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Bona Traffic HD on new dougfir floors

23K views 38 replies 14 participants last post by  ccoffer 
#1 ·
I've installed 2000 square feet of clear fir flooring, as well as custom fir newel posts, railings. stair treads, and risers in my new home. I have never finished a wood floor before, and would like some advice. I have done a lot of research on the topic. And I would like to apply 1 coat of Bona prime classic, followed by 2 coats of Bona traffic HD.
I plan to use the Bona roller for the floors, A shur-line pad for the treads and flats of newels, and a good brush for the rest.
I Don't know which sheen to go with.
Anyone used traffic HD on Fir?
How about railing and posts? does it work well vertical?
 
#3 ·
Compared to Traffic, every oil modified product on the market is crap. Using a roller is the easiest way to apply Traffic. Then again, it's a good way to put on oil modified stuff too. Just remember that there's no color in Traffic. It won't turn the wood yellow. If you want that look, you'll have to make it happen before you apply Traffic. They have a product called Amberseal that does a pretty good job of mimicking that yellowed oil look.
 
#8 ·
I figured it would be easier to finish everything with one product. Kind of like painting a house 1 color. No taping or separation of finishes.
The people that replied negatively are the only negative comments I've read about this stuff.
What is bad about it?
I know water based stuff is BAD for old school guys. My uncle has been tiling for 30+ years very successfully. He claims Quartzlock grout is horrible. I used it, and will never use the old stuff again. Hopefully this is the same!
 
#9 · (Edited)
I have no prejudice against water-based finishes. My home is done with StreetShoe, and I like it.

It's pretty much all the same stuff in the end, but floor finishes are thinner and achieve buildup by thicker application than you can get to stay on a vertical surface. The wear agents in floors (especially the high-wear flavors such as HD) reduce the clarity of the finish, which is acceptable on a floor, maybe less so on finish carpentry. Why do that if you don't have to? Water-born finishes have time windows for multiple coatings, that you need to pay attention to, else later coats won't burn in properly. That's easy for 2 or 3 coats on the floor, maybe a PITA for more coats on the finishes.

Most people wouldn't paint a house 1 color and 1 sheen, either.
 
#10 ·
Ive been painting floors for ten years. I hate doing a waterbased sealer. I always get some laps and tannin pull. Ive never found a product worse in this regard than bona amberseal.

Ive tried rollling water and it never worked for me. Tbar and small 1.50 paint pad.

To the op. The finish you need decreases after each coat as pores in the wood get filled. You will probably use all of yiur sealer. By the time you get to your final you will get 700 feet to the gallon. You will probably have four gallons traffic left over.
 
#12 ·
Here's my thoughts, take them FWIW -

Bona makes excellent products, however I don't like the look of any waterbourne finishes. Too 'Plastic' looking to me. Amberseal gives you more of an oil look, but can be a PITA on natural floors (lap marks). WB is great because its very durable and you can 2nd/3rd/4th coat the same day.

If I was finishing a natural Fir floor I would use oil-based. I think it would give it a richer color. If it was stained (I wouldn't stain fir, but HO's want what they want :laughing:), I would use Amberseal 1st, then 2-3 coats of regular Traffic (I think this HD stuff is all hype IMO).

If I was doing the floor in WB, I would do the vertical surfaces (trim) in Amberseal (1st), then Mega (2 & 3). Mega builds good, but it's softer. I just built a little end table for my wife, out of pine, and used Mega on it and it looks great.

One other thing - I've used Traffic on many houses (including my own) and this chit is durable. Damn, I sound like a Bona rep :eek:. They need to send me a CHECK :laughing:
 
#13 ·
ahhh Bona got you..you're one of their drones.

Only a deluded person would claim that any oil modified finish is close to as hard as Bona Traffic. The only thing oil has going for it is that any monkey can apply it, and it looks the way American consumers expect finish to look.

BTW, Bona also sells oil modified finish.
 
#14 ·
ahhh Bona got you..you're one of their drones.

Only a deluded person would claim that any oil modified finish is close to as hard as Bona Traffic. The only thing oil has going for it is that any monkey can apply it, and it looks the way American consumers expect finish to look.

BTW, Bona also sells oil modified finish.
Looks good and easy to apply. Sounds like money made to me.

Im going to do my floors in traffic next. See how it does. Used glitsa infinity 2 last year and it needs to be redone. The oil that was down before was probably twenty years old.
 
#17 ·
The OP has made his decision, but I can't resist chiming in. If you just wanted a tough finish, you could just rough sand the floor and pour two part epoxy over it. The point being is that isn't the prettiest finish. I've used Bona and traditional oil, and if I'm trying to make a floor look like it has a fine furniture finish, I use oil. If it's purely a functional thing, I'll go Bona - I use it more and more, but not in the houses with 100+ year old hardwood floors.
 
#18 ·
I really like the look of traditional oil finished floors. I live in Astoria, Oregon. There are a lot of businesses downtown with original 100+ year old fir floors in them. That is my favorite look.
The problem is my 3 kids! Age 6, 3, and a baby. Plus we want to get a dog. I want a HARD finish. I don't want it to look like laminate flooring either. I'm going to do a lot of testing before I finish anything. If traffic HD does not work out on the vertical, I'll try mega.
Chevy 2500 HD sounds way cooler than Chevy 2500. Bona does have the AD business squared away.
 
#19 ·
Does Oregon have VOC restrictions on finish? If not, I'd strongly recommend finding a distributor that will ship you Fubulon heavy duty floor finish. For longevity, I'll put it up against any catalyzed waterborne for durability & you'll get a traditional oil finished look. Actually, if you buy the heavy duty black label line, it'll bring out even more richness & depth in the wood than traditional oil. Something added to the finish makes it purple in the can, rather than amber. You don't get that real yellow look with this finish.

You can also use it on the rest of your wood work with no problem. It's very heavy bodied. Almost to the point of molasses when it's cold.
 
#21 · (Edited)
The fabulon is neither of those, but it is good stuff. Been using the same finish for 18 years. Yesterday, I was in a house I done the floors on 14 years ago & the floors looked as good as they did the day we walked out the door.

BTW, don't take their no odor claim to mean it's safe to breath the offgassing as it dries. You still need good ventilation & a respirator if you're going to be in there as it's drying.
 
#24 ·
I haven't seen Fabulon around here in quite a while. I've never used it, but heard good things about it. Supposedly it's comparable to Poloplaz, which is my preferred oil finish. Most floors I do are getting waterbourne nowadays. I personally don't like the look (even though I used it in my own home), but it cuts a couple of days off a job and HO's are happy because they're 'Being Green' :rolleyes:


That's what scares me about it. Somehow I don't think a product is good unless it scares small children :laughing:
 
#25 ·
I did my floors in bona hd 4 years ago. 2 dogs, 3 kids plus my gf's kids. No complaints at all about the durability. I chose it because i had nowhere for the family to go when i was finishing them. Kicked them out of the house for the day, amberseal and 3 coats later i had my one daughters bed back in her room at 10 that night.
 
#28 ·
I will use a natural oil based stain (Bona, you can buff it on and save a lot of labor, depending on your floor layout), then apply water borne finish (2 coats) the next day. This gives the old school look with the newer, "greener" products.
As an FYI, I used to use Duraseal stains, until I learned the buff on technique. I also prefer Pallman X-96 over any other water borne finish. It's beyond easy to use, lays flat, and cures hard. Traffic does a very good job, but I don't think you get $38.00/gallon more quality with it. That being said, when a customer demands it, I just price it into the estimate.

Best of luck on it.
 
#31 ·
I'll hijack this thread, I am putting on Varathane water based poly and I am having a problem with air bubbles in the finish. I've used this product before with a foam applicator with no issues.

This is a "hand hewn" floor an I am thinking it's too thick in areas because of the applicator, does anyone have a suggestion for an alternate way to apply it (maybe a really wide brush?)
 
#32 ·
Jhark, i always roll finish onto handscraped floors. I looked up the directions for the finish you're using, and it doesn't list a roller as an approved application method. You can either brush the whole floor, or switch to a rollable wb finish. If you decide to switch to a different finish, be sure to do a test area to check for compatibility. Bona Traffic would most likely work just fine.
 
#35 ·
Update!

I've had the Bona Mega HD on all my fir for nearly a year. This stuff is GREAT! Everyone that sees the floors, and stairs loves them. Its super tough, although the fir has dents and dings. This winter while burning the woodstove, the humidity dropped to about 45% inside. The fir did shrink a bit, but the finish moved with it. There are no stretch marks or white lines in the finish. I give it 5 stars.
 
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