You don't need to be that involved in that minutae.

Don't force him to use products or processes that he's unfamiliar with; you'll be paying for him to learn on your floors and you run the risk of a sub-par performing floor in the years ahead.

Don't tell an expert how to do his job. Tell him the colors you want, let him create swatches on the flooring he'll be installing, and that's it. Step back and let him do his work.

Our NWFA-certified flooring contractor works with Duraseal and Bona - Medium Brown and Bona HD is what we chose for our engineered red oak floors and are really loving the results so far.

1) We use Duraseal stains and Bona finishes all the time. As long as the stain is properly cured there should be no issue with compatibility. There is no such thing as "Bona HD". There's Mega Clear HD and Traffic HD. Bona does not specify a sealer after stain. It's generally stain, then urethane. Find the product you're using on the link below, click on 'Documents', then TDS and you'll get a technical data sheet with a wealth of information.

https://www.bona.com/en-US/Bona-Professional/Products/Coatings/Waterborne-Finishes-and-Sealers/

2) Not sure where you got that idea but it's wrong. When you read the TDS on the urethane you'll be getting, you'll see that stain is applied to freshly sanded wood.

3) No. Use Duraseal (not Minwax, which doesn't come in a quick dry formulation to my knowledge).

Hello, We'd be happy to provide some information to help with your hardwood floor renovation.

Question #1 - is it Ok to use Duraseal stain and coat with Bona HD seal?

Bona’s line-up of water based sealers and finishes generally are compatible with most wood stains, including DuraSeal. As with any stain it is important the stain is completely dry before applying a finish. Please be sure to read the label carefully as the dry time for stains will depend on the color. Some colors can take multiple days to dry vs others that may dry in a few hours. When blending two or more colors together you should default to the longest dry time of the colors used to ensure no drying issues. When mixing different brands of stain and finish coats we recommend doing a small test area to ensure compatibility and desired appearance. To clarify, Bona doesn’t make a product called Bona HD seal, but we do have a number of sealers and finishes and they all can be used over stain. Your contractor can help you select the best finish system to meet your needs.

Question #2 - I understand with white oak you have to apply sealant BEFORE you stain your floor? So how does it work? Sand, then put sealant on (Bona?) and stain and seal AGAIN?

Please do not apply a sealant before you stain the floor. Bona’s DriFast stain as well as the Minwax and DuraSeal stains are penetrating stains and must be applied to raw wood for them to work properly. If the floor is sealed prior to the stain application the stain has nowhere to go and will not look right and will create adhesion issues when you apply the finish coats. If the floor is stained with Bona’s DriFast stain you may apply either a sealer and finish coats or go straight to finish coats. If you use another brand of stain please refer to their label directions if they require a sealer prior to finish. The reason you may choose to use a sealer and finish coats has to do with appearance. Adding in an extra layer with the sealer can provide a little more build and depth to the floor and on white oak can help reduce reactions and bleed thru from the natural tannins.

Question #3 - below are some stain colors that I like in Duraseal-Minwax. What Bona stain color combo can replicate the looks?

We can't answer this question directly, as we do not have samples of competitor product blends. However, Bona’s DriFast Stain Collection comes in 26 stock colors and they are blendable to achieve any custom look. Please visit bona.com/inspiration to see the many color options we have available.

If you have any further questions, please call our Technical Services Team at 800-872-5515. Thank you and have a wonderful day!

What did you end up going with? About to decide for my floors! Thank you!