the waiting game | 10.2.15

My first floor hardwoods got a makeover! As I mentioned in the previous post, my hardwoods needed a few more coats of polyurethane. We initially used high gloss water based minwax polyurethane, but after a year of wear and tear it was obviously a poor choice. They constantly looked dingy, even after being cleaned. After we finished our hardwoods the first time, we laid down a new vinyl plank kitchen floor, which is a satin finish. It just made sense this time around to choose Minwax water based high build satin polyurethane. After applying one coat I was exhausted and ready to be completely done. Thankfully, I listened to my husbands advice that I would regret not putting one more coat while I had the opportunity. Two coats down and I couldn't be more glad I did two. They look 1000x better than before.

They say preparation is key with any do it yourself project and I would highly agree. However, I am a results driven person and just want to see a final product... Or you could call me impatient. Either way, I'm so glad I took my time prepping these floors before going to town. I swept and mopped atleast twice, sanded down imperfections, and hand scrubbed them with a brush to get all of the debris between the boards. Scrubbing is important because whatever dirt is between the cracks and in creases will be trapped under the poly and be permanent.

Now to wait two days to put all my furniture back! They say it takes a full 30 days for the poly to fully cure, which means rugs can't be put back down until then.

Supplies I used:
Minwax High Build water based clear satin finish polyurethane
Lambs wool applicator broom
Broom handle
1" brush for corners/edging
Paper plate to sit under bucket

Technique:
Always go in brush strokes with the length of the wood planks. Do several strokes in both length wise directions and make sure your final stroke is as long and uninterrupted as possible. The fewer breaks in strokes, the better the result. I poured the poly directly onto my floor from the gallon in light coats then spread it around evenly. Be sure to work from the farthest point from the doorway towards the door way in order to avoid being stuck in the room or damaging the floors getting out. Work in manageable sections.

So before putting furniture back, I'm debating adding an additional piece of moulding above our 60's boring baseboards to add height and character. I'd leave a one inch gap between the old and new and paint it white to look like one big piece of moulding. Here's what the silhouette would look like. Thoughts?