Protecting a Wood Floor in a Bathroom
I’m hoping to get started on my floors this weekend and finish next. Normally, I’d just sand and wax, but the wood floor runs from one room to the next including the kitchen and bathroom so a wax finish isn’t going to cut it. Do I need a marine varnish in that bathroom? Or will…
I’m hoping to get started on my floors this weekend and finish next.
Normally, I’d just sand and wax, but the wood floor runs from one room to the next including the kitchen and bathroom so a wax finish isn’t going to cut it.
Do I need a marine varnish in that bathroom? Or will a few coats on poly do? I’d really rather use one finish throughout — and I want it to be as matte as possible.
(I read somewhere that spar/marine varnish isn’t good to use indoors and also that it won’t cure without UV light. Any truth to that?)
Thanks as always.
I have several coats of spar varnish on my interior stairs, but I wouldn’t want to do them on the floors… takes a looong time to dry.
What do guys do in the kitchen anyway? Aside from wear issues because one stands in front of sink, range and counter a lot, how can wood floors fare any worse than elsewhere? In our leaky houses, humidity is not an issue, and I don’t pour water on the floor often.
I have wood floors in kitchen. 10 years, look fine. Have a couple of cotton mats in front of sink and prep counter zone. I just sweep it regularly and use wood soap once a month. And I cook quite a bit, if not daily.
I have wood floors (oak strips flooring) in both my master bath and my 80 year old weekend home. The floors in my brownstone were installed a few years ago and have 3 coats of poly. The floors in my weekend home are the original pine floors and I had them refinished with stain and poly almost 10 years ago. I haven’t had any issues in either bathroom and they both get heavy use. I love the look of them. I think as long as you use common sense and don’t soak the floors you should not have any issue.
Our cousins had a 100+ year old lake cabin that had all wood floors all over, in the kitchen and bathrooms too, and even with their 6 kids running in and out all day wet from the lake and taking baths they didn’t have a problem with the floors. I think it’s a simple matter of just wiping up the puddles! I think the hangup over wood floors in kitchens or baths is similar to the hangup over growing ivy on the side of a house. It’s been done for centuries. It’s fine.
Donatella, that is very very very interesting! Wood floors are so fashionable nowadays, and I have been wondering and wondering how they could be practical in a kitchen or a bathroom.
But they look so great.
I was debating refinishing ours but ended up covering with linoleum and vinyl for various reasons.
I know someone with wood floors (satin poly) in the bath and he says they are holding up just great. Bath bigger than our 4 x 6 though. My mom has wood floors in her kitchen and she’s never mentioned any problem.
problem is not abusing the floors by being person who turns bathroom into steamroom (by not turning on fan or opening window and taking 30 minute hot hot shower)….or slob who can’t take bath of shower without turning floor into flood zone. otherwise should be fine.
my comment applies to NYC bldg code only.
Sorry about those typos in my other post — sent from my phone.
I’m not sure about the code issue, but I don’t care either. This is a weekend house and the building inspector and I are on friendly terms. EVERYTHING gets grandfathered in. The only thing that I’ve had to do to code was the electric and that was because it was completely replaced. Thank god.
I’m sort of surprised that people have had such bad experiences. The kitchen I have now has a wood kitchen floor with regular poly on it and it’s fine. I’ve had several kitchens with wood floors. I grew up going to a summer house that had painted wood floors in the bathroom that served a dozen kids at a time with beach towels left on the floor and a clawfoot tub — and that was fine for 100 years. In fact I was wondering if I shouldn’t paint these floors with maybe deck paint — but wouldn’t a sealer be just as good?
If it all goes to hell, I’ll replace it. But I think I want to try to just go with what I have. But I do need to sand and maybe stain and then seal somehow. Just don’t know how.
interesting, fuplease. how long have you had your floor? we’ve completed our reno 2yrs ago so it hasn’t been long but so far our floors have held up really well. we have the same as you (2 coats of poly)