You used an Oil Based Sealer. That's your issue. Bona HD loses it's odour inside of a few HOURS. That means anything left over is from the oil based.

What is 'oil based'? Oil based is the NICE way (?politically correct??? so homeowners don't freak out???) of saying SOLVENT based. It is entirely possible the stain was also solvent based.

Solvents are the dangerous things in floor finishes. They are illegal in California and the other 11 states that have adopted the CARB requirements (California Air Resource Board). That's why you cannot find things like Minwax in California.

Anyways, the curing times for solvents are very different than water based products. Just because the solvent sealer says you can RECOAT after 'X amount of hours' does NOT MEAN it is 'cured'. Curing means to be COMPLETELY HARDENED.

Like fresh nail polish. Many of them create a 'film' inside of a few seconds but are still LIQUID underneath. After that, they then 'solidify' but are EXTREMELY fragile for another few hours. After those few hours the nail polish is then SUPREMELY HARD. That 'supremely hard' is called 'cured'.

A wood finish follows the same forms but in different time frame. An oil based product can take WEEKS to 'off-gas'. The time frame is HIGHLY dependent on air movement/exchange/humidity control, etc.

The SINGLE biggest influence on a SOLVENT based sealer.....is what is put ON TOP. The solvent takes weeks, but if you PUT A FINISH on top you SLOW DOWN the curing....which ELONGATES the off-gassing...The VOCs seep out very very slowly....and continue to seep out for months (sometimes).

An OIL BASED finish over oil based sealant = not a big problem. Both of them take SOOOOOO long to cure that they maintain the same TIME FRAME. Heavy odour x4-6 weeks (longer in winter...ahem) followed by mild odour for another month or so (ahem...longer in winter). And then they are 100% done.

Now imagine a WATER based finish like Bona Traffic HD. This thing causes a 'film' inside of 5 minutes (compare that to 45 minutes for oil based). It 'solidifies' inside of a 4 hours (compared to 24 - 48 hours for the oil based). And it CURES (completely hard) within 7 days (compared to 30+ days for oil based).

Oh dear. The FAST cure time has PREVENTED the oil sealant to BREATHE OFF the VOCS. All those VOCs are being held in captivity UNDERNEATH the Bona. And THAT'S where the continued odour/off-gassing comes from.

As someone who suffers from odour induced asthma and odour induced migraines, I would NEVER chose OIL BASED anything....ever!

By the time June comes around, you will probably have a fully cured floor that no longer has any odour to it. Which means the sand/refinish in summer probably won't be needed.

What you can do is remove ALL soft furnishings (drapes, bedclothes, clothing, etc) from the space and have them professionally cleaned (clothing can be done in regular laundry). The mattresses should be removed and allowed to 'air out' for several days in another room (which is where you will sleep as well).

You can then LEAVE the bedroom for another room until your asthma no longer has issues. It may take you several weeks for your 'twitchy' lungs to settle down. Keep using your prescription inhalers as indicated by your doctor...even if you feel your lungs are feeling 'better'. Keep using them for a few days AFTER you move out of the bedroom (I used to work in Respiratory Dept. in hospital....I've heard these instructions for a DECADE...besides...they're your meds = use as prescribed by a doctor).

The REASON you remove ALL soft items = fabrics GRAB VOCs and then rerelease them into the room....even AFTER the floors have done all their damage.

Thank you for this! Funny thing is that we’re being told all products are the same as what was used before, and we had no issues.

The variables are that the recent floors are new, whereas the work done five years ago were 20 years old and 70 years old. Also, it was early September last time.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that the floors will be completely cured in June, they need to be sanded and refinished because there was a lot of debris in the polyurethane. I was unhappy to learn that they didn’t use fresh polyurethane.

I will research what Connecticut laws are regarding solvents. Will also get rid of soft items. Hoping our mattress is not a loss.

Thank you, again.

"Unfortunately, despite the fact that the floors will be completely cured in June, they need to be sanded and refinished because there was a lot of debris in the polyurethane. I was unhappy to learn that they didn’t use fresh polyurethane."

This claim sounds untrue. If there is debris in the topcoat the floor should not require sanding and refinishing. The surface can be prepared and abraded, any remaining debris can be carefully scraped off, then a new coat of finish can be applied. This process should not yield any objectionable odor.

VOC regulations may have changed the formulation of products since you last had them used, but your issue is perplexing since it's difficult to imagine there being enough chemicals in your finishes to have an odor linger this long. There was a post similar to yours recently, about a floor odor, that turned out to be from some painting or something done in a closet. Did you have any other work done in the room at the same time as the floor?

Thank you for your comment. We had some sheet rocking done, but very little painting. The paint for the ceiling was water-based. I’m very familiar with the smells from paint, and this doesn’t smell like that.

egarding correcting the floor finish, I may not have described it properly. Perhaps they are going to do what you said. At this point though if the curing doesn’t continue I would rather have the floor sanded and done with some different products at this point.