low VOC

Applying polyurethane (low-VOC)

 Some of us do and the others don’t know that since the 1st of July, 2009 there are new polyurethane rules. Basically, you cannot buy high VOC polyurethane in gallons, or five gallon cans. The only way to purchase it is if you will buy the poly in quarts(kinda stupid, isn’t it?).

“So what?”-some of you will ask-”I don’t even know what the hell is high VOC poly anyway”

For those of you, who doesn’t know that: high VOC polyurethane, is the oil-based type, that have been used by everybody to coat the floor for decades.Yes, it does smell, but at least you were able to apply it seamlessly and it dried within the reasonable time (overnight).

What we have now, that looks the same as the old stuff, is low VOC poly, which is a total disaster.It leaves the brush marks and dries for days, or in some cases- weeks. If you don’t want to end up with the project that will need to be done all over again, you should avoid the low VOC polyurethane.

Remeber: the good stuff is in quarts now. If you want an oil based poly on your floors, buy that.Your other option is water-based, which a lot of people started to use now for their floor refinishing projects.

Avoid buying oil-based poly in gallons, and don’t forget to ask the assosiate in the store what kind of stuff is it.

In case you bought low_VOC polyurethane, here are some things that you should know.

1.You only need 2 coats to finish this project (altough these coats will dry forever).

2.This poly is thick and dries very quick on the surface, so avoid applying it in the large areas: do a little bit at a time.

3. The best way to apply it is with the applicator: lambs wool or Padco Nyfloam Coater Refill (you will never find this type in the Home Depot or Lowe’s, so look somewhere else) are the best. That way you won’t leave the brushmarks.

4.Before you will move the furniture back in the room, make sure the floor is totally dry: with low VOC poly it might look dry, but when you will rub your finger on the floor, you’ll feel how gummy the poly is.If this happens- wait longer.

5.You actually can apply high VOC poly over the low VOC- nothing bad is going to happen: trust me, we tried it.

Now about the brands: there is no such a thing as a good low-VOC poly: it’s all terrible, so if you decided to buy some, choose any brand and good luck with application.

If you happen to have any questions about this type of poly, feel free to contact us.

Applying polyurethane (water-based)

“How many coats of poly should I put on my floor?” I’ve heard this question quite a few times, so let’s talk about it.

There are three types of polyurethane available if you decided to coat your floors: water-based, oil-based and introducing (unfortunately)- low VOC oil-based poly.Oh, almost forgot: there is one more type of poly available.It’s not that popular, since it’s more expensive( around $120 a gallon) and tough to get(I only know 2 places in Southern New England that sell it), but yet one of the most durable and long lasting types of poly: moisture cure. Let’s take a quick look at all of them.

 Water-based poly. Regular amount of coats – 4.When we apply it, we normally put down a coat of Dual purpose Lenmar sealer to give it an amber look and apply 3 coats of poly on top of that.We do this because water-based poly is not that thick, so we need to do a little build up for it to look solid.I have to mention, thought, that you can actually get away with a coat of sealer and 2 coats of good water-based polyurethane if you’re working in the rooms that don’t get heavy amount of traffic, such as bedrooms. The brand that I personally like the most is Eukula.In my earlier post I mentioned that you can see the difference between oil- and water-based poly because of it’s look(water-based doesn’t have as rich amber look as oil-based poly has), well with this polyurethane it’s almost impossible to tell the difference. It comes in one- or two component finishes. They say, that two component finish is harder ( component1: actual poly, component 2: hardener), but one component finish is hard as hell too. I would recommend to use it in residential projects and use a two component in commercial ones. The main advantage of Eukula is that you can add up to 12 Oz. of water (believe it or not) into it without having to  worry about the quality of the finish.  This makes it dry a little bit slower , giving you time to come back and fix whatever you need, not to mention that you won’t have any ugly looking brush marks that normally there when you work with water-based polyurethane. Eukula is the ONLY brand that allows you to add water.

Now the price. Comparing to other brands, such as Bona, or Duraseal, one component Eukula cost the same or even less. Averge price for it is about $45 a gallon. In comparison: good type of Duraseal( which is not as good as Eukula anyway) cost about the same, and Bona(the 2nd best after Eukula in my opinion) cost even more- around $80 a gallon.Two component Eukula cost is around $90 a gallon.

Next time we’ll take a closer look at oil-based poly.

P.S. If you have any suggestions for topics to disscuss, please feel free to contact us.

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