Lighten floor after Bona finish is applied?

hb2019

3 years ago

I’ve been driving myself insane trying to see if there is a way to lighten the floor after the finish was applied to our 90 year old white oak floor.

I wanted to achieve the white wash look but ended up with Duraseal’s country white and neutral (50/50). Flooring contractor finished with a satin bona mega, 2 coats. I did not like how 100% country white looked as the sample looked streaky, even though I preferred a lighter stained color.

Once the Bona mega finish was applied, the color looked even darker.

is there a way to lighten the floor without starting over again? Can you apply Nordicseal over the existing floor? I really liked the lightness of 2 coats of Nordicseal over white oak. I wish I knew about the different options before the actual stain.

The first picture is the floor when it was first sanded. thr second picture is when two coats of Mega was applied.

Featured Answer

hb2019
Original Author

3 years ago

Thank you so much! I took a look at the floors again today, after the finish had been on for over 3 days, it looked less yellow and closer to the stain color prior to the finish.

I’m now happy with it and will leave it the way it is. Thank you for sharing your knowledge in this

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Comments (7)

PRO
G & S Floor Service
3 years ago
You can add white mixol to the poly and apply as tint. Warning it can get messy. For best result, redo the project and sub the Mega for Mega One. Bona Mega has amber in it, whereas Mega One is clear. - two different products. The amber in Mega is what made your color darker.
hb2019 thanked G & S Floor Service
hb2019
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you! When you say it could get messy, does it mean it would not apply evenly? Im trying to decide if I could live with the current color versus spending more to get it lightened. Unfortunately starting over will not be an option since we are nearing the end of our renovation project which has already gone over budget. Can the nordicseal be put on to lighten the color? Or does the Bona mega finish needs to be taken off first?

Thanks so much again. It’s hard spending so much on the floor and not getting the results I want.
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PRO
G & S Floor Service
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Messy meaning, it can go on uneven and may not even look like what you want at the end. Cost can be higher than starting over.

You will need several more coats before you notice a significant change. That's if, you are adding a bottle of mixol to one gallon of finish. You can add more but, you will be turning the finish into paint. The final finish can look opaque.
hb2019 thanked G & S Floor Service
olychick
3 years ago
Your floors are beautiful; I'm glad you're happy with them now.
L G
2 years ago
Just wanted to see if you are still happy with the floors. we just had classic seal placed on ours and They are darker and way more ”warm” than the sample looked.
hb2019
Original Author
2 years ago
Hi LG, now having been in the house with the new flooring for over the past 6 months, I'd say I am happy with the color. The classic seal (which is what our installer had used) enhanced the color of the wood rather than lightened it (my original preference). However, with the sunlight hitting most of the house during the day, I'd say it has the effect of making the flooring color seems lighter than the stain.