How long did the poly take -application and dry time? Did you have to leave the house for a bit?
Hmmm let's see, here's a basic timeline of what i used, recommended times and costs etc...
- Floor finished up with 80 grit (doesn't matter if it's palm, Clark drum or edger wheel, has to be the same so
stain takes evenly. Sideways, circular, inline don't matter).
- While I tried several local hardware stores to remain nameless, their products along with the big box stores wound up being more expensive than professional brands!!! Minwhacks is crap, along with Vara, Benmore etc. (names have been altered to avoid defamation lawsuits)
- I went with Bona Woodline Special Walnut stains $13 a qt., and I found one last 5gln bucket of Bona Oil-Mod poly, 450 VAC (the good-stuff now outlawed by environmental nazis).
Stain is oil-modified with driers and as the cans state, dries in 2 hours.
I waited until the next day to apply the poly. A friend used a 16" lambswool applicator to spread the stain and I was on my knees with a collection of towels and rags, one soaked to spread and following with a drier one, in circular motions.
The 'rougher' finest grit of 80 allows for aggressive wiping which helps keep it even.
The radiators, as you may have guessed, were a total bitch.
Poly: same type of lambswool applicator, fresh pad, and I used a bucket to pour on, and run back and forth.
The instructions state waiting 12 hours before walking on and sanding, I tried a drywall sander on a pole to rough up with 150 but that was starting to take off some of the stain! So I had to get on my knees with a sanding sponge.
Very very gently just to take out some surface bubbles and give the 2nd coat a chance to take.
The rule of thumb is, try a hidden spot and if it gums up it needs more time, if it dusts up, it's ready to sand.
It's very bone-dry in the house, the midwest, this time of year so everything dries quickly now.
Then 24 hours later I applied the 2nd coat.
Supposedly 24 hours to walk on comfortably, and I waited a week to start moving furniture back in,
and officially 2 weeks to cure. I have a new kitten that has been using the floor as a launch pad
for her daily sprints, so this poly is so great it's impervious, at least to kitten claws.
It's important to vacuum between all coats and before all coats. same with tack rags. They're a PITA to handle but they will ensure all debris is gone. The hardest thing to deal with was the plaster coming off the jambs and base out of nowhere!
As for leaving, I had always had in place a plastic drop taped to seal off the back of the house.
I slept in the basement with windows open, turned up the heat and crawled under the quilt and I was fine.
The dangerous period was the 24 hours. After that it was fine! I actually enjoy the smell of fresh poly floors, reminds me of my first apartment.....
