The smell is bad. I've been told 2 or 3 weeks. Open your windows as often as you can.

Do you think besides smell it could also cause breathing problems and eye stinging?

If possible, I'd open a window and set up a small fan nearby until the smell starts to ease. Good idea to do that from the beginning or if you plan to apply another coat. It's strong stuff.

I finished my teak countertops in waterlox and used 9 coats. I applied them over a period of days. I had a very strong odor the 1st day and had the windows open and the exhaust fan in the kitchen running the 1st day. It took the longest to dry on the 1st day, as I had been told it would. After that the odor abated after a few hours.

I am sorry you have a hypersensitivity to the odor. The above advice to air out the house is a good one. You might want to contact the makers of the product for any further suggestions. c

I did my upstairs floors in Waterlox, and the smell was so bad that my downstairs contractors stayed away from the house for days.

I found that it went away after about a month. It's pretty noxious stuff -- and according to the Waterlox company guy I spoke to, their low-VOC formulation has an even more pungent odor.

A shame, because the look is gorgeous, but they really need to rethink their solvents; this comes up quite often as a concern and you're not alone. Get plenty of crossbreezes playing on the surface and consider a portable dehumidifier.

Thanks you all for your comments, it's pretty discouraging and frightening going through this because you have no idea how long it's going to take and your so uncomfortable. I'll follow all the advice above and pray. Thanks so much again.

Setting up fans to blow across the surface (after the Waterlox first hardens) definitely helps. I also suggest waiting for each coat to dry thoroughly. Sometimes people re-coat too quickly, trapping solvent underneath the finish before it has had the chance to dry out, and the result is it takes MUCH longer to get rid of the smell.

Good luck!

Billy

Well to late for that now, I hope others read your message and take it into account. Thats probably why it's taking so long. Live and learn :(

Ah that is what happened I bet. It says to let it dry all the way, especially the first coat which takes the very longest. Then make sure the following coats are VERY thin. I bet that is why the smell only lasted hours for me.

I am so sorry this has happened to you. I know when I was doing my kitchen 4 1/2 yrs ago there were lots of threads going around about the Waterlox and we all talked about it. I am sorry that the threads were not available to you as there was a ton of info...this particular point was made quite frequently. Hopefully others who use the product will read carefully and also ask here if they need more info. c

Some products are more noxious than others and avoiding exposure to the fumes is very important. We also all have different reactions and tolerance to the fumes. If your body is telling you that the fumes are not agreeing with you, then you should do your best to avoid them. The flow of air is important in helping these kind of products cure. The instructions indicate a rather long curing time for Waterlox.

Here is a link that might be useful: Waterlox Drying Instructions

I guess I should stop practically swimming in the stuff.
Its a very slow dry material which is waht gives it its great penetration and sealing qualities along with being able to redo it later.
Didnt seem like a big problem to me...basically a paint thinner smell. You must be sensitive.
Hope it dries fast.

It takes about a month with good ventilation for the smell to go away. Ideally you should finish in the garage and bring it in after a month :)
We did out floors with waterlox. The smell lingered for a month. Put a large exhaust fan, day and night, to exhaust the fumes.
All said and done, the finish is unmatched in look! gorgeous!!

Waterlox has two stages of aroma; first the solvent + the tung oil smell. That will knock you on your @55. This lasts about 8 hours after application. Then the tung oil smell by itself, until it's cured. I could no longer smell it after 4 days. Maybe my nose was shot.
Casey

Waterlox has a very nasty smell for a looong time. Whoever says otherwise has something wrong with them.