Oil-based poly, how bad?
We are moving into a coop within a couple of weeks, and the floors are in serious need of refinishing. I see that the oil v. water poly debate has been well covered here. After talking to friends and contractors, the consensus seems to be that oil lasts longer and is less expensive. We are…
We are moving into a coop within a couple of weeks, and the floors are in serious need of refinishing. I see that the oil v. water poly debate has been well covered here. After talking to friends and contractors, the consensus seems to be that oil lasts longer and is less expensive.
We are trying hard to be good neighbors and sensitive to those around us, especially being new to the building. My question is this – how much will the odor of the oil-poly affect our neighbors, and how long will it last? (Prewar apt building.) I realize this is difficult to answer – but first hand anecdotes or knowledge is appreciated. Thanks.
Spend a little more and be safe. Oil based often leads to fires. Not only is the solvent flammable, but oily rags spontaneously combust. Many have found this hard to believe, until too late. We had such a fire in my building. So don’t be cheap and hire somebody who knows what they are doing.
yawn
Maybe a nice note slipped under your neighbors’ doors warning them of the potential for a smell, letting them know what it is, how long it might last, thanking them for their patience and understanding, and finally providing your phone number just in case, would go a long way towards mitigating their inconvenience. If I smelled poly from my neighbor’s apartment, and I knew that the smell would go away within a few days, it would be a non issue. If I smelled it and had no idea what the smell was and how long it would last, I would be a bit annoyed.
Personally, I think is has all to do with the type of finish that you want: an oil based poly will amber giving the floors a yellowish/brown rich look over time. If however, you want to pickle of bleach the floor and want to maintain a ‘whiteish’ color, use a water based poly which will not amber over time.
How about the effect it will have on your own health? those fumes, and those of paint, will affect you for a long time.
It’s not quite the oil v acrylic polyurethane debate. Acrylic polyurethane sold right now is junk and I don’t think anyone on the forum would recommend it. The discussion is between polyurethane for floors or oil based finishes directly on the floors, such as tung oil or linseed oil.
The choice is coating your floor in plastic or soaking it in oil. As I see it, the skill of your installer/finisher has more to do with it than the medium, but I tend to lean oil finish since it’s more forgiving of mistakes.
grrr i have the same problem on a contract im working on, water based doesnt seem completely odorless though. I will probably install vent fans in the windows.
Hmm, how do you do that, “guest”. I assume you grabbed the “guest” login?
I would like to thank Mr. B for reinstituting anonymous “guest” posting.