Poly is the way to go.

Well...no offense, but that's not terribly helpful. Just completed a total kitchen remodel and we don't have another $5-6k to spend on floors...AGAIN.

What we are hoping to get here is some sort of option for what we can do to make our Rubio floors look ok.

Okay, you can sand the darkened areas down to wood and lightly sand the entire floor and apply another coat of the Monocoat. Did they put two coats in the first place? What kind of wood? What color Monocoat?

They said they put down two coats. It's a red oak floor, and we chose Pure as the color.

https://www.peteshardwoodfloors.com/Wood-Floor-Techniques-101/our-zero-voc-finish-rubio-monocoat.html

Check out the link I posted above. Tons of info for you.

Appreciate that...but not seeing the link?

The link is showing up above. You don't see it?

https://www.peteshardwoodfloors.com/Wood-Floor-Techniques-101/our-zero-voc-finish-rubio-monocoat.html

I see the one you just put up now but don't see the previous one. Anyway, thanks a lot. Appreciate the advice very much. :)

Hopefully I fixed the link above.

If the link doesn't work Goggle "Rubio Monocoat Reviews". Its the peteshardwood link.

Ok thanks! The link worked but my virus protection software wouldn't let me open it, for some reason. I'll check it out.

Light cure finish the replacement and kennel those pups.

Can you post pics please? I have been considering Rubio Monocoat for when we refinish our existing maple floors and add new wood to a room currently carpeted. I have one dog (not a drooler though) and 3 young kids (who sometimes drool).

I am in the middle of my kitchen remodel, and really wanted to go with Rubio Monocoat. So I researched it quite a bit. If it's done properly (which is not easy), it's very very good.

I think the mistake is two coats. It needs to be just one coat as name implies. There will be a cloudy film on the floor with two coats on, and won't work.

Champchamp, our dog isn't a drooler either. :( She hangs out in the kitchen when I cook sometimes, though, and I guess that's when she salivates a bit (but absolutely nothing I've noticed as it's happening, like with a basset hound or something). Aside from the drool stains though, as I said, the floor just never looks good.

And Rigel Sh, we did a ton of research as well. Good luck to you and I hope your results are better than ours

Thanks loriandrandy.

Actually I didn’t go with Rubio because I couldn’t find a contractor who had an experience with it so I went with common water based poly. I thought it’s safer to go with whatever product that the contractor you chose is good at would be the best way to go.

Actually it looks pretty good, not sure it will hold up well but will see. Hope you find a good solution for the issue.

loriandrandy - I just started a kitchen redo and the contractor wants to use Rubio. We have a black lab who drools. Will you please post pictures? Also, are you having other issues in addition to the drool spots? One last question that you are probably sick of hearing - did the professional who did your floors have experience with Rubio? If so, what do they say about your issues?

I too am having issues with my Rubio floors. It was a diy job but I followed all the directions and they looked beautiful for a short while afterwards. However, 18 months later and they are looking kinda rough. Water absorbs into the floor quite fast as if it were unfinished. Any food that’s been dropped on the floor leaves a mark. As a result I’m always running around the house with a wet cloth and Rubio cleaner trying to clean up after my kids and prevent further damage. I have stains all over the floor and new ones seem to be popping up daily dispite my best efforts. It’s as if my floor were bare with no protection at all. I’m bummed to say the least but I would love to know if there is a solution for this. Do I need to reapply the finish? Did I not put enough on originally? I created tester boards with Rubio samples before I decided to choose this product and they repelled water and oil just fine. I was excited to have this product on my floors but they just aren’t holding up like I thought they would. I’d love to know if there is something I could do to fix it.

@Julieanna Rhodes - Your floors are dry. The Rubio Monocoat product is NOT a 20 year finish. It is a finish that REQUIRES reapplication every once in a while (? every 6-18 months?).

The reason why they react as if "raw" is because they no longer have the protection of the finish anymore...which means they are very close to "raw". Time to reapply.

Did you purchase ALL the maintenance products? The oil cleaner? The oil maintenance product? The colour patch? The refinish product?

At 18 months of age without diligent maintenance (I mean applying the refreshing oil every few months in areas that have heavy traffic - and not just sweeping) your floor is simply ready for its next application. This is the "pain/beauty" of the Monocoat system. The finish needs to be heavily maintained (the pain) but the good news is the homeowner can do all the work (the beauty of it) without incurring more costs.

Your floor doesn't have a problem...it just needs it's maintenance application as per regular use. These maintenance applications will continue on in this manner for many many years to come. So please purchase all the maintenance products you will need so that everything is on hand when you need it.

I’ve only been using the Rubio cleaner. I had no idea refreshing products were required so often. At this point though, having not been using them, would simply using the “refresh” product be enough to “fix” my floors or is sanding and reapplication of the original finish needed? I wish the Rubio website had more info about their products but every time I go there seeking advice or answers I can only find vague product descriptions. I appreciate your advice on the matter so thank you.

I'm not a hardwax expert so I'm only going off of the information I've gathered when speaking with people in the know.

It is my understanding that there is a way to put down more of the original finish without having to do all the sanding. Again, this is not something I'm 100% sure of, but that's how this product is touted.

I would reach out to the person who applied the Rubio in the first place, and get them in (offer a payment of some sort for their time) to give you some tips/tricks to continue your life with your floors. And ask them to bring the maintenance products that Rubio requires....and that you will purchase everything from them when they arrive.

Basically you are asking for a tutorial about how to care for your hardwax oil finish.

The mistake is 2 coats more isn’t better! My aunt had had that done then they sanded it down again and redid with only one coat. Not all finishers know how to use Rubio! Keep that in mind, I’ve interviewed a lot of people for my next project and boy they assume everything is 2-3 coats they dont even know the product or research it!

I spent $33,000 refinishing my entire house with Rubio Monocoat Fume. Love the look. However the product is terrible and does not work. Within 1 week, my kitchen floors were spotting near the sinks. Water spots left on the floor discolored it. Prior to choosing Rubio, I read their product specifications and called their office in Texas. I read and was told that product can be used in kitchen. Wrong!! Spotting and discoloration after 1 week. Further the company does not stand behind their product. I will never use Rubio again.

I just had rubio monocoat finish put in and I am also not impressed. Every time my dog or someone drops a little water on it, I quickly wipe it up. Unfortunately, I still can can see the marks. The floor looks all smudged. I now wish I put tile in my kitchen! I'd rather clean the grout, than live with looking at smudges on my floor. My old varnished floor looks much better than this new finish. The company told me to take a picture on my phone, but it's very difficult getting a good shot of it. I am extremely disappointed and would not recommend it to anyone.

Goschka, I'm sorry to hear you are having this issue. Refinishing floors is a lot of work and/or money or both! Your story is NOT uncommon! Unfortunately, Rubio has spent far more time on their marketing, and not nearly enough on their product!

They dance around all of these issues, and will, in the end, blame your refinisher!

We had our floors done in 2015, so I'm not sure what Rubio is doing differently now, if anything.

Did you DIY this project? What color did you use? Also, are they still using or recommending the second coat of a different product - I think it was called "Maintenance Oil"? I can't remember for sure.

If you can list the steps exactly as they were done, I might be able to offer somewhat of a solution.

Mary, this is exactly what is happening for us right now. We had new floors professionally installed and finished. Waited well over the one week cure time and first time on the floors got small drops of water on the finish while putting fridge back in place. NOTHING BUT PURE WATER!!! Rubio is blaming it on the installer for possibly leaving it on too long, claiming there is still oil on the floors causing the discoloration. If there was still oil on the floor wouldnt I feel it? Wouldnt excess oil cause more water repelling? Total BS, I am astounded by the sleeziness of their response and the total failure of the product, tested in every part of the house. We tried adding the Rubio Universal Maintenance oil as they advised, same problem. Floors need to be resanded and done again with new product. Something was dreadfully wrong with their product I recieved. Such an expensive mistake!!!

@Lindsey Peterson, I am so sorry! I agree, "sleazy" seems to fit! "Blame the installer" is their go to defense for everything.

What are your options at this point? Have you already moved in?

We also had our stairs, dining room and upstairs hallway done with Rubio Monocoat "Pure". Terrible, awful, did not hold up at all, every little stain shows, floors look crappy and dirt gets absorbed into the grain. Expensive mistake! I have pets and a bird, husband and son are very sensitive to chemicals which was the entire reason I chose to go with Rubio. I did lots of research and chose an installer who uses Rubio exclusively. Utter crap product! The only good thing about it was that it smelled pleasant, like black tea. Never again!

Terrible product, had my floors done last year and they look awful! Every little stain shows, dirt is absorbed into the grain, floors never look good. I went with Rubio because I have a bird, husband is sensitive to chemicals. I did lots of research and read reviews but none of them talked about the fact that the product does not hold up. The only good thing about it was the smell after application...very pleasant, reminded me of black tea. But I warn everyone to not use this product and go with a water based polyurethane instead and vacate your home until the fumes are gone. We wasted a lot of money on our floors and it was a total bust. Plus the stress of moving furniture out, staying out of the house during the work, etc. Ugh!