Tough Wood Finish?

[Russ Filtz]

I'm re-coating some oak stair threshholds and want to know what the best finish would be? These are very high traffic areas in the house and the previous coating had worn completely off.

I started with sanding down to bare wood, added a coat or two of pure Tung mix, let it dry and then did 3 coats of spray-on Helmsman Spar Varnish (urethane I presume).

After doing this, I question the durability of the Helmsman in this application. Sure it will take weather well, but scuffs / abrasion? Would an epoxy bar-top type coating be better?

[Tom Hintz]

I think you have the right stuff on there. I use Spar Urethane all the time for anything that needs a tough finish. I have had no trouble with it on an oak entryway piece that has been donw about five years now. It's not quite as shinny as it used to be but looks fine.

[Richard Wolf]

I'll assume you mean oak stair treads. Spar varnish is not intended for high traffic areas like floors and stairs. I know many of us hate the word, but water base ployurethane is the best finish for stairs. The epoxy bar-top coating IMHO will be very slippery for anyone in socks and if you ever have to refinish you will have a real problem stripping it.

Richard

[Jim Becker]

Spar varnish is a long oil varnish and is, therefore, quite soft. It's designed to bend when the...umm...spars on a vessel bend in the wind. So it's not likely the best product for flooring and steps. I also wouldn't suggest you use the tung oil...it takes forever to cure and if you over coat it before it's cured, you run the risk of discoloration. If you want to use oil to enhance the color and grain, use BLO. It cures in a few days and you will not be able to distinguish it from the tung oil. Use a varnish that is designed for floors. Waterlox is one such product. There are also some very nice water bourne floor finishes available these days that are easier to apply and clean up...and have less smell, too.

[Charlie Plesums]

As Jim said, Spar varnish is very soft. Besides for ships spars, it is also good for doors that expand and contract with the sun and weather. But for abrasion resistance you should use polyurethane.

Generally I hate polyurethane. But for abrasion resistance, it is tops. We can get into a big debate whether the water base poly have caught up with the durability of the traditional oil based poly, but if they haven't yet, they will.

I haven't figured out what spar polyurethane is. Spar finishes are by definition soft. Polyurethane is by definition very hard. Go figure. Probably a mixture or compromise.

[Jim Becker]

Polyurethane is by definition very hard.
Polyurethane is not as "hard" as many alkyd or phenolic resin varnishes which is why it has more abrasion resistance--the surface "gives" a little to avoid scratching but holds together very well. (Of the three, it's the one you don't want to have to rub out on furniture...) It's also quite tolerant of moisture and heat. But it is much, much "harder" than long-oil varnishes, such as the spars and significantly more durable because of it! The one bad functional thing about poly is that it is intolerant of UV radiation.

[jim mckee]

I've seen a product called Gym Coat. Floor finishers here use it.

I would use a water based poly.

[Russ Filtz]

Thanks for all the replies! Confirms my suspicions of the spar stuff. On the Tung, I always use a varying mix of tung, MO, and poly. Even mix of tung and MO, with no or little poly at first, and then adding more poly as I add coats, up to 1/3 each. Seems to cure pretty quick and I only put on a thin coat. I've never had a problem with this mix exen when topping with pure poly later.

These aren't full stair treads, but strips of wood from 2-4" wide as threshholds between carpet and linoleum. The wide strip is at the top of a stair set though. It's bullnosed over and that's why it really gets hit hard with people using the stairs. Guess I'll look for waterlox or similar.

[jerry mayfield]

Either Watco Original or Waterlox was first sold to schools as a finish for gym floors. Whichever it is,has a phenolic resin and tung oil. Phenolic is Very hard.

Regards
Jerry

[Russ Filtz]

What is the Varathane stuff and is it really any good for floors, or is it generic consumer level cr , er, "Stuff"! I found a small can of the diamond finish version in my collection and it says it's made for floors.