CHOOSE THE RIGHT WOOD FLOOR FINISH FOR YOUR BUNGALOW

by bungalow101 | Jul 30, 2022 | Wood floors

The finish is the material that goes on top of a prepared wood floor- a correctly & thoroughly prepared floor- that makes it look fresh, emphasizes the grain & protects the wood, a comparatively soft & porous material.

This finish does not protect the wood from denting, from standing water or pet accidents, subfloor moisture issues, from dragging heavy furniture across it, or doggy toenails. Abrasion resistance/durability is about how long will it take to wear through it with normal traffic. Take a look at my article on cleaning & maintaining your polyurethane coated wood floors

There are many products on the market, & I think the best way to choose the right wood floor finish for your bungalow, is to examine some of these products & consider their pluses & their minuses. I am not going to talk about stains (changing the color of the wood) here. Historically, wood floors were not stained. They were left natural & have aged & darkened to a beautiful patina over the decades. So that’s what I am going to recommend- floors au naturel.

As with any material that you use, or is used by a hired professional, I suggest that you read the manufacturer’s data, the Safety Date Sheet for the product & if you have any questions after reading the material, call the tech people at the manufacturer. They are the ones that most likely to have all the true & correct information about the product- not the pro, not the distributor or seller, not little ol’ me, but the manufacturer. I once had a really good painter apply paint in a method that was different from the manufacturer’s directions. The paint failed. The company’s literature said it would.

HIRE TRAINED WOOD FLOORING CRAFTSMEN WHO KNOW HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT WOOD FLOOR FINISH

I do not like speaking ill of members of my trade, but I have seen some pretty angry homeowners  complaining about the odd choices made, resulting in high-gloss floors that gleamed like beacons in the night, floors that peeled before they were even dry & floors with their beautiful grain obscured by too many coats applied by the overzealous finisher.

As a wood flooring professional, my focus, when I choose the right wood floor finish for your bungalow or decide on which technique or equipment to use, it to view their consistent workability & durability. After answering calls from tearful owners of old houses, seeing hundreds of attempts by others to do oddball stuff to save time &/or money, all the advice that I am giving you is based on my 40+ years of experience with professional products & techniques.

You have only so much wood layer left above the tongue & groove of your historic floor. Incorrect choices, over-aggressive or poor sanding can reduce your floor’s life by decades. I always recommend that any wood flooring tradespeople you hire be trained & certified by the companies that make wood floor finishes for your historic bungalow that they will actually use on your project. (Hopefully, they follow schooling that they learned!) The National Wood flooring Association has extensive training programs for installers, sander/finishers & even sales reps.  Additionally, Bona, a finish company whose products we used for many years, has a topnotch training program for finishers.  They train craftspeople in the use of their products, their state-of-the-art equipment & techniques, including removing the least amount of precious floor necessary to get the heavy marks out of it & create a surface with which the finish will tightly bond. I also recommend that you read my 7 VITAL Things to Know Before You Hire a Contractor.

I caution you against hiring someone to apply a particular type or even brand of finish for the very first time. The techniques & tools for applying each of these finishes varies hugely. They do not use the same skill set.

SO-O-O-O, WHAT’S THE RIGHT ONE?

My pros & cons are based on the use of these products in an old house- either for the installation of new or reclaimed/salvaged, wood or for the refinishing of existing wood. Folks seem to have strong opinions about wood floor finishes. Please be polite in expressing these opinions. Everyone has different requirements for their floors based on budget, lifestyle, skill level & aesthetic preferences. And perhaps the phases of the moon.

OIL-BASE POLYURETHANE FLOOR FINISHES

Pros: Approximates the illusion of depth that old finishes- shellac, wax, & varnishes showed & it ambers over time, again mimicking those historic materials. Costs less than many other types of finishes.

If you follow my maintenance guide & don’t have any water intrusion horrors, you have a good chance of never having to refinish your floor again by periodically recoating it. Check out the section RECOATING to learn more about this useful option.

Cons: Strong odor that can linger for months. Long cure time. More environmentally harmful. Flammable, as are applicator rags. Some people don’t like the fact that it ambers over time.
Sheens: Available in matte to high gloss. (With matte, it is almost impossible to get an even sheen.)

Recommended brands: Bona & Dura Seal (Not available at big box stores.

WATER-BASED FINISHES

Pros: Easy application & cleanup; low odor and low VOCs; several gloss options, including an easy-to-use matte; no yellowing over time. Good scuff, scratch and chemical resistance at full cure. Quick drying. Easy care.

The ones we liked best were two-partwater-based finishes, such as Bona Traffic HD, Dura Clear Max, & Basic Coating Street Shoe which are considerably more durable than most oil-based polyurethanes. They have much better abrasion resistance and will last longer when used on your bungalow’s wood floors. However, water-based finishes sold at the retail level are not two-part & are less durable than these better, professional grade water-based finishes.

Cons: Raises grain when applied for the first couple of coats when no stain coat has been applied. Grain raise makes the wood surface feel rough, both in appearance & to the touch. A trained wood flooring professional should be able to deal with grain raise & would probably suggest a minimum of 3 coats, lightly abrading between each one.

Lower sheen or matte water-based finishes make the wood look bare rather than creating a look of depth that old finishes impart. Semi-gloss or gloss water-based finishes do give good depth of finish.

Sheens: Available in matte to high gloss, except for Bona Traffic HD which is not made in high gloss.

COMBINING FLOOR FINISHES

Another good option when you choose the right wood floor finish for your bungalow, is to consider applying 1-2 coats of Bona Dri-Fast oil poly sealer, with 2 coats of water-based Bona Traffic HD (stands for Hard & Durable!) on top. This combination gives you depth, ambering & durability plus avoids grain raise.

One thing that you must consider when combining an oil-based undercoat with a water-based overcoat, is that that the manufacturer states that they must be compatible. The most common situation is that most oil-based finishes require a 30 day minimum cure time before they should coated with the water-based finish, otherwise the top coat of water, could not adhere & it might peal. Here’s what Bona says about it, “Bona DriFast® Sealer is a quick drying, oil-modified polyurethane sanding sealer that’s designed to penetrate and seal bare wood. It is compatible with all Bona stains, oil-modified and waterborne finishes.”

Recommended brands: Bona, Basic Coatings, & Dura Seal. These products are available in extra durable product levels.  (Not available at big box stores.)

Once again, if you follow my maintenance guide & don’t have any water intrusion events of magnitude, you can avoid refinishing your floor again by periodically recoating it.

OIL PENETRATING WOOD FLOOR FINISHES

While other finish systems sit on top of the surface of the wood, oil penetrating wood finishes go down into the fibers of the wood, then harden on the surface.

Pros: Offers a natural look because you do not look through it. Many contain no VOC’s. Easy application of non-pigmented products. We have found Rubio to have a moderate odor & WOCA’s to be stronger.
The use of these products requires periodic maintenance- re-applying oil, but may not ever need a full sand and refinish. If severely worn, a light sanding may be needed first.

Cons: The look is very matte & most people are accustomed to a bit of shine. It is a durable finish, however, we once used this coating on the floor of a studio of a painter. He worked in oils & his paint drips were not repelled by the finish but soaked right into the wood. It was awful!!!!
Pigmented oils require impeccable prep/sanding & are difficult to apply.
Clean-up is similar to that of oil-base finishes. You will need paint thinner to clean your hands, your brush or non-disposable applicators. All are flammable.

Recommended brands: WOCA, Rubio & Bona

TUNG & LINSEED OILS

In 40+ years in the trade, we did not have good luck with these materials for various reasons- cost, durability, toxicity, flammability, sheen choices, ease of use & ability to get a consistently good finish. There are no manufacturer recommendations for use on floors for some products. Floors lead a hard life & using a product designed to be applied to furniture is only going to lead to more maintenance.  We greatly preferred the products mentioned above. If you should choose to use these product formulated with these oils, please ensure that they are specified for floors.

One more bit of advice- when it’s time to choose the right wood floor finish for your bungalow, no matter what the species, stay away from high-gloss sheens. They reflect so much light that you will not be able to see the beautiful wood grain. Additionally, they show even the tiniest scratches as well as dust & dirt. And the there’s the hairballs. Kitty’s urp is very high acid & will dull that mirror shine of high-gloss very quickly.

A QUICK WORD ABOUT FACTORY APPLIED FINISHES

This article also does not cover the types of finishes available for prefinished products. There are prefinished products that you can choose with finishes that are actually tougher than the types of finishes mentioned above, which are applied in your home.

These finishes are applied by machine to flooring at the factory & are exceptionally hard & durable. When these finishes are applied during the manufacturing process, the application is done in a highly controlled setting — as opposed to the conditions on a job site. The contractor can not create the same conditions found in a mill because of the equipment required & also safety concerns. Some companies offer a urethane/ceramic finish which is UV-cured to increase hardness. Others offer finishes with aluminum oxide particles added to increase the abrasion resistance of the wear layer.

Prefinished products have pluses & minuses which are explained here.

THE MANUFACTURER HAS THE MOST INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR WOOD FLOOR FINISH PRODUCT

As always, whether you are hiring someone to perform the work or doing it yourself, study the manufacturer’s materials (printed & online) & contact the manufacturer with any & all questions that you might have. They have tech people who thoroughly know the product & are glad to help you. Caveat: Some of them are more knowledgeable than others. Should you speak with a representative who doesn’t sound confident or doesn’t answer your questions so that you are confident, ask for someone with more experience. Always request where each piece of information can be found in their literature or online so that you can refer back to it. Be prepared to take notes.

Yes, your flooring craftsman has information. Yes, the distributor has information, but the people who really know are the customer service rep’s at the company & when they don’t know, I get transferred to the tech people there. Do not be afraid to insist on getting the information you need to fully understand the product.

For each product, study the Safety Data Sheets & protect yourself & your family from chemicals & toxins in your home. And enjoy your beautiful wood floors!

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HISTORIC BUNGALOW WOOD FLOORS 101- The Forest to the Floor

by bungalow101 | Jul 24, 2022 | Wood floors

I consider historic bungalow wood floors to be the single most endangered historic fabric, well, maybe second to windows! As a tree-hugging, wood flooring professional, specializing in the restoration & preservation of historic floors, I’d like to pass on what I have learned in over 40 years in the trade. I’m starting here with HISTORIC BUNGALOW WOOD FLOORS 101- From the Forest to Your Floor, so that you will understand the value of your original wood flooring material that was gifted to us by the forest primeval.

“They’re not shiny enough.” “They’re the wrong color.” “I just bought my house & I want everything to be fresh & new.”

The value of this valuable material is often not understood & the poor floors often get attacked by a sanding machine at the hands of a person who doesn’t have a learner’s permit let alone a license to drive such a machine. (That’s a joke but there is training for the most conscientious craftsmen which saves floors & honors trees.) You can read about our viewpoint on when to sand here.

Let’s see what precious material, harvested over a century ago from the old-growth forests of our country, this wood actually is, that we may decide to treat it more gently.

A GIFT FROM THE FOREST TO YOUR BUNGALOW

Your historic bungalow’s wood floor began as trees. It is a product of Mother Nature, gifted by her warmth & beauty, but also subject to her whims. Consequently, to fully understand & properly care for your floor, it helps to know a bit about your floor’s life from its conception.

The seed holds all the parts of the tree as well as the nutrients it needs to get started. Given the proper conditions, soil, water, temperature, it sprouts into a tiny seeding. After only a few weeks you will see a miniature tree, complete with leaves, needles, bark & wood.

Like everything else on earth, ancient trees sprang from the sea & like all other life, are dependent on water. The entire tree has evolved to move water to all its parts.

When we look at a historic bungalow wood floor, we see the tree’s trunk & branches. The trunk’s function is to support the tree’s limbs & to move water & nutrients from the roots to the leaves. As the tree grows taller & taller in its reach for the sun, allowing its leaves to photosynthesiz to make food for the tree, it expands in girth to increase its ability to support its increasing height. Each year the cambium (See the diagram below.) adds new layers of woody tissue which create the tree’s annual rings which you are very visible.

HISTORIC BUNGALOW WOOD FLOORS 101- ANATOMY OF A TREE

The bark covers the tree to protect it from pests & disease. Just under the bark is the layer called the cambium. It is made of growth tissue cells & these cells divide to increase the tree’s diameter.

The sap wood, on the outer edges of the tree is made up of the youngest layers of wood. Its cells carry moisture & nutrients- sugars, amino acids, vitamins, hormones, minerals & micro-nutrients from the tree’s roots to its leaves.

In an old tree which has lived many centuries, like the ones from which the lumber was cut to produce our bungalows, most of the trunk is dead. This wood, on the inside of the tree, is called heart wood. It has ceased transporting nourishment for the tree, & has become a repository for various chemical compounds. The heartwood is often much darker in color than the sapwood. The heartwood gives the tree support, but in some species, as the tree grows, it rots away leaving a hollow, living tree.

Heartwood tends to be more durable than sapwood. It is less subject to attack by certain insects & by stain & mold-producing fungi. This wood at the center of the tree, is usually more highly colored & therefore considered more ornamental. It is more highly prized for historic bungalow wood floors, than the white sapwood. Heartwood is also less permeable to liquid, containing more resin than the sapwood.

The meduliary rings are ribbons of cells running from the inside of the plant to the outside which carry nutrients & chemicals which fight invasion by insects & fungi, & block any damaged areas, out toward the surface of the tree. The pitch is found in the middle of the stems & roots of many plants which store & transports nutrients. It is the oldest part of the tree.

HISTORIC BUNGALOW WOOD FLOORS 101- Honoring the Miracle of the Forest

The intrepid men who logged our wood from the forest are long gone, but here’s a shout-out to their efforts in ensuring that we have our cozy little bungalows to live in for the next 100+ years. There’s a very cool group who graciously allowed me to use their photo. Click on over to read the fascinating history of logging here.

I ask you to remember the miracle of the forest. Honor those men & those trees by preserving your floors.

TIP: If you love wood floors, there’s plenty to learn about them here!

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SPECIES OF WOOD FLOORING MOST COMMONLY FOUND IN HISTORIC BUNGALOWS

by bungalow101 | Jul 23, 2022 | Wood floors

There are several species of wood flooring most commonly found in historic bungalows. I have seen others but the species below are the ones to consider first when you do not know what  your floor is.

It is important to know the species of your bungalow wood floor because different species have different properties & should be treated differently. For example, Maple is difficult to stain while Oak takes stain readily. This article takes a look at these characteristics so that you can determine the species of wood in your house & better know how to restore your floors.

With regard to pictured below of the species of wood flooring found in historic bungalows, realize that the old growth wood that you find in your home, is often harder & darker than newly harvested wood which is what is pictured here. The hardness of the species listed below pertains to newly harvested, mostly farmed wood. And, different finishes change color differently over time, so you can get an idea of your species from the color of the images, but also you’ll need to study the grain patterns.

When I’m referring to staining properties & I state, …”stain & finish application extremely well when the proper techniques are used,” my meaning is that it’s difficult to apply stain color without a great deal of practice, following the manufacturer’s directions to the letter with regard to material preparation, temperature, material & condition of applicator, etc. You can read about different types of finishes here. 

I am listing these species by order of popularity, i.e., how often I have seen them used in houses built from 1900-1930.

And, don’t forget to use the GLOSSARY!

THE HARDWOOD SPECIES FOUND IN BUNGALOWS

White Oak (Quercus alba)

This is the species of wood flooring most commonly found in historic bungalows in almost all parts of the country.

Color: White Oak’s heartwood is light brown; some boards may have a pinkish tint or a slight grayish cast. Its sapwood is white to cream. In this species you can see considerable variation among boards in both color & grain texture.

Grain: Open. There are several ways to cut the wood from the log, each resulting in a different grain pattern. Most old floors will have combination of grains. A closed grain wood, White Oak tends to be more resistant to water damage than is Red.

Janka Hardness: 1360

Staining & finishing: White Oak’s takes stain & finish application extremely well when the proper techniques are used. It is usually left natural in older houses which displays the grain most beautifully as well as the contrast with other species that might have been used.

Red Oak (Quercus rubra)

White Oak was used in floors until the 1940’s at which time Red Oak predominated, so your original bungalow floor is unlikely to be Red Oak. However, we have often seen White Oak floors replaced with Red, later additions with Red & we have seen many instances of floors having been patched with the wrong Oak, even by “professionals.”

Color: Red Oak’s heartwood is a light to medium brown, commonly with a reddish cast. Paler sapwood is not always sharply demarcated from the heartwood. White oak tends to have a slightly more olive cast than that of Red, but color alone isn’t always a reliable method of determining the type of oak.

Grain: Grain is straight, with a coarse, uneven texture & large pores. As an open grain wood, Red Oak tends to be less resistant to water damage than White.
Janka Hardness: 1,290

Staining & finishing: Stains easily is but usually left natural in older houses.

Maple (Acer saccharum)

Color: Heartwood is creamy white to light reddish brown; sapwood is pale to creamy white. Unlike most other hardwoods, the sapwood of hard maple lumber is most commonly used rather than its heartwood. Over time, even the lighter wood it can darken to brown.

Grain: Closed, subdued grain, with medium figuring and uniform texture. Occasionally shows bird’s-eye figuring. Because of its delicate garining, Maple floors are on the formal side.

Stability: Although Maple is a very hard wood, it does not have great stability, meaning that compared to other woods, it can absorb water more easily & warp.

Janka Hardness: 1,450

Staining & finishing: Very difficult to stain. Old Maple floors were never stained. They were always clear coated. I would recommend that if you like the light color of Maple, that you apply a water-based finish rather than oil. The water does not change color over time while the oil finish ambers.

Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla)

Color: Heartwood color can vary a fair amount, from a pale pinkish brown to a darker reddish brown, tending to darken with age. It has an amazing & beautiful 3D look that changes as you look at the wood from different angles.

Grain: Mahogany’s grain can be straight, interlocked, irregular or wavy. It’s tecture is medium & uniform, with moderate natural luster.

Staining & finishing: Stains easily but why would you want to? For centuries fine furniture makers have used it to make grand pieces & also as an accent wood. They did not stain it, but just allowed to glorious color to display.

We saw Mahogany in some of the larger, more upscale bungalows in Los Angeles. This makes sense because an imported wood must be transported from a great distance which adds to the cost. We saw none in Florida.

THE SOFT WOOD SPECIES OF FLOORING MOST COMMONLY FOUND IN HISTORIC BUNGALOWS

These two species below look very similar in color & grain. The best way to differentiate them is by the area of the country in which they are used- Doug Fir in the West & Heart Pine in the East. Both were regarded as more common in these areas to which they were indigenous, & often used in private areas, while the mosre expensive hardwoods were used in the public spaces.

Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

Color: Freshly cut Doug Fir’s heartwood is yellowish tan to light brown, while the sapwood is tan to white. Heartwood may be confused with that of Southern Yellow Pine. You can expect radical color change -getting darker & redder- upon exposure to sunlight. When you sand a Fir floor, the floor will become lightener because you are removing the oxidized layer. It will darken again for a period of decades. The sample on the left is more like what you would see after sanding than what you’re likely to see on your home.

Grain: Normally straight, with occasional wavy or spiral texture.

Janka Hardness: 660

Staining & finishing: Takes stain & finish application well when the proper techniques are used, but not as easily as Oak. It will patina to a beautiful rich color. I don’t recommend staining it.

Heart Pine (Pinus palustris)

Color: Heartwood is yellow after cutting & turns deep pinkish tan to warm reddish brown quickly due to high resin content. Sapwood remains yellow, with occasional blue-black sap stain.

Pine & Fir look very similar to each other each other but Pine is more common in the East & Fir in the West.

Grain: Dense, with high figuring.

Janka Hardness: 1225

Staining & finishing: Takes stain & finish application well when the proper techniques are used, but not as easily as Oak. But please don’t stain your Heart Pine floor. It has spent 100 years developing its beautiful, rich color & even if you sand it, it will turn color again.

TIP: READ A GREAT ARTICLE ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL MATERIAL BY CAROL GOODWIN OF GOODWIN HEART PINE HERE.

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