UNDERSTANDING WATERBORNE POLYURETHANES

July 1st, 2007

By Michael Purser
Rosebud Co.

The last 20 years have seen some dramatic changes in products for finishing wood floors. At the top of this list are waterborne polyurethanes. These finishes provide superior performance, are easily maintained and provide homeowners better options than ever before. For these reasons, I am recommending and using waterborne urethanes over all my work. It has been on my own floors for over ten years and I wouldn’t consider any other product.

Many homeowners have either never heard of this product or have gotten mixed messages about its quality. Let me give you a little background information.

What originally caught my attention about waterborne urethanes was the performance I saw on my own kitchen floors when my daughter (now a teenager) was about 18 months old. It took everything she threw and poured on it and proved to be very easy to clean and renew. As I began using waterborne finishes in more demanding situations (kitchens, breakfast rooms, houses with young children, pets, etc.) I continued to be very impressed by the products performance. The list of benefits is long and is getting longer:

• More durability and the ability to hide abrasion.
• Specific cleaning products making maintenance and care easier.
• Color stability to reduce ambering and discoloration.
• Faster drying and curing times. Projects are completed much quicker.
• User friendly solvents to avoid the choking and annoying vapors of mineral spirits, alcohol and toluene. This not only makes for a more tolerable work site, it also eliminates environmental and physically hazardous vapors, odors and flammable products.
• The ability to recoat over itself and other coatings if necessary after extended use.

As enthusiastic as I am about waterborne urethanes, my feelings are not shared by all of my competitors. Waterbornes are difficult to work with, expensive and mistakes are difficult to correct. A lot of contractors simply don’t want to pay $90/gallon for a product they don’t feel comfortable working with. I can appreciate that but I can also identify with a homeowner who wants to gain the benefits waterborne products offer. I mentioned that I have waterborne on my own floors and I also go back and check to see how well it is holding up on older work where I used it. I have no qualms about recommending it and will be happy to put you in touch with satisfied clients who are experiencing the benefits of these superior coatings.

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(Since 1973, Michael Purser has been the owner of Rosebud Co. When people ask him how he ended up in the wood flooring business, he tells them he is a product of genetic engineering. His father, William B. Purser of Charlotte, N.C., started in the business in 1946. So, like his two brothers, he grew up around the trade. Originally from Charlotte, Michael grew up around the wood flooring trade and started his own company in Inman Park, one of Atlanta’s oldest inner city neighborhoods. These 100+ year old homes had been neglected and abused for decades and became the focal point of the rebirth of Atlanta’s old and original tree lined suburbs His interest in older homes prompted him to research and write about traditional methods and products used in refinishing wood floors over the ages. He has gone on to write articles, papers and make presentations for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Association for Preservation Technology, Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and other preservation groups. He has also become involved with contemporary wood floor products and materials and has written extensively for Fine Homebuilding and The Journal of Light Construction. He has continued to work in the preservation field and has pioneered Passive Refinishing®, a unique process that allows for the restoration of wood floors without sanding. More information is available about Michael and Rosebud Co. on the internet at www.rosebudfloors.com, or you may contact him directly at mpurser@rosebudfloors.com.)

Entry Filed under: Home Improvement, Hardwood floors