Yesterday, I applied the finish to our freshly stripped and sanded hardwood floors. Since the library lies between the kitchen and the rest of the house, I wanted a product that would be easy to apply, require minimal layers of application, and would cure quickly, allowing us to get back into the room as quickly as possible.
After extensive research, I selected a product by Basic Coatings called StreetShoe NXT. StreetShoe has a catalyst that you mix in just before application of the product. After mixing the catalyst, you let it sit for about 10 minutes, then simply pour the product on the floor and spread with an applicator. The product is self-leveling, meaning that is spreads itself out smoothly after application, with no sanding required in between.
My plan was to get up early, so that I could apply three coats, with plenty of time to dry in between. However, the night after using the drum sander, I only slept about three hours. I was in a lot of pain, and was overtired. So the next night, I slept long and hard.
Consequently, I didn’t get the first coat applied until around 2:00 pm. The second coat went on around 5:30 pm. Just after that, the power went out, due to some storms we were having in the area. The power was out for a couple of hours, which delayed the dry time of the second coat. So the last coat went on around 9:30 pm. Whew!
After the last coat is applied, the clock starts running. The coating will be 90% cured in 24 hours. Since the last coat went on so late, we will want to to stay off the floor until Monday morning. After that, we can walk on the floor with clean socks, but I plan to keep the cats off of it for a least another day. The floors cannot be covered for 14 days, so I will wait a couple of weeks before I start assembling the built-in bookcases. However, we can move some furniture back in before then.
Until we are able to walk on the floor, we have to go out the front door and walk around the house to the back door to get to the kitchen. Rather inconvenient needless to say!
But the hard work is done. I am so relieved that this project is complete. The floors turned out much better than I even imagined. They are just gorgeous!
And now I can take a small rest before I am on to the next step – bookshelves!