need 1 more bit advice- so far with your help sanding and applying oil base miniwax- red oak color to hardwood floor went great. now i need 2-3 coats of oil base poly. how do i apply? with roller,they say is difficult with brush or lambs wool?.please leave me some advice.
I’ve done several and I use wool. It’s not as difficult as many make it out to be. Make sure you give yourself plenty of light so you can see where you’ve been and any pooling.Good luck with your project!
I wouldn’t do it since the oil based yellows with sun light. Use a water based poly and apply with a sponge roller. It dries in 30 minutes and you can apply another coat.
Latex based varnish is best.
tip: Warm the varnish to about 100 degrees (f), that’s like a hot bath temp. This helps the varnish flow into the grain and pores of the wood. It also flows to a smother finish, another benifit…it dries faster.
Unlike some of the other answers state, if you use oil based stain you MUST use oil based polyurethane. Water-based sealer over oil will peel. Use a lambs wool applicator, and sand lightly between coats with 000 steel wool. This will level out the finish and help the next coat to adhere properly. Be sure to clean the dust fro the sanding and you are ready. A total of 3 coats is recommended. Hope this helps.
I’ll second woodtick’s answer, and say also that you can’t pay enough attention to getting all dust etc off the floor between coats. The tiniest speck will show up, so vacuum and wipe well with rags dampened in mineral spirits. Pay close attention to the times for re-application and don’t be in a rush. I used lambswool and found it excellent, make sure you de-lint the applicator first.
I used a roller for the first time 2 years ago and it worked fine, and its faster and doesn’t streak. Be careful to choose the right nap ( read the labels; they’ll tell you what the roller is suitable for). Attach the roller to a “broomstick” pole so you don’t have to creep around. Watch it closely so you don’t miss a spot, which can happen with this method, but only if you rush it. Don’t put the roller down and come back after a snack- do it all at one sitting to prevent tackiness and a poor finish. Use a new roller for the next coat. Rollers can be reused if you clean them thoroughly, but I don’t know if you want that trouble.