Terry, here is a link to a discussion about top coating a Rubio finish.

http://www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com/component/com_kunena/Itemid,292/catid,16/id,2043/view,topic/

We are still working on our issues after using Rubio, and are considering a top coat using Vermont Natural Coatings.

Go to that forum and read what I just posted. It may help you decide.

@terry it sounds like the floors were not sanded/polished upto snuff. My floors have rmc down for 8 yrs and zero stains have penetrated the finish and believe me there have been lots!! Feel free to call me to discuss in further detail.

I too am having problems with the Rubio Monocoat finish on my brand new floors. I had the factory rep here today who insisted that this swirly, cloudy finish was how it should look. You cannot clean these floors, and the oil attracts all dust. The installer now says this is an extremely fragile finish and requires lots of maintenance. I vacuum, dust, sweep and use the cleaner Rubio recommends.

This is the second time they have tried to repair this finish. First with washing it and then oiling it (UMO) which left high and low oil areas. I like the look of a matt oiled finish and I have used Woca finish in the past without this issue. My brand new white oak floors have been in and lived on for 5 months. They were laid and sanded in place and were very expensive. The rep made it clear that the floor refinisher and not me was his customer and that I am the "end user". He was no help.

The tough thing is you have little recourse for this type of problem and it is difficult to know if this was installation or a faulty batch of Rubio that can not be repaired. There are also lots of pictures on the internet under "cloudy finish". I recommend against using Rubio Monocoat finish.

Christine, have you had the chance to read any posts on the forums at http://www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com/?

More people there with these same issues! May I ask who the factory rep was?

Obviously there are some companies who have "perfected" the application of Rubio, but it is the Rubio (USA) company that is very misleading regarding the "ease of application" and "maintenance" of their product.

Attempting to "blame" the issues (especially from the UMO) on whoever they can seems to be SOP for Rubio.

Christine, if there is one thing that Rubio does better than any other floor finish, it's to indicate how good of a job your contractor did or didn't do.

A well applied Rubio finish won't be cloudy and it won't "attract dust" any more than any other finish out there.

if there is something I'd blame the Rubio rep for, in this case, it's probably the fact that he hesitates to throw the contractor "under the bus".

While I understand his approach, to a certain extent, I think it's very detrimental to the product (if, of course, I'm right) and it's turning customers like you into "nonbelievers".

Ask your contractor to describe in writing the entire sanding process, as he did it, and then come back here and put it to test. I bet $$$ that it will turn out he skipped quite a few steps.

Chicago Flooring - we are over 8 months now, trying to solve the issues we also had with Rubio.

Do you think it is a fair question to ask, why Rubio touts their product as such an "easy application", but after the fact they don't stand behind that claim?

Case in point - there is a major retailer for Rubio in Minneapolis who REFUSES to sell the UMO product. They won't discuss it. They just state "It only causes problems."

We were aware of this prior to using Rubio, so we asked the Rubio representatives to explain. They brushed our concerns aside by saying, "They just need more instruction in how to use it." "You won't have any problem."

We had EXACTLY that problem, and now they won't even address the question with us!

I will concede that I might be completely wrong about the products themselves, but their marketing seems to be highly deceptive!

If your customers are happy with the product, it is to your credit that you are doing everything right!

I think Rubio could go along way towards solving these issues if they only sold their product through "certified" finishers.

I appreciate your expertise on the subject.

Mary,

One of the biggest mistake customer's make, in general, is to try and buy the best, most expensive product out there and then turn around and try to save on labor.

You can go out there, buy the cheapest #2 common unfinished red oak, and have a guy that knows his trade, turn your floor into a master piece.

On the other hand, you can go spend tens of dollars a sft on the best floor there is and thousand of dollars for the best finish and there isn't a schmuck on the face of the earth that will make that floor show its true value.

You say... "I think Rubio could go a long way towards solving these issues if they only sold their product through "certified" finishers."

You hit the nail on the head with this statement. Yes, if Rubio sold their product through "certified" finishers, there will be a lot less issues out there. The same applies to Mirage, Kahrs, Owen etc (as reputable flooring brands) & Loba, Bona or Benjamin Moore (as reputable finishing companies), and many othes I haven't listed here.

The truth of the matter is Rubio application IS EASY, as long as the floor sanding it's done RIGHT.

I know a ton of contractors that won't do anything else other than unfinished hardwood installation, if the demand was there. Is it because it's the easiest? No. It's because "it's hard to learn an old dog new tricks". They are set in their ways. Unfinished hardwood, site finished with poly or Swedish finish and move on...

If Rubio can be accused of something, it is the fact that they wrap their marketing around the WRONG idea that most flooring contractors do their job right. Most contractors DON'T, and that's the reality of every trade in construction, but more so of the trades that don't require any certification. But, good luck building a business and promoting a product around that idea...

Would you agree that Benjamin Moore is a good painting brand? If you know anything about paint, you would. And so would most painters out there.

But if you were to look at the kitchen my original painter finished, with my own Benjamin Moore paint, you'd think it was the worst paint out there. Peeling off the walls a short few days later. Fortunately, I knew enough to detect the real problem and replaced my "affordable" painter with a REAL painter that redid my kitchen and completed the rest of the house and all of a sudden Benjamin Moore ended up looking like the paint they promoted it to be.

I honestly feel your pain and understand what you're going through, I see it on many customers here in Chicago, with EVERY product, no matter how good that product is.

Yes, it would be better if every brand would sell through "certified" finishers, but that would require them to impose limits that would, likely, push them out of business.

If most brands sell to everyone but few brands would limit their pool of customers ONLY to certified contractors, how many retail stores you think would stock these brands? Look at the UMO situation with the retailer that refuses to sell it in your own town. It's not because "UMO cause problems", it's because UMO is being used by many contractors that have no clue how to use it, around there. So, the retailer decided, it's not worth the headache...

Because, the truth of the matter is, most contractors do not certify in anything, unless the state REQUIRES them.

And every brand stays in the market by selling small quantities through a big pool of contractors, most of them unaware of the qualities (for lack of a better word) of the very product they use.

We use more Rubio than most contractors we know around here and apply it better than most of them, but I guarantee we use less than most of them COMBINED. So, the truth is, Rubio needs these contractors as much as they need the ones they'd recommend if someone was to call them and ask for a contractor they recommend.

Now, here is the problem the way i see jt and if I'm wrong, I apologize from the get go...

Way too often the customer, that has no clue other than online research, is in control of the process, when in reality, the best results are achieved when the contractor that specializes in applying a certain finish or installing a certain type of floor (type, not brando, just to be clear), leads the customer in the proper direction (from what to choose to how to do it).

Every time that happens, there are no issues. There is no gapping or cupping of the floor, there is no Peeling or bubbling of the finish, there is no cloudy Rubio left behind, or any other problems for that matter.

Yes, I'll repeat myself, Rubio is an easy application, as long as everything prior to application it's done right. The proof? My own guy.

This summer, due to high demand, one day I found myself in a situation where I had to quickly find another guy in our crew to do a Rubio project, because all of our Rubio guys were already busy doing other projects.

I took a good look at our crew and saw a bunch of good options, as far as sanding expertize goes. You know whom did I choose?

The one that I knew, always LISTENED the most. My problem, and that's often the case, wasn't lack of expertise, it was lack of listening.

So, I chose my guy, I told him what to do, I told him what NOT to do, and we had no issues. More so, the guy was delighted with "how easy this product is" and gave me the look for treating the Rubio guys "special".

I never told him, but I was just as delighted with how easy he is as a worker, which is something hard to find nowadays.

But there is one thing I forgot to mention. My guys HAVE to take all the proper steps, even when they consider some of them unnecessary. So, I knew from the get go that the ONLY thing I had to teach this guy was how to apply it. And that part is easy, providing that the floor is "ready" and the student LISTENS and FOLLOWS to a T.

If there is one thing most contractors, in any trade, do best, is to cut corners where they know you, as a customer, won't notice. They're also very good at detecting the "unnecessary" steps.

You do this with Rubio, you get burned. Not because it's hard to apply, but because you, as a contractor, haven't done your job properly.

I believe we spoke in the past and I really feel your pain.

But, trust me when I tell you, there are many mistakes your contractor made in there and I will point to one, that is the most obvious. He did not try the product, beforehand, to make sure he's in control of it. A contractor that takes a multi thousand square feet project, and decides to "go to town with it", by applying a product he never applied before, it's a contractor that's either too arrogant for his own good, or outright gullible.

I don't care who tells me a product it's easy to apply. if I never tried it before, I'm not gonna make someone's dream home, my testing area.

You can blame the entire Rubio crew for many things but, in the end, it was your contractor that decided to take on a product he wasn't familiar with and that's on him.

I guarantee you that, regardless of the market, if you call Rubio and say, please recommend me a contractor in our market, that you recommend for your product, they'll do so and you won't have any issues.

The simple fact that prior to applying the finish YOU had so many conversations with Rubio and flooring stores in your market is the best indication that the project was starting from the wrong premise.

it is your contractor that should have had these conversations, it is him that should've been on the phone with anyone and everyone about the how to's of the project.

it is him and only him that should have decided, yes I'll apply the UMO or no, I won't! Not you, not the store that refuses to sell it, not even the Rubio reps.

I understand that's not easy to accept some of these things but, trust me, the main issue in your home was never the choice of finish you made.

Hi. I just want to reply to the long message from Chicago Flooring Innovations. Our Rubio Monocoat Floors look cloudy and hazy, even though they were installed and finished by an experienced professional. We didn't save on labor, at all. The factory rep came twice, and now says the floors are supposed to look that way. I recommend against using Rubio Monocoat.

Christine,

I'm sorry to hear that and I can't express an opinion on your floor without seeing it.

Let me be clear about this, I am not here to defend Rubio, because I have some interest in doing so. I just love Rubio as a product, altogether and haven't experience a cloudy finish yet. I don't know how good your contractor was or wasn't, but I can tell you that the finish shouldn't look cloudy.

As for my lengthy email, look at it more as the venting of a contractor that has to deal, on a daily basis, with the unrealistic assessments set by other contractors that end up finishing cloudy floors, bubbly looking floors and so on.

I'm only trying to help because, deep in my heart, I'm convinced that the likelihood of the cloudy finish being the fault of the contractor is much higher than the likelihood of it being the finish, based on my experience alone.

In my next message, just so I won't write another book in here, I'll describe some scenarios when I know the finish will end up looking cloudy or uneven.

Christine, I noticed you have made dozens of duplicate posts on Houzz since yesterday across every Rubio Monocoat thread you can find. The search function on the site is not to go find other peoples conversations and spew all over a product (actually was your service) you are disappointed with. CFI took a lot of their own professional time to put together that explanation (that nobody really deserves or is owed) to help explain some truths to Mary. For you to come back into the thread and continue to make the same comments again is incredibly rude and disrespectful.

Some scenarios when Rubio might end up looking cloudy, as far as I know...

1. If the sanding is not uniform throughout, the floor will take the oil differently thus making it look uneven. the rougher areas will retain more oil than the finer ones

2. if excess oil is left behind the buffer, the oil will end up looking uneven or cloudy

3. if the oil is not properly buffed in (wiped off), the UMO when applied will actually mix with the excess oil left on the floor during oil application, thus creating a cloudy looking floor

4. under the scenario above, the floor with extra oil left on, will turn into a "dust magnet" because it's essentially a "muddy floor" that catches everything that's in the air.

Also, these floors are the easiest to get affected by spills, because the wood wasn't properly saturated and now there is room for the spill to penetrate.

I look forward to other Rubio "enthusiasts" adding to this list as I know there are others reasons why the floor would fail and only one why it won't (doing it right).

Looking forward to your opinion, Ultimate... :)

I really appreciate all of the info & explanation CFI is willing to share here, and essentially, I am in full agreement with everything he is saying.

Oak & Board - I don't think Christine is being rude & disrespectful at all! She has been told by a Rubio rep that her floor is "supposed to look like that"!

Trying to solve any issues directly through Rubio is an exercise in futility! I would appreciate a transparent interaction here, and/or on other forums from Rubio to discuss, defend or explain any situations with their product.

I don't see anything wrong with raising red flags so other consumers are aware of the problems. That information is a major part of an "informed decision".

CFI, you know calling in Ultimate is asking for another encyclopedia dont you? :-)

Thank you Oak & Broad.

I honestly understand the frustration that comes with having a failed floor refinishing cause they don't come cheap.

In the same time, I realize that the only solution out of it is to come here with an open mind, ask for advice and use it in your (the visitor's) own home.

However, I'm not surprised when I see the website used to vent a little, as well.

I just hope that people that read our opinions won't treat them as the opinions of some guy that have a financial incentive in expressing it.

If you're not part of the trade, it's hard to understand the work it takes to find a good product and it's even harder to understand the passion a contractor would put behind that product, once found.

I do, Oak. I actually like that about both of you

Mary,

There is nothing wrong with raising red flags, just like there isn't much wrong with venting online about a product, even when the person is not 100% right in their assumption.

I'm sure that something must've been wrong in Rubio's communication with you, or else you wouldn't feel the way you do. There is no doubts in my mind about that, at all.

I'm also sure that there were issues, which I already expressed an opinion on, on your end as well.

Let me point one more thing out, since I believe it's important. I spend a significant amount of time discussing products with reps from different companies. In this particular case, I've discussed many times with Johannes, about Rubio and we learned a tremendous amount of "tricks" from him and appreciate him greatly. The man knows his trade, is ethical and you won't find many people in this trade that know him and disagree with that statement.

This being said, every time I speak to a rep, I keep in mind what entity he's representing and I use my own expertise to help me differentiate between their expert advice and the selling parts of the conversation. Because, no matter how objective we try to be, whenever I talk about the product I sell, the probability of me dismissing an issue that might arise or overstating a quality that the product has, it's easy and when I'm faced with a person that lacks expertise in the field, they are easily mislead. But a contractor that knows his trade, would know to ask that extra question, that will bring light to an otherwise "cloudy" issue, since we talk about cloudy things in here, anyway.

Now that I think about it, the bigger error on Rubio's side is to speak to homeowners altogether. If they spoke with contractors alone, than the expectations are properly set from the get go, since it's assumed that a contractor knows things that you as a homeowner don't.

And this is why I say it is your contractor that holds the biggest responsibility of this failure. He didn't do his due diligence, allowed you to get into the issue deeper that you should have and you ended up paying the price.

Christine,

Was your contractor experienced in flooring, or is he experienced with Rubio? Did you judge his experience based on his years in business and his high price or did you judge it based on the number of Rubio projects he did in the past?

I consider myself an experienced flooring contractor, but I'd never trust me with laying down a linoleum floor.

Neither would I trust myself to take on some new finish that I never worked with before, which might require a slightly different application style.

CFI, again, I have no argument whatsoever with any of your points - unfortunately for us, it's all after the fact. I do hope this discussion is helpful for anyone considering Rubio (or hardwax oil in general).

The look is beautiful - I could never go back to poly! Not to mention the difference in VOC levels.

But, in our case, we aren't just the homeowner. (No offense taken.) My husband is the "general" contractor, and I am the project manager for rehabbing a 6K sq ft home - top to bottom.

We are blessed to have "retired" early (age 56), and needed a project! It is the 3rd home we have done, so we have a history of working with contractors.

We know "what we know AND what we don't"! That also means discerning whether a contractor knows his stuff or is mostly blowing smoke! We know from experience that you are absolutely right -" Most contractors DON'T, and that's the reality of every trade in construction" !

We spent over 6 months researching Rubio. The type of rigorous discussion you and I are engaging in right now could have prevented all of the problems in our case, but Rubio did not provide even close to this kind of detail.

I feel for the person (Johannes) who is supposed to solve the issues for a company that creates it's own problems with less than adequate marketing information.

If Rubio now sends out company reps who tell people "That's the way it's supposed to look.", they're not even trying to solve the issue.

Mary,

may I ask, roughly, how long did it take your contractor to complete the job and how many guys did he have on the job? I'm talking about the sanding and finishing part.

Also, if asking for this is not too much, how much did he charge for sanding and finishing 6k sft? Your can even message me, if you don't want to share this information here.

And last, I disagree with a rep going in there and saying "there is nothing wrong", when there obviously is, as much as you do.

But, while your experience and Christine's with their customer service seems pretty unpleasant, the only thing I'm saying is, that shouldn't be a reflection on their product. The product itself is good and performs well, when properly sanded and applied.

This is pretty much the only thing we're saying.

We have spoke several times. It's a poor polishing job coupled with a contractor who probably was new to the whole Rubio thing. I myself totally agree with CFI and myself have never had that problem but I will point out a few facts here as I have personally trained many in the proper sanding/finishing techniques to perform a hard wax oiled floor:
Biggest mistake is floors aren't polished enough. Second biggest mistake is they leave too much on the surface.Third is exactly how to get it outta the can and onto the floor. Without actually being trained and seeing how it's done I'd say most contractors will not be able to perform this procedure correctly right outta the gate.

You can hardplate and then hydrasand the floor and then reapply the oil and you should be fine.

Mary Elizabeth,

Thank you for your support. This is difficult as you never get a straight answer and I hear that frustration in your posts. The Rubio rep made it clear that the contractor was his customer and I was an "end user".

I appreciate the expertise of Chicago Flooring and Ultimate. AND believe it or not, prior to my research, I suggested too much oil or lack of buffing caused the floors to act as an attractant to dust. My contractor is responsive but after 2 attempts has not repaired the floor. The contractor and Rubio rep suggest the cause is my inability to apply enough pressure to clean the floors properly even though I have used the Rubio products. If the rep is correct and this is the expected finish, then others should have the information to make an informed decision.

I had Woca oiled floors prior to this expensive remodel and LOVED the effect of the flat finish. I do not like the way the Rubio floors have performed with the need for correction. I thought easy repair was a high selling point with this finish.

I hope that anyone thinking of using Rubio - reads EVERYTHING on Houzz from Ultimate and CFI & takes it to heart!

Do not believe the brochures from Rubio Monocoat, or their YouTube videos, or from anyone selling the product retail. All of those things gloss over the real preparation work required with this product.

I am a complete skeptic by nature, and even with all the questions I asked, (in hindsight), the answers from Rubio were very vague and "over-promised" in light of reality.

That, combined with the obfuscation they use to (NOT) deal with customer complaints! We were initially told ,"All I can say is we have sold enough UMO to
cover approx. 4 million sq ft of flooring without a complaint (except yours of
course)."

That comment from Rubio is what made me start posting about our experience, and within a very short time, at least 4 others posted that they had been given that exact same response!

CFI, just to clarify - our house is 6,000 sq ft. Hardwood only on the main level, which is 2400 sq ft. Adjusted for all cabinets & built-ins - about 1700 sq ft of maple.

I will private message you with the other information.

Mary,

I look forward to your PM with the rest of the info. Thank you!

Mary Elizabeth,

I wan to you to know that I have never posted a complaint for a product EVER and I take doing so very seriously since it goes to peoples livelihood and product reputation. Like you, it was in fact the rep's attitude that made me want do so. Also, I have not posted dozens of threads as "Oak and Boor" has stated. I think there were 3. I wanted to cover the issue as I believe consumers have the right to know the full extent of the performance of the product they are selecting! As you have stated, this is an expensive and disruptive episode if the desired results are not achieved. The UMO seems to have compounded the issue. I have moved out of my house and into a hotel for the repairs without resolution. No amount of scrubbing this floor is going to correct the finish. It is frankly unfair to the consumer. I agree with you-if there had been this kind of discussion/link prior I would have done much more due diligence concerning the flooring contractor. This is a very experienced flooring contractor but I am not sure how many Rubio floors he has done. This is also not finish with an easy repair so overall I am not are how the maintenance could be easy.

I appreciate the "pro's" assessment and it does help shed light on some of the potential issues.

Thanks everyone!

Has anyone had experience with rubio on a dining room floor where people are sliding chairs across the floor and spilling food? Am I better off with a Swedish finish instead?

Thanks!

This is my first time chiming in on any forum regarding Rubio Monocoat. But I feel like I should share our story if it will help someone else trying to make a decision on whether or not to put it on their hardwoods. My husband and I installed (ourselves) over 1900sq ft of white oak floors in our home. I spent hours, upon hours researching alternative options to poly with hopes of finding a product that would last and be easy to apply another finish when we felt necessary. There wasn't a ton of information on Rubio but in the end that is what we decided on. I called them direct to get all the details on the exact procedure to follow for application and we followed them. We did multiple sandings (working our way to through different grits) and cleaned the floors of sawdust before installing. I bought the cleaner they recommend before application and wiped the floors down. We mixed the two parts exactly and followed the necessary steps to apply it. We did two coats on our entire hours (main floor living, dining, kitchen, stairs and upstairs hall & bedrooms). Within months our dining area and kitchen looked pretty rough (even though like previous users have mentioned we were meticulous with cleaning up spills and any food). We did not have pets. Within months of applying we tried to touch up those two rooms and were left with blotchy, spotted floors. They look terrible. We rented out the house due to a job/location change for the past 18 months and now we are back to researching what are options are for cleaning up the entire first level of the house. The bedrooms are still nice but the first floor looks rough. I am thoroughly disappointed. It was an expensive product and we will not use it again. At said house, we applied water10x (I am not advertising for the product) on our wood sinks in our master bath and it looks amazing after 20 plus months. For anyone considering a DIY of Rubio I would continue your research. Refinishing hardwoods is not a quick or easy job. We are bummed with the outcome of this product. For those of you who've had better luck - good for you. I was hoping for the same because I love supporting products and companies seeking healthier and unique alternatives.

Well one thing I might add is if you don't polish the floor really really it will not support an oiled finish. Lots of pros can't properly polish so I'm skeptical about a dyi'r properly polishing. It's worn out because of that. Seen it a lot as I've fixed up many a rubio job. Also as for the spot repairs I've found it really easy to perform but you need to replicate by hand what your machines did on the floor. Without training I suppose all of this stuff would be harder.

I just stumbled on this post while researching Rubio - so my question is this: What questions should I be asking a flooring contractor, to determine their expertise level with Rubio? I am meeting Thursday with a floor guy whom I was referred to (by a reputable flooring supply company in town) for specialty finishes like Bona and Rubio, but reading this thread has me nervous!

JKH, I have several comments in this thread already. Not sure where you are located, or what level of expertise your floor guy has with Rubio. There are quite a few different discussions on this same topic here on Houzz that you can search and read through.

Ultimate is an expert on Rubio, so you can trust him.

We LOVE the look of the oiled floor, but for us, the combination of Rubio's "marketing" of the product, and a floor refinisher without enough experience, resulted in less than desirable results.

Another hardwax oil company is Osmo. IIRC, their instruction pamphlet is far more detailed (and realistic) than Rubio's, in terms of the true application process.

Thank you, Mary Elizabeth! I read through the posts above, but probably missed some details. We'd be looking for an expert Rubio finisher, in which case I'd hope there wouldn't be a problem with it, but who knows! If we opt for his route, I just want to make sure I'm looking for the right things in a floor contractor. Could you remind me which product you used? Was it colored or clear? We're considering clear oil or 5% white, and I wonder if different products behave differently or go on more easily... or not, ha!

I think my best advice would be to ask your refinisher for referrals from his past clients that you could speak with directly and see his work.

We did pure on rustic maple. But again, our discussions with the Rubio reps prior were along the lines of "anyone who can finish a floor, can do Rubio". That is NOT true.

In fact, we later found a discussion on a site used by wood flooring professionals, where it was noted, that Rubio markets their product as "1 coat", but in their actual training, they say 2 coats are better.

I can look for that link for you.

That's very helpful, thank you! I'll ask about his application process and references.

I tried searching for the site and blog post. I know it is archived somewhere, but they have updated their site (nwfa.org) and there is no longer a link.

Here is another discussion regarding Rubio:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/rubio-monocoat-wooden-floor-best-ways-to-maintain-and-clean-dsvw-vd~3702704

The last comment is a question I left for Ultimate (just last week). He has not responded yet.

In case anyone is finding this thread and considering Rubio Monocoat for what its worth we regret buying expensive prefinished white oak floors with Rubio Monocoat. The finish has ambered tremendously where we get a lot of sun. We found the soap product worthless for getting out any kind of stain. We also did not regularly apply new oil so the floor is deeply stained and dark. Also we don't like the smell of the oil in the house.

okaycoral, I'm really confused as to why you would "regularly apply new oil" to ANY prefinished floor!!! My understanding of the Rubio pre-finished product is that it is cured with a UV light process, so how could the wood absorb anything else.

I'm also very curious as to what type of "warranty" it came with. Since Rubio blames the customer or the refinisher for anything that goes wrong with a site finish, who do they blame for your problem???

Rubio requires regular "cleaning" and oil renewal. The "soap" and the renewal products smell just like Rubio. They have oil in it. Personally I don't like the smell. We got our floors 10 years or so ago. I don't think they had a UV light process.

Is this something that has since been "discontinued"?

I just found this thread while looking for a prefinished floor with Rubio Monocoat. I have a project that requires a prefinished floor otherwise I'd finish it with Monocoat myself. I can't say enough good things about Rubio Monocoat. It has been on my solid white oak for 6 years, 3 years and 1 year respectively and 0 issues. The first and second installations were done by flooring contractors with no Rubio experience. I tested the Monocoat myself, learned how to use it and schooled the installers. They did great. They did leave a few heavy spots in corners and a few light spots here and there but I "redid" those spots easily myself and you can not even see where they were. As others have mentioned, the better the sanding job, the better the finish will look.

Does it stain? if you spill something and leave it on there yeah it might, depends on what it is. Even so, you simply sand out the stain, feather in the sanding and recoat with the same color oil. wipe off and buff. The repair will become invisible in a week or two. Same for dog nail scratches, sand them out, re-oil, gone! My dog basically destroyed the urethane finish on the older floors. Spot repair efforts were futile and urethane stinks. I tipped over a gallon of paint on my Monocoated floor and some did get into the grain but I sanded out those spots, re-oiled and you would never know that disaster happened. I also might add, I have not had to re-oil the entire floor ever. I have done "not much " in the way of maintenance just mopping with water or a diluted natural cleaner and it still looks great.

The best thing is the no VOC, this floor does not smell after the initial oil smell evaporates in a few days. It does not irritate me or give me a headache and I am very chemically sensitive. I have used Rubio Monocoat on many wood furniture pieces and wood projects and even did a small floor myself all to great effect and no negative health issues.

Gee thats great to hear my experience has been totally different. Also my white oak floors look more like cherry at this point, they have ambered a lot.

I think any oil will probably amber naturally over time. The colored Monocoats vary though. I have silver gray on some pine that is still silver but the pine under it has ambered and I have various colors on furniture that have white oil over colored oil and precolor and the white is still pretty white, barely a hint of yellowing after a few years. My white oak floors were done with dark oak oil, It has darkened a bit but still has nice variations from gold to brown with a dark brown grain pattern. I did the white oak next door with 1/2 cherry and 1/2 dark oak oils mixed to match the cherry cabinetry there and it is very pretty, reddish just like the cherry cabinets but with a medium brown grain pattern.

I love Rubio!

Has anyone used Rubio on pine flooring? We put Smoke 5% on our new construction pine floors & love the color. Contractors still in & out of the house (floors are covered with paper, for the most part, but Im seeing dirty scuff marks from work boots) -I’m just wondering if they will clean up nicely (like they looked after the smoke application) & whether they’ll stain (we don’t have many spills, but, who knows?) Can anyone give me some advice, please? Have not applied the UMO - would you recommend that? Would a matte sheen deter scuff marks or make cleaning easier? We’ve built a farmhouse & are hoping to have farmhouse-looking floors, but, at the same time, clean looking floors are VERY important to me.

It sounds like the guys have been walking on it before it is cured. The great thing about Monocoat is that you can do invisible spot repairs. Stains, scuffs and scratches can be sanded out and re-oiled and after the oil cures, the repaired spot will become invisible.

If it was my floor, I would wait until the workers are gone and the oil is cured then repair it. Sand the scuffs off with the same grit the floor was sanded with, feathering it, Vacuum up the sanding dust and re-coat the spots with the same 5% smoke oil and buff with a clean rag. I use cosmetic cotton pads to apply oil on small projects or spot repairs. You don't need to mix part 2 catalyst in the oil for the spot repairs, just try to stay off the repaired spots until they cure. Maybe mark around them with Frogtape to keep track of where they are so you can avoid walking on them until the oil cures. The repaired spots may look lighter for a few weeks but they will blend in after the wood starts to amber again and you will not see them at all. I have repaired several pine things here and you cannot see the repairs.

Thank you for your quick response - we’re SO close to moving in & to think of having to wait longer to move in isn’t exactly what I want to do, but, if it means better floors, so be it! 1. What about the UMO? Would you apply the UMO if it was your floor? 2. The oil should be cured if I understand correctly / they sat 48 hours with no one on them. Does curing take longer? 3. We have these floors everywhere: kitchen & bath included (not laundry room.) With your experience, are stains a problem? Can you just wipe spills up immediately without fear of staining? 4. can you clean them with a damp mop, or do you need to always use the RM cleaner? Im a stickler for clean floors & vacuum / damp mop over our current refinished hardwoods twice weekly. Thank you, again, for your help.

That was supposed to say our current Pre-finished wood floors.

Just found this when looking at upkeep info on the Rubio products. FYI - we put ours in 2.5 years ago (pure/clear color on hickory). Three large dogs have been very tough on it and the flooring has held up well. We're only now thinking of refreshing it a bit, but mostly just need to clean and possible oil a few high traffic areas. We've been happy with this product.

The floors looks great!