Looking for floor sanding / refinishing recommendation

[artguychris.livejournal.com]

Looking for recommendation for a contractor to do 1 medium size room that needs to be sanded & finished--a relatively small job. 

Use of low VOC products or water based would be a plus.  I had another room done recently and felt sick for a week while the polyurethane dried.

Thanks!

Comments

[mderidder.livejournal.com]

Aside from the polyurethane smell, did the other contractor do a good job? We're looking for someone as well, but want them to use polyurethane since it's supposed to be stronger and more resistant to claw marks from dogs.

[artguychris.livejournal.com]

Astro Hardwood Floors ((617) 965 6363) did some repair & refinish of the other room. They did a great job. Our general contractor organized that as part of a remodel, but I'm doing this one on my own and figured I'd get another quote. The GC also said these guys didn't want to use another type of finish. I forget the brand they used, but it's only available to the trade.

[masswich.livejournal.com]

I did have some floors done a while back but would need to dig out the contractor's name - he was local, and he did a good job.

In terms of the finish, I fully sympathize with your interest in low VOC and/or water based. For walls, molding, etc., there is no reason to use anything else. But for floors my understanding is that only the nasty stuff - and 3 coats of it - really hold up over time.

[mrpet.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Water based poly on the floors will need to be redone every year since it doesn't really work. Varathane (that brand is harder than the generic Polyurathane) cut with naptha is the way to go and naptha is very quick drying and doesn't keep outgassing. The downside it is that it dries really quick and if you are not careful you can get lines where you overlap a dried area.

Floors are only so thick and if you sand it every year you will need to replace the floor pretty quickly.