Get a foam cut-in paint pad for edges and corners.

Thanks, I will

I went to yet another distributor to buy the finish, and they had some displays with Naturale and Traffic on white oak. On the lighter wood the Naturale did not perform well at all. Because of the rougher finish; it picked up every scuff mark. It looked terrible: as where the Traffic looked like new.

I called the tech support at Bona and they pretty much confirmed my suspicions about Naturale on a light colored wood.

I bought the Traffic instead

I think you will be very pleased with your purchase.

The DTS sealer looks great, but it raised the grain a bit. Should I buff it out now, or should I do it before the final coat?

I also noticed on this board that Gary recommended 3 coats of Traffic, as compared to the 2 recommended by the manufacturer.

Should I do 3?

You can buff it now, but most likely you'll have to re-buff after the first coat of Traffic. I've buffed both before and after.

I think what determines which way I do it, is the degree of grain raise. If the grain raise is minimal I don't buff until after the first coat of Traffic, but if it's very rough I buff both times. Oh but if the sealer has been dry for a long time (I'm not sure of the time window right now...maybe 16 to 24 hours) I buff for superior adhesion with the next coat.

Sometimes if I want a glass-like finish I apply a third coat and I buff after after each coat using progressivly finer grits: Sealer, buff with 150 grit, 1st coat, buff with 180 grit, 2nd coat, buff with 220 grit, finally third coat.

Hey thanks.

I was raring to go so I put down the first coat of Traffic before I got your response. It leveled out nicely and smoothed out all but the most troubled spots.

Then after reading your note I sanded with 220 and put down the second coat. After it dries I’ll decide if it needs another. It’s looking really nice. Ironically I think the hardest part of the process was figuring out how I was going to get out the door.

I really appreciate all the help I’ve gotten here.

I’ll post some pic’s once I can get my 9 year old to show me how to use the computer.