I finished putting the second coat of waterlox original sealer on my yellow pine floors in the living room (roughly 440 square feet) this morning.

I like the look so far (second coat is now dry to the touch) BUT it feels rough. I want to end up with a satin finish (and have ready a gallon of waterlox satin). I wanted to ask before I go on with the satin waterlox if I should sand the floors first. Waterlox says you don't need to for adhesion purposes but I'd like the floors to be fairly smooth (with the satin finish).

I sanded the pine only to 100 grit, which really helped the stain go on evenly (as opposed to the 150 grit test pieces I did). I also vacuumed and wiped the floors with mineral spirits before I started but I think when I turned the cieling fan on after the secong coat was down and I think it stirred up additional dust. You can't see the little nibs, but you can just feel an overall rough texture.

Any advice? Should I continue with the satin and then rub the satin out after it cures? Sand the last sealer coat I put on?

Other than that issue (which is more than likely user error) I LOVE how the floors look (although I'm excited about losing some of the shine with the satin coat).


Oh, P.S. - I'm in Texas. It's warm here. Like.... 103 today? It's NOT any cooler in my house, because I have not been running the AC while sanding. Could this be causing the waterlox to dry too fast? Will it hurt the durability or any other properties of the finish? Perhaps a better question for the folks at waterlox, but I thought I'd try here first.

Buff out that 2cd coat using a buffer and a 3M maroon finishing pad. Do the edges and corners by hand. Vacuum up all the dust and tack out the floors with lint free clothes slightly dampened with water or mineral spirits. When dry, apply your final coat. Waterlox raises the grain a little, even though they say it shouldn't. Depends on how finely the wood is sanded

If I might add, to Gary's advice, one gallon of Satin is a little light given your sq feet.. For best coverage and durability, we spec 2 coats of whatever your top coat is (in this case Satin) applied at 500 sq ft gal/coat. This not only improves service, but will guard against any "low spots" in the finish allowing the shinier Sealer/Finish to show through.

For the first 12 hours, we do not recommend using ceiling fans, as they can interfere with the intake of fresh air, and can cause the floor’s surface to “skin” or dry prematurely.

Check out our complete finishing guide: https://www.waterlox.com/site/478/default.aspx

David Zarzour
Waterlox Coatings Corp