EAL OF APPROVAL ger, explains how to apply water-based urethane finish to a hardwood floor.
TESTING FOR DRYNESS Testing for dryness is important if you want a successful finish. If the wood isn’t dry enough, the urethane finish won’t bond properly. The same is true for each coat of sealer or finish. If not sufficiently dry before you apply the next coat, you could have bonding problems.
We recommended using pinless wood moisture meters because they don’t damage the floor. As wood flooring comes in a range of thicknesses, you should use a pinless meter with a variable depth setting.
Wagner’s Orion 930, 940, and 950 dual-depth, pinless wood moisture meters are among the most accurate meters used by wood flooring professionals today. They even include quick, easy, on-site calibration, an industry first. If you finish floors for a living, they’re a great choice.
APPLICATION Get your tools ready and clean and prep your floor. During the application process and until the finish is dry, the room should be over 18˚C. It’s best to follow the finish manufacturer’s recommendations for application. Contact them if you have any questions about the product.
Step one
Use your pinless moisture meter to make sure the wood floor is at its equilibrium moisture content (EMC) before beginning. Use the brush attachment on your shop vac to clean the work area from dirt and dust. Finish by wiping down the floor with a soft, clean, lint-free rag.
Step two
Apply one coat of water-based sealer and allow it to dry. Since some stains are considered sealers, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for application. Note that oil-based stains take longer to dry. Allow a minimum of overnight and even longer for heavily pigmented colors.
Before continuing, set your pinless moisture meter to ¼-inch mode, this is the shallow depth scanning setting, and test to make sure the floor is dry.
Note that most finish manufacturers don’t recommend buffing/abrading their water-based sealers.
Step three
When the moisture meter indicates the floor is dry and the reading is close to the one you took before you applied the sealer, apply the first coat of finish and allow it to dry.
In a three-coat, water-based finish system (seal, finish, finish) you apply the sealer, let it dry for about two hours, and then you apply the first coat of finish. Make sure it’s dry by using your meter, preferably using the shallow mode if you have a dual-depth pinless meter from Wagner Meters. Then, apply the second coat.
Now you’re going to use your moisture meter again to make sure the second coat is dry. When it is, the floor is safe for light foot traffic.
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Pay attention to moisture levels and recommended cure times to ensure the successful application of your hardwood finish.
The general rule is to give the final coat of water-based finish 24 hours to dry before placing furniture on top of it. However, we recommend giving it time to fully cure (four to seven days) before placing rugs and furniture on it. This is because they block the ability of the finish to fully ‘off-gas’ the chemicals contained in the product. If these chemicals get trapped, they can cause the floor to discolor and even reduce the finish’s performance.
Note that although a water-based finish takes four to seven days to cure completely, it will typically be 75-90% cured after 24 hours.
THE FINISHED FLOOR By following these steps, you’ll have a beautiful new wood floor that's both durable and eco-friendly. If you’ve used your pinless moisture meter at each stage of the process, your finish will look great and be problem-free for years to come.
www.wagnermeters.com WOOD & LAMINATE | 23
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