To Shellac or Poly???

[Bungalocity]

After I take possession of this house I would like to finish off the resto work by sanding the oak floors of the bungalow and
utilizing a dark wood window/moulding & light floor combo.

I think the lightest floors possible would be a water based floor varnish but I never liked the look and feel of it,
so it's between poly & shellac.  My understanding is that Shellac is a very tough finish to apply, in that being
alcohol based, it dries very quickly and there's no time to 'work it' when needed as you're applying it.

Which would be brushed and which would be rolled?

Anyone have any experience with this?  I also hear it will darken over time. What I'd really like to do is go for the
most authentic look and feel whenever possible!

thx in advance...

[OakParkSpartan]

I've used Shellac on windows, and yes, it does dry (well, gets unworkable) pretty quick...less than 5 minutes.  A little alcohol will allow you to smooth things out, but I personally wouldn't want to try that on hundreds of square inches, let alone square feet.

[dukesdad]

I don't think shellac is tough enough to use on floors. You would get wear patterns almost immediately.

[rbain]

Poly would be the best choice. If you're looking for a specific look, there are several poly finishes, and they can be mixed. I would check a DIY website like This Old House- there's a lot of information online.
-Rob

[OakParkSpartan]

Or Old House Journal.

[Boris]

A floor master did ours: David Gligor 773-562-5008. He does all the floors for Marshall Fields ( I refuse to call it Macy's). He had a discussion with me concerning traffic and use (do you have a dog?...etc.) and did an incredible job on our floors which had considerable water damage and had been abused for 25 years.

[Bungalocity]

A floor master did ours: David Gligor 773-562-5008. He does all the floors for Marshall Fields ( I refuse to call it Macy's). He had a discussion with me concerning traffic and use (do you have a dog?...etc.) and did an incredible job on our floors which had considerable water damage and had been abused for 25 years.

Don't know how long ago that was but can you recall a per sq/ft cost?
I've decided that seeing as I'd go without heat for about a week in doing this, and I should concentrate on the wallpaper stripping,
wood trim and mouldings and paints/frieze schemes, I should probably wait until spring to do this final touch.  Otherwise I'd probably screw
up the fresh pristine floors while I did the other stuff.

OK, the Bungalow Resto Blog will start in 2 weeks, y'all stay tuned...

[tgoddess]

Be sure to post lots of photos, otherwise we have to send Bonster over with his camera to spy in your windows. 

[Boris]

A floor master did ours: David Gligor 773-562-5008. He does all the floors for Marshall Fields ( I refuse to call it Macy's). He had a discussion with me concerning traffic and use (do you have a dog?...etc.) and did an incredible job on our floors which had considerable water damage and had been abused for 25 years.

Don't know how long ago that was but can you recall a per sq/ft cost?
I've decided that seeing as I'd go without heat for about a week in doing this, and I should concentrate on the wallpaper stripping,
wood trim and mouldings and paints/frieze schemes, I should probably wait until spring to do this final touch.  Otherwise I'd probably screw
up the fresh pristine floors while I did the other stuff.

OK, the Bungalow Resto Blog will start in 2 weeks, y'all stay tuned...

1800 sq. ft.= $2500 ...but that was in 2004.

[MRS. NORTHSIDER]

We used poly on ours - we did the dining room ourselves but hired "Perfect Image" to do the foyer and living room and they also used poly.  I would love to move out and have the furniture moved out of the (carpeted) second floor because, unlike the newer homes of today, the second floor has hardwood under the carpet and the closets (yes, I said closets) have oak baseboard and trim - now that's what I call quality work!