazon.com/LOBA-WS-EasyPrim ... uage=en_US

Thanks so much.
Yes, indeed the plan is to use a Loba sealer and then 2 coats of the Loba Duo 2K (previously known as Supra 2k).
There is another product, Supra 2K AT (Advanced Technology) which is infused with Ceramic and even more expensive. I think they renamed the original Supra to Duo to avoid confusion.
BTW, our current working hypothesis is that the oil based polyurethane was bad (old / expired) and has not cured properly.. meaning, there are toxic uncured poly precursors in the floor.

Google says that carbon dioxide levels increase with an increase of humidity.