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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-CA link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>I am coming into this late but the basic answer is that floors don’t make sense. Finishes are sacrificial and basically designed to protect the what is underneath and to provide some aesthetic sheen or gloss. What north Americans want is that sheen and gloss to last as long as possible without having to maintain it. Wood can survive without the protection but it won’t look good.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>Time was in the US that floors were unfinished wood and swept with sand. Now they are prefinished click together things that last about as long as the houses they are put in but ironically the ceramic based factory finish on the click floors is generally better and probably cleaner than anything you could put on a raw laid floor.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>Polyurethane products (bona kemi) are great for finishers to apply, designed to be acceptable to consumers and therefore affordable, water borne, etc. but the surfactants used have been implicated in health issues such as birth defects in the workplace and they are simply new chemicals that we don’t know the end story of. Typically as a finish on a floor they are considered inert chemically after 7 days but new research indicates that might not be true and that the formulations continue to outgass.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>Oil products are generally misnamed and misused. Tung oil finishes are often linseed oil with a little bit of tung oil. Heavy metals used in the dryers and benzene in the solvent. The durability of the floor is limited to the characteristics of the oils and dryers used.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>As far as oils go tung oil is the only oil that I know of that is comparable to a poly finish for durability and probably exceeds it in many ways. I recommend raw tung oil with natural turpentine as a finish and have suppliers for that but no contractor would want to do that and most clients would not want to pay for the time involved in doing it. I find turpentine to be preferable to citurs solvents as they are basically both terpenes but citrus is a more toxic as a contact allergen.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>The water borne balsam oil german type finishes end up being the expensive but acceptable alternatives as they come complete with instructions for the contractor and look good with the caveat of maintenance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Greenbuilding [mailto:greenbuilding-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Allison Friedman<br><b>Sent:</b> May-14-15 8:10 PM<br><b>To:</b> greenbuilding@lists.bioenergylists.org<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Greenbuilding] Need a Floor Refinishing Product Recommendation<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Thanks very much, Benjamin, Reuben, Gennaro, Frank - <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>So for products, it looks like we have some ideas. I really appreciate it.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I am an organizer and I get a little lost, so perhaps this can be helpful as an imperfect summary of thoughts received (this doesn’t have Gennaro’s awesome humor or Frank’s full advice): <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>-Osmo Hardwax Oil <a href="http://www.osmona.com/interior/Original_polyx.shtml">http://www.osmona.com/interior/Original_polyx.shtml</a> (check VOCs?)<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>-Bona product line<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>-Eco-house (New Brunswick) linseed oil/tung oil/carnauba wax blend (<a href="http://www.eco-house.com/product-category/natural-wood-finishes/wax-finishes/">http://www.eco-house.com/product-category/natural-wood-finishes/wax-finishes/</a>)<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>-<a href="http://www.realmilkpaint.com/products/oils/">http://www.realmilkpaint.com/products/oils/</a> (tung oil) <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>-Polymerized Tung Oil, thinned with citrus oil solvent<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=20051&cat=1,190,42942">http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=20051&cat=1,190,42942</a> This<br>has directions for controlling the gloss of the finish.<br>This is the Tung oil, to mix with the above tung oil sealer<br><a href="http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=20050&cat=1,190,42942">http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=20050&cat=1,190,42942</a><o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></blockquote></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Two friends also recommended Vermont Natural Coatings to me (one is a green building retailer, so they should know w some confidence?). I want to pass that company on to the group in case someone wants to check it out. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I am also passing all of these ideas on to my subcontractor. I don’t know if he would consider the ones that require more effort (honestly, it seems not), but it never hurts to share information and to show someone some new ideas. We could maybe convert him to being a greener guy, or at least to learning a bit about IAQ issues. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Frank: I totally agree with what you said: "I want to use products that I believe in; yet long-lasting durability.” This group is awesome because you all make it sound so easy. When I leave the green-interested world, things don’t look as green out there. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Thanks again.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Allison<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><br><br></span><span style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>Allison Friedman</span><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><br></span><span style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>Rate It Green<br><a href="http://www.rateitgreen.com">www.rateitgreen.com</a><br>@rateitgreen</span><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>@MAGreenbuilding</span><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div></body></html>