New wood floors being installed/finished - help with smell/voc?
#1
11-12-18, 06:37 AM
New wood floors being installed/finished - help with smell/voc?
I have a 4 bedroom house with all 4 bedrooms upstairs. One bedroom has new wood floors - the other 3 already had them. When the contractor finished laying the floors, he sanded the new floors and the hallway so they would match. Remaining 3 rooms were left alone.
They put down one coat of finish, and then proceeded with other stuff (painting, etc). The smell was AWFUL. I live in a cold climate, so keeping windows open all day/night isn't an option.
They've now finished all other work and are getting ready to sand/apply another coat of poly. A couple of questions:
1. Is there ANY product I can use that won't produce such strong vocs? We've got small kids and nowhere else to stay while this off-gasses.
2. If yes to one, will the color be obviously different than the other 3 bedrooms which were finished with an oil based poly?
3. If no to 1, are there any products I can buy (air filters, etc) to help pull the vocs out of the air?
We plan to stay downstairs while the upstairs is uninhabitable
They put down one coat of finish, and then proceeded with other stuff (painting, etc). The smell was AWFUL. I live in a cold climate, so keeping windows open all day/night isn't an option.
They've now finished all other work and are getting ready to sand/apply another coat of poly. A couple of questions:
1. Is there ANY product I can use that won't produce such strong vocs? We've got small kids and nowhere else to stay while this off-gasses.
2. If yes to one, will the color be obviously different than the other 3 bedrooms which were finished with an oil based poly?
3. If no to 1, are there any products I can buy (air filters, etc) to help pull the vocs out of the air?
We plan to stay downstairs while the upstairs is uninhabitable
#2
11-12-18, 10:23 AM
#1 - water based polys don't have the extreme odor that is common with oil base. Generally they don't wear as well as oil base although the waterbased poly that requires a catalyst comes close.
#2 - Water based polys don't deepen the colors naturally in the wood like oil base does, to get the same look you'd need to use a stain. Water base won't amber or darken over time like oil base does.
#3 - There might be air filtration systems that work but I really don't know. The best way to remove the odor has always been fresh air ventilation {I know, not the best time of year for that}
#2 - Water based polys don't deepen the colors naturally in the wood like oil base does, to get the same look you'd need to use a stain. Water base won't amber or darken over time like oil base does.
#3 - There might be air filtration systems that work but I really don't know. The best way to remove the odor has always been fresh air ventilation {I know, not the best time of year for that}
#3
11-12-18, 02:02 PM
Member
Problem is you have one coat and to go back to another material you will need to sand that off and then go with additional coats.
Stay out of the rooms, crack the windows open and next time do the work in the summer!
Stay out of the rooms, crack the windows open and next time do the work in the summer!
I was thinking these were new rooms with bare wood. Marq is correct, if you add waterbased poly on top of oil base there can be adhesion issues.
#5
11-12-18, 11:00 PM
Group Moderator
I'd open the windows in those rooms and turn on the exhaust fan in the bathroom.
Odors are particulate and therefore limited in number. Moving air across the surface helps speed up the process of their elimination.
Odors are particulate and therefore limited in number. Moving air across the surface helps speed up the process of their elimination.
