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Watched a 1990s oak floor in Sacramento go from orange to natural in one weekend
Last weekend I helped a guy in Sacramento refinish about 800 square feet of red oak that had been buried under carpet for 20 years. The old finish was this dark orange oil-based poly that made the whole room feel like a cave. We ran a drum sander with 36 grit to cut through it, then worked up to 100 grit, and the bare wood underneath was way lighter than I expected. Two coats of a water-based matte finish later, the difference was night and day. Has anyone else seen water-based finishes hold up as well as oil over the long run?
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pat_harris1mo ago
How many coats did you end up putting down, because that matters a lot more than water vs oil in my book? I did a similar job on white oak a few years back, buried under shag carpet since the 80s, and the orange gunk came off way easier than I figured. The thing nobody tells you is the old oil poly keeps yellowing for years after it cures, so even a fresh oil job will drift warm on you down the road. Water based stays clear, which is why that natural look held so well on your job. My cousin's place got water based about 8 years ago and it still looks close to day one, just a few scratches from the dog. Oil might feel a touch warmer going on but it won't stay that way, and for red oak especially the amber shift is real.
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