Floor refinishing advice?

[Bugle]

Our screened-in porch floor is made of 3" tongue and groove yellow pine. It is chemically treated, but I can't remember what it is called (commonly known as "porch flooring"). I do know that it will not accept a water based finish.

Anyway, it is about 12 years old and needs refinishing. I am a little afraid to use a floor sander since the wood is so soft. It was originally finished with Minwax Helmsman Spar Varnish. Any advice on removing the old finish and what to apply for the new is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Howard Acheson]

Yellow pine is not really that soft and using a floor sander will do the best job or removing the old finish and giving you a good surface to re-finish. Yellow pine is sanded all the time.

Minwax Helmsman is a poor choice for a floor. First, it is specifically not recommend for floors by Minwax. Spar varnishes are formulated to be very soft so they tend not to stand up very long. Urethane finishes are quickly damaged by the UV in sunlight. This causes the finish to get cloudy, turn yellow and begin to lose adhesion. The finish is failing at each seam as indicated by the white in those areas.

Other than sanding, you only choice is to use a chemical paint remover. Because you used a poly varnish, you will need a paint remover that contains methylene chloride. Follow the directions on the can. It will be a big, messy job so I again recommend that a floor sander be used.

For a finish, I would use Waterlox Original. It's a non-poly varnish and is intended for a floor finish. It will stand up to outdoor conditions.

 

[Bugle]

You think the original will work instead of the marine product they make? I notice that they don't recommend their marine product for horizontal surfaces that receive direct sunlight....but my porch doesn't get direct light. And the marine product is much more expensive!

Thanks for your response.

 

[Howard Acheson]

Use the non-marine Waterlox Original..

 

[James Davis]

If you use the floor sanders that are available for rent at the borgs then you should be fine. They are like a big 4 pad ROS and do a good job of getting the job done.

James

 

[Bugle]

:dontknow:Thanks Howard. James I get "ROS" (random orbital sander") but "borgs" got me. I assume it is an acronym for the big home improvement stores?

 

[Canuck]

:dontknow:..............I get "ROS" (random orbital sander") but "borgs" got me. I assume it is an acronym for the big home improvement stores?

I think he was referring to either Lowes or Home Depot.......... commonly referred to the the BORG ('s) (Big Orange Retail Giant).

HTH

Wayne

 

[James Davis]

I think he was referring to either Lowes or Home Depot.......... commonly referred to the the BORG ('s) (Big Orange Retail Giant).

HTH

Wayne

What Wayne said or "Big Ole Retail Giant" depends on how far South you gew up.:rotflm:

James

 

[Bugle]

I like it!:gar-Bi

 

[CrealBilly]

James I added to the NCWW Lexicon "Others are simply called Big Ole Retail Giants depending on which side of the mason dixon line your originally from."

 

[James Davis]

Bless yo' heart Jeff

 

[Jesse]

You may have Penta treated porch flooring. If you do, it is a good preservative but not something to breathe. Just make sure you vacuum and wear a dust mask. Also keep it off your skin. I've used the floor sander with four random orbit heads before, and found it to be very effective. There is a company called Bona which manufactures commercial grade floor finish that I've used and found to be very good and easy to apply. I recommend looking for a commercial supplier of floor finish since I'm of the opinion that their products are much more durable than anything available at the big box stores.
Good luck!

Our screened-in porch floor is made of 3" tongue and groove yellow pine. It is chemically treated, but I can't remember what it is called (commonly known as "porch flooring"). I do know that it will not accept a water based finish.

Anyway, it is about 12 years old and needs refinishing. I am a little afraid to use a floor sander since the wood is so soft. It was originally finished with Minwax Helmsman Spar Varnish. Any advice on removing the old finish and what to apply for the new is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[kooshball]

Urethane finishes are quickly damaged by the UV in sunlight. This causes the finish to get cloudy, turn yellow and begin to lose adhesion. The finish is failing at each seam as indicated by the white in those areas.

There is nothing inherently wrong with using a polyurethane; they have been used in gym floor and residential floor finishes for years (for OEM and refinishing purposes). Aromatic types will yellow but not aliphatic types and some are available with a polycarbonate backbone polymer that will be tough and UV resistant. In fact almost all commercially available hardwood floors and resilient floors are coated at the factory with some type of urethane based system. The trick as with anything is to pick the right one which unfortunately I can not do based on first hand retail knowledge but just because some urethanes are not right for the job does not mean they all are not acceptable.

 

[Jeff]

Bona makes "industrial grade" satin poly in both oil based and waterborne versions. It's a lot more expensive than their "homeowner grade", but worth the extra $ for high traffic areas. The satin is much less prone to show scratches, etc.

I don't know if it's suitable or recommended for exterior use. I'll defer to Howard on that one. :dontknow:

The Waterlox website has a lot of useful information, but I couldn't find a specific yes or no answer about its suitability for an exterior porch floor application that doesn't get much direct sunlight. You might try their "Contact Us" link at the bottom of the page. It won't hurt to ask before you spend a lot of $ on materials only to be dissatisfied down the road.

http://www.waterlox.com/products-it...riginal-satin-tung-oil-wood-floor-finish&p=35