We're in a dilemma. We're finishing the 100-year-old pumpkin pine floors in our attic (which have never been finished) and are deciding between a water-based polyurethane and and oil-based polyurethane. Our contractor thinks water-based is a bad idea because the floors are very dry and brittle, and is therefore recommending oil, but the oil-based finish makes the floors a deep orange color and we were looking for a much lighter look. Is it generally not a good idea to use a water-based poly on old pine floors like this (particularly ones that have never been treated)?

One thought we had was to do a first coat or two with water and then apply the oil finish later (on the theory that it wouldn't be as orange that way) Or is that crazy?

Thanks!

Yes, it's crazy. The reason your contractor wants to use oil is he, along with many others, think an oil-based polyurethane "feeds" the wood somehow, imparting something extra that waterbased finishes don't. The difference is in the "vehicle" or "carrier". One is a solvent and one is basically water with solvents. Neither will penetrate that much but the oil-based poly appears to because of it's ambering effect. If you want to "feed" the wood, I suggest a tung oil finish like Waterlox. http://www.waterlox.com/
But that product will really amber the floor. If there is a small out of the way area, consider doing some tests with different finishes on the raw, already sanded wood.

Gary,

Thanks very much for the advice. It was helpful to know that the oil-based finish didn't offer much in the way of additional treatment. We decided to go with the water-based poly and it looks great!

What product do you suggest is a safer alternative than water-base finish?