How to maintain beautiful hardwood floor

[SagaCapt]

New to us 2006, Bambi 16' Quick Silver Special Anniversary model. Appears to have had no use. The floor is multi-stripe hardwood not the normal AS flooring. The wood is untreated and beautiful but I'm afraid anything spilled on it will seep into the wood and stain it.

Should I be worried?

If we should we seal it, what with?

Thanks!

[Farmer Dan]

Is it "engineered" (fancy word for fancy plywood)? Untreated would be very unusual. What did previous owners tell you about it? Several coats of urethane would go a long ways toward protection. If it's untreated, spills will be a big concern!

Dan

[Wingeezer]

Yes, you need to be very careful!

Actually I now prefer a sheet flooring as we have i our AS, especally in the galley area.

Our last trailer - an SOB - have a beautiful hardwood floor in the galley area that teh previous owner had recently installed before we bought it, but within a couple of years it looked really bad.

We tried to look after it but it seemed that water splashed from activities around the sink got down into the joints and caused blackening - due to mould I suppose.

Nothing we could do short of removing the flooring. We sold it that way.

Had we kept it we would have had to remove the wood and replace with something impervious to water. That is what the people who bought it from us did.

Hopefully you have better luck than we did and no doubt you can if you take more care than we did!

Maybe there is a way to seal it so this cannot happen - perhaps if you are fortunate t does have some sort of sealer on it.

Worth trying to find out.

Brian.

[SagaCapt]

Hey Dan,

Not plywood. Beautiful laid in planking!

I'm thinking urethane as well.

[SeeMore]

I recommend the following sequence/products to get the best looking and durable finish over the long term.

First, sand the surface with 180 grit and remove all dust (vacuum & tack cloth). Lightly wet/dampen the surface with a cloth and let dry. Lightly sand with 220 to eliminate the nibs that appear.

Apply sealer (a wax-free clear/blonde shellac) to retain original coloring. Two coats should be enough with a 220 grit sanding after application. Use a tack cloth between (all) applications after sanding to minimize dust particles appearing.

The final coats should be a water-based urethane formulated for flooring (light sanding between coats). The 'floor' formulas have more solids than regular polyurethane and cure to a harder finish to endure traffic.

Stay off the finish for at least five days so it has the opportunity to cure and harden sufficiently to resist marking.

[Farmer Dan]

SagaCapt, you should be in sales of some sort ---- if you aren't already!! You got them fancy words going for YOU!!

Dan

[SagaCapt]

Dan, LOL, yes many years ago (1970's) I was a salesmen.

Then I found more money and much more job security in engineering and programming.

That said, sweet talking is an efficient way to gets get things done sometimes.

[EdwardCharet]

Throw rugs at doorway would spare you debris from scartching your floor off the shine. Do not wet mop or steam mop a wood floor which would dull the finish and take the sheen away. wipe off spills with dampened cloth. Daily sweep or dust mop. Weekly vacuum using bare floor setting,use cleaner recommended monthly.

[Royce]

If it is raw wood for sure, I am going to be a dissenting voice for urethane. It can be a very durable floor but it will scratch and it is a bear to repair. Often requiring complete resand down to bare wood. I am a furniture maker and have a hickory floor in my home that I T&G'ed and installed with 3,000 square pegs myself. I finished it with Waterlox, originally developed for wood floors. It will also eventually scratch but can be repaired in munites without sanding off. I use this finish on anything that I care about. Easy to apply, easy to repair, and very durable. https://www.waterlox.com/products-it...er-finish.aspx

[80Ram]

If you use urethane on your floors I would stay away from floor polishes. I would use Bona Floor Cleaner NOT Bona High Gloss Floor Polish.

[wvstreamer]

I would use the Bona sealer and finish. Amazing stuff. Used it in my house. Was recommended by a friend who does this for a living. No odor either. Follow the sanding and application instructions. You will be pleased with the Bona products...I was. I got mine on line too.
Dave

[SagaCapt]

Royce, WVStreamer,

Wow, both Bona and Waterlox look great. I'm concerned that the drying requirement for lots of ventilation by Waterlox may be tough.

I'm really thankful to everyone for the input!

[rucos]

when I rebuilt mine I told my wife she could do any floor as long as it was light and "bullet proof" ....we installed Vinyl plank flooring and after 2 years we love it!! ....ours looks like older wood planks and people think it is wood ....rocks stuck in your shoe...water spills....dog claws ...no problem!!

[OTRA15]

If you decide to go with poly, be sure to use the "Traffic Grade" version, as it will stand up to sand etc. much better. Higher unit cost, but tough stuff . . . !

[Royce]

Originally Posted by SagaCapt

Royce, WVStreamer,

Wow, both Bona and Waterlox look great. I'm concerned that the drying requirement for lots of ventilation by Waterlox may be tough.

I'm really thankful to everyone for the input!

Windows open, drying Waterlox should not be a problem. Here in Colorado, one coat a day for 3-4 coats depending on wood species. Walk in socks by day two after final coat and full cure in 7 days. UV light will hasten the cure. If you have a lot of humidity it can take a day or two longer.

Oops! I see you are in CA. Sadly original Waterlox may not be VOC compliant if you live in CA. So a special Waterlox has been created just for your use. The formula has been changed and I cannot recommend the CA version.

Best is to leave CA, too may things cause cancer in CA. :-)