So the PROFESSIONAL wants to go against the product's OWN REQUIREMENTS? Hmmmmm....I don't think that's what you want to hear, do you?

So....here's what you do - write up a pretty little contract that states the floor finisher is to follow the "best results" requirements as stated by the manufacturer. If the contractor wishes to "opt out" of this requirement, they will be wholly and financially responsible for refinishing the flooring should it fail to meet the homeowner's expectations - over the next 5 years.

That should stop them in their tracts.

And just to be clear, a sand and refinish NORMALLY requires 3 coats, not two. The TOTAL coats can be "1 coat sealer and 2 coats finish" for a total of three. Or it can be "no sealer and 3 coats of finish". As you can see the total is always "3".

Most refinishers JUMP at the chance to use a sealer. Why? Because sealers are almost 50% CHEAPER than the actual finish. That means the refinishers can use a CHEAPER product and still get paid for 3 coats of finish. See how that works? The refinisher would be able to keep $$ more money just by using the sealer.

Now the question becomes WHY is the refinisher ONLY USING two coats to begin with? Hmmmm. Now my next question is how much are they charging you? Is it close to the industry norm of $4-$5/sf for a full sand and refinish? Or is it lower than that?

"Finish may be applied directly to stain."

http://www.pallmann.us/uploads/tx_dddownloadmatrix/Pall-X_POWER_PDS_02-18.pdf

What does your contract say?

Thanks. Contract says two coats of finish after stain but I didn’t sign the contract yet. The next line after “finish may be applied directly to stain” states “for best results apply sealer prior to application of finish”. Either way it sounds like we need to have them do the sealer or an extra coat of finish to get to three coats based on the above. Thanks!

The species of hardwood MIGHT impose the sealant. White Oak is a species that REQUIRES a sealant when a water based/borne finish is used. This can also apply to other species that have a tendency for tannin pull.

What type of wood do you have?

We have white oak downstairs and red oak upstairs. We will be doing a dark walnut stain. Should we be requesting the sealant and two coats of finish or three coats of finish? I was told they only do three coats of finish on request and only two coats are needed because it’s rated as a “commercial finish”. They stated that if water popping is required a third coat is automatically done. Does any of this add up? Thanks!

Personally, I'd do the stain with 3 coats of finish. On your floor I'd do stain, 1 sealer, and 2 finish. On my own kitchen floor, I did 2 coats sealer and 3 coats of finish.

It's odd, but in my area people very rarely stain oak flooring.

I am now being told that they have never applied the sealer over the last 10 years of using the product and that it’s a “regional thing”. Apparently in the city I live in the upper Midwest it’s not done but I’m told that it’s done more commonly in the south. They also talked to the finish rep who said not having the sealer is recommended but not a dealbreaker and is not done by the majority of their clients. Having said that the flooring contractor is willing to do the sealer at no cost. Is it foolproof or should I be concerned that they apparently don’t have much experience with the sealer? Is any of this adding up?? Thanks!

Tannin pull is quite rare, especially if you know how to apply waterborne finish correctly, so I wouldn't seal over stain on White Oak. White Oak has tighter grain. I like to see surface texture and believe it's an important part of having a wood floor. More coats obscure the grain so I would do only what's necessary.
Red Oak is more grainy and has more surface texture. I probably wouldn't do the sealer on Red Oak unless I was worried that the deep grain would be susceptible to accumulating grime in a high traffic area.

If the floor was water popped, bleached or water stained I would do three coats.

If you still have reservations, can your contractor show you one they've done as they recommend?

Hi Johnson,

What do you mean that you would not seal red oak? I did not understand the grain reasoning.

Thanks

I'm Tim from Johnson. My recommendation are based on experience and reasoning.

Three scenarios for finishing Red Oak:

1) If floor is to be finished a natural color, I would use an appropriate sealer and two coats of finish, applied at the recommended coverage rate.

2) If floor is to be stained, I would stain it and apply two coats of finish...

3) If floor was water popped* (to be darker or more uniform in color), I would apply stain and three coats of finish...

*same is true for bleaching a floor

We mostly use DuraSeal Quick Dry stain, which serves as a sealer, so another layer of sealer is redundant. As I noted above, "Red Oak is more grainy and has more surface texture", so when it's finished you'll be able to see the grain texture on the surface. I feel that in a residential setting it's better to use avoid using so many coats that it obscures the texture. Too many coats makes the floor smoother, making it less effective at disguising scuffs and wear. Normal professional maintenance involves prepping and recoating. This should be done when the floor accumulates scuffs and wear, before the finish wears through. Most of my customers are particular, so they recoat their floors when they looks a bit shabby. When you add coats over the years, they build up and eventually your floor looks like laminate. Then it's time to start over.

Possible exceptions to these rules would be if you have someone in the home that uses a walker or wheelchair, where protecting the wood from damage trumps the cosmetic aspect. The same could be said to be true about commercial floors, where it may be difficult to close an area down to recoat it.

If you would like more clarification, please let me know.