Problems with Waterlox & can you use oil based poly over Waterlox

12 years ago

Last January, I put 3 coats of Waterlox on bare Brazilian Cherry floors. (new wood that was sanded first) I put the Waterlox down but closed up the house with no a/c. I waited a week between coats. The floors scratch terribly even with felt pads under every piece of furniture in the house. We have no animals or children and take our shoes off before coming inside. Just moving a dining room chair with felt pads on the legs scratches the floor.

I contacted the dealer this year and was told I should have had air movement in the house. Paintsource.com was awesome and sent me enough Waterlox to redo my floors with 2 additional coats, this time leaving the doors and windows open, the a/c on and a big box fan in the door for about 12 hours. I redid them about a month ago.

I'm still having the same problem.

My son sealed his floors with the Varatane a year ago. He never takes his shoes off and has a 140 lb. dog inside. Today, he drug a very heavy gun cabinet across the floor (no pads under it, just wood on wood) and the floor did not scratch at all. It looks as good as it did when he first sealed it a year ago.

Has anyone used Varathane oil based poly over Waterlox or any oil based poly for that matter? If so, what is the procedure? I'm really tired of messing with the Waterlox.

Featured Answer

kntryhuman
Original Author

12 years ago

Thanks for the posts.

I tried a coat of poly over a small spot in the closet that doesn't get walked on much. It hasn't peeled or flaked and looks great. I tried to scratch it with a nail and it left no mark. I used the same light pressure on the Waterlox and it scratched.

Before I put the second coat a year later, the floor had been in the air condition and heated house and still scratched. The second coat was put down using a commercial sized box fan in the doorway for 12 hours. It's just as soft as the first coat.

KimberlyinNC, thanks for adding your results. That what I've been trying to find out. I know know now that I am putting Poly over it.

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Comments (6)

lotsatrees
12 years ago
Keep in mind that Waterlox states it can take 30-90days for the finish to fully cure and provide maximum protection. The film will scratch more easily up to that time because it hasn't gained its full chemical hardness.

Good ventilation is still important to help the curing process.

Sorry I don't know about the poly.
nugentcn
12 years ago
I know this is an old thread, but I was wanting to know the same thing--can I apply oil-based poly over Waterlox? I have it on my countertops and just find that it's too sensitive. I use only vinegar to clean it, as the instructions stated, but inevitably some other substances make their way onto the counters via the bottom of a bottle or other means, and I've had some different things react with the Waterlox in nasty ways. Once I re-do these areas, I just don't want to worry about it anymore.
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floorguy
12 years ago
The soft waterlox, because of the lack of airflow, needs to be sanded off.

It is not a good base to recoat over. If it as soft as you say, hitting it with a screen to just recoat, it is going to cut through quickly.

Now, had it been allowed to off gas and cure out properly, the hardness would be sufficient for a recoat.
KimberlyinNC
12 years ago
I used to sing the praises of Waterlox, but after only 3 years, not anymore. Oh, it did look really nice, for a while anyway. I did almost 2,000 sq ft with it and it wasn't cheap. Not wanting to redo the entire floor, last year I applied one coat of an oil based poly over a high traffic area to see how well it would hold up over the Waterlox. This was without sanding or anything. It STILL looks good so I guess..I need to do the rest of my house because right now, it just looks bad.
Bill Diehl
6 years ago
We have butcher block counter tops including around the sinks in the kitchen and the bathrooms. I used Waterlox on all of our butcher block counter tops two years ago. We loved it at first. But after 2 years it has some deep stains that can only be removed by deep sanding down to the wood. This brown stain is caused by getting baking soda based cleaning and bathing products on the surface especially around the tub and the sinks. This causes a medium brown stain wherever the baking soda water splashed onto the surface that must be sanded out. There are also some light colored stains around the sinks that I don't know what caused them. These look like water marks, but I don't think they are caused by water. Possibly these are caused by splashing mouth wash containing alcohol, but am not sure. I would not use Waterlox again if I had to start over. I would use an oil based exterior poly urethane made specifically for wood floors that can also be used on counter tops. Just my opinion. Try a small spot to experiment.