- a broom
- a vacuum
- polyurethane or urethane
- a paint brush.
Next, decide what type of finish you want. You can choose from oil-modified urethane, water-based urethane and penetrating sealers. Commonly people settle on using oil-modified urethane because it’s easy to work with and it’s tough.
When Should I Waterproof Wood Floors?
So you’ve got your finish, now you have to pick when you’re going to get the job done. Oddly enough, the weather is important here. Don’t pick a humid rainy day, because it will interfere with the work you’re doing, you could trap moisture between the finish and the wood ruining the hard work you’ve just completed prepping for waterproofing your wood floor. You want a nice dry breezy day, at least about 70 degrees and a strong wind. Warmer is better if you don’t have the strong wind.
You’ve come to the day when you’ll do the work. You’re going to waterproof your wood floors. Clean the room. Think you’re ready? You’re not; do it again. Any little bit of dust on the floor, on the walls, on the little piece of baseboard your forgot to get to, the cobwebs in the corners you forgot to vacuum down (yes, those ones. Be sure that the spiders are gone from the webs, though.) Even if you’re a neat freak, there is always something hidden in corners of the floor. You want to be hyper vigilant about this cleaning process; any dust left on the floor can make your finish uneven or rough and ruin your floor. If you do additional coats you will have to repeat this cleaning process between each coat.
Keep The Room Ventilated!
Now for a word you want to really remember: ventilation. Open the windows. Urethane has a strong odor; you want to really be sure that you’ve got a good flow of fresh air to protect you from the fumes. This stuff can give you a wicked headache and possibly nausea. Also, make sure there is a screen in the window, keep those dust particles out of the room, otherwise you will be cleaning again before you get started.
Now comes the fun part. You’re going to apply the first coat of finish to your wood floor. You are going to waterproof your floor. Brush the urethane on evenly. A note about the brush, it is worthwhile to invest in a high quality brush for this process. It will make the finish smooth and clean up easier. Start your application in the corner of the room furthest from the exit. You’ve just had an a-ha moment, haven’t you? We cannot tell you how many people we’ve seen who start near the entrance and then brush themselves into a corner. Learn from their mistakes. Once you have your first coat of waterproofing down on your wood floor, you’ll need to let it dry. After it’s dry you will repeat the process, again starting from the point furthest from the exit of the room. Most likely you will end up doing two to three coats on the floor. But after that third coat, you will have waterproofed your wood floor. And if you need any professional assistance with water-proofing your wood floor or otherwise working with water damage, we’re your best choice. We’ve been doing this for a while, so be sure to give us a ring if you need some help.