Polyurethane Vs Tung Oil For Floors

We chose oil based for our hardwood floors which are being refinished right now.

Polyurethane vs tung oil for floors. Learn how to use and apply half half pure tung oil and citrus solvent to your wood floors. Differences in tung oil and polyurethane. The key difference between penetrating oil and polyurethane is how the finish interacts with the hardwood floor. After you ve installed your new unfinished hardwood flooring or sanded the finish off of your existing flooring you have to make an important decision.

Polyurethane dries faster than tung oil and takes only 12 hours to cure. It s not easy to find lots of reliable info about finishing floors with pure tung oil. Many oiled floors found on the internet are actually finished using waterlox or other tung oil finishes that include resin. Polyurethane sits on top of the wood to form a protective barrier that is watertight in only two coats.

Including tips for application number of coats to use what not. I used minwax super fast drying polyurethane for floors in a satin finish. Moreover surfaces on which tung oil is applied require touch ups yearly to maintain their sleek finish. Wood will retain its moisture and stay looking soft and beautiful only when coated with a protective layer of finish product.

Tung oil soaks into the surface of the wood and can take up to 48 hours to dry. Polyurethane finish systems are applied on top of a wood floor. Tung oil and polyurethane give a warm natural finish. I still don t quite trust water based polyurethanes the main advantage of using polyurethane is the dry time cure time of the product.

If you consider the total long term cost and hassle of fully refinishing urethane finished floors however some argue that this maintenance regimen may ultimately be superior to the long term maintenance of urethane. Leaving the wood in its natural state however does not mean that you should leave it unprotected. It takes approximately 7 coats of tung oil to make your surface truly waterproof. The pros of using polyurethane on hardwood floors.

For more inspiration and tips for using pure tung oil try these. When considering tung oil versus polyurethane for wood floors polyurethane wins the debate every time. Varnish for hardwood floors. Excellent information about oil vs water based polyurethane.

Yes the oil based does smell strong but we would much prefer to get the best durability and so the tradeoff is worth it. On the other hand penetrating oil actually incorporates itself into the wood. It s an oil based polyurethane.