Hardwood Floor Finishes: Which One is the Best?

The hardwood finish you use determines the look of your hardwood floor, its level of protection, the potential risks, and how you will maintain the floor over time. Knowing about the different types of hardwood floor finishes up front will help you choose the best option.

In this article, you’ll get a high-level overview of the different hardwood floor finishes available. By the end, you will know about the different wood floor finishes, including the three that typically work best, so you can be confident in the brands and products you choose.

This article would not be possible without Jason Mack, who provided his expertise, answering questions about hardwood floor finishes. 

The Different Hardwood Floor Finishes

• Moisture-Cure Urethane
• Acid Cure (Swedish Finish)
• UV-Cured Finish
• Waxes
• Aluminum Oxide
• Water-Based Polyurethane
• Natural Oils
• Oil-Based Polyurethane

 

An Overview of Wood Floor Finishes

Moisture-Cure Urethane

Moisture-cure urethane is a solvent-based hardwood floor finish that cures by absorbing moisture from the air. This chemical-resistant finish sets quickly and provides maximum protection and a high level of durability. It comes available only in a gloss sheen.

Known as the toughest floor finish, moisture-cure urethane requires meticulous preparation and expert skill to apply. It’s difficult to lay down because humidity levels affect the rate of cure, so an even application can be a challenge.

Moisture-cure urethane is still used in certain parts of the United States, but many contractors avoid it, especially in residential settings, because the negatives outweigh the positives.

Application is also unforgiving, so you must be highly skilled to successfully apply it.

Even though it dries relatively quick, it’s extremely toxic for the end user. To avoid skin exposure while applying it, you practically need to be wearing a hazmat suit.

Traditional formulas contain formaldehyde, which soaks into everything as it off-gasses.

For example, if you have a fish tank in your home, you would want to remove it temporarily because the off-gassing vapors could kill all of your fish.

This finish is also very flammable. The pilot lights and gas need to be turned off before application.

In the end, moisture-cure urethane is a highly effective but toxic finish. It’s durable but not significantly more durable than any two-component water-based hardwood floor finish.

Acid Cure (Swedish Finish)

Acid cure (Swedish finish) is a conversion varnish system with great adhesion and an extremely durable, hard film.

More durable than 1K polyurethanes, acid cure finish is most often used on parquet flooring or on exotic wood species. Available in matte, satin, semi-gloss, and gloss, this finish dries fast but can take 30-90 days before it’s fully cured.

In the time it takes to cure, acid-cure finishes off-gas strong vapors with higher levels of VOCs than oil-based polyurethane. And like moisture-cure urethane, acid cure finish is flammable. Because of the cost, toxic fumes, flammability, and long cure time, acid cure finish is rarely used in residential settings. Many contractors avoid it altogether.

Glitsa, however, considers acid cure finish to be a low-maintenance solution offering unmatched protection.

UV-Cured Finish

On-site UV-cured finish is a transparent and water-carried finish for residential and commercial use with many of the same benefits as polyurethane finishes. The main distinction is that UV finish is cured by photo initiators. UV finish will remain wet until UV light is applied for an instant cure.

Here’s how it works: a contractor puts down 3 coats of finish. When the third coat is flashed off, the contractor brings the machine onto the floor to shine UV light on the finish. The UV light cures the finish on contact, so the client can use the floor as soon as possible.

UV-cured finish has yet to take off because of the big up-front equipment cost and limited product selection. The equipment required upfront is heavy and requires an investment.

Finding contractors who offer these types of services can be difficult. You can find them here and there, but it depends on where you live.

Adoption of UV finish is niche compared to fast-improving 2K water-based finishes. The cure rates of water-based polyurethanes are getting faster and faster with time. But if UV services are available in your area, they may provide the quality and speed you’re looking for in a finish.

Waxes

Wax has been used for centuries to protect hardwood floors. Available in paste or liquid, this light amber, low-sheen floor finish is spread in thin coats and needs to be reapplied frequently.

Wax is a traditional finish that’s not very durable or effective against liquids. Spilling water on the floor makes it very slippery and can cause white spots to quickly appear on the surface.

Contractors apply this finish when they want to preserve the floors of historic buildings and keep them correct to a specific era. That’s why you will find this finish coating the floors of an 1800’s government building.

Once you go with wax, maintenance can become a time-consuming commitment, depending on how often people use the floor. Many people find that the nostalgic appeal of wax wears off when they’re constantly working hard just to maintain the floor.

And refinishing a waxed floor is a difficult process. When you sand a waxed floor, the wax gums up the sandpaper. You also need to work extra hard to remove wax from the seams and cracks. If wax remains on the floor, other finishes can fail.

 

Aluminum Oxide

Aluminum oxide is a finish that’s used on prefinished flooring. It’s typically factory-applied, and onsite aluminum oxide is uncommon. As a finish, it has a high level of durability.

Minerals in the finish make it tough. If you were to sand a floor coated with aluminum oxide, you would need special sandpaper to sand it successfully.

The Top 3 Most Popular Wood Floor Finishes

Water-based polyurethane, natural oils, and oil-based polyurethane are the top 3 wood floor finishes on the market today. Each type of finish has different advantages and disadvantages. The best hardwood finish for you will depend on your goals relative to budget, sheen, color, durability, maintenance, and application. NOTE: Before you choose a product, make sure you also know the sealer your finish is compatible with, so you can select the right finish system.

Water-Based Polyurethane Pro Tips:

1. Adding clear, water-based finish to red oak can leave them looking lifeless. You will need to stain first to bring out the beauty of the wood. White oak, however, looks great with a coating of clear, water-based polyurethane.
2. Water-based finish works perfect with Brazilian Cherry flooring because the red tones of the wood will darken naturally as time goes on.
3. One way to avoid a plastic look is to use a two-component satin finish.
4. If you want to color the floor, apply a stain before you lay the finish. Most water-based finishes will work over an oil-based stain. Always check and follow the manufacturer’s guidelines.
5. White lines can occur in water-based finish when you apply it over a wet stain. If the stain isn’t dry, and you apply a water-based topcoat, a chemical reaction occurs because the stain is still off-gassing. The trapped gasses from the stain cause white lines to appear on the surface, and the only way to fix it is to refinish the floor. You can avoid this by allowing enough time for the stain gasses to evaporate before applying the finish.

Natural Oil Pro Tips:

1. A hard wax oil like Natura Onecoat is very durable, even for water-prone areas, such as the kitchen and bathroom.
2. Water-popping the floor makes the finish more durable.
3. When you choose a color, remember that every wood species looks different with the same color.
4. You don’t need to use raw wood cleaner to prepare the wood for natural oil unless you have an exotic wood species.