Low/No VOC polyurethane?

nsees

We need to re-seal some of our hardwood floors.  I of course don't want to use a traditional sealant as they are so strong.

I looked into Rubios Monocoat (https://www.monocoat.us/) but don't think that will be an option for us.  I also googled and found a water based "low odor" option from Minwax.
https://www.thefind.com/buy-8Asgosp15?result_view_id=f7bbd88b70cd24c251ea038ebbcdf7f2%3A0000&result_impression_id=f7bbd88b70cd24c251ea038ebbcdf7f2%3A0004&srcquery=low+voc+polyurethane

Any previous experience or recommendations?

TIA!

nonoemily

I have a bit of knowledge in this area, although I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to give you an easy answer. I will tell you what I know about floor coatings in general....

Water-based polys are (as a general rule) not as durable as an oil based product, a spar varnish (marine varnish), shellac based product, or other traditional type of coating. It's not that you can't or shouldn't use a water based product, but you should be aware that the performance is not exactly the same, and you may be looking at a longer curing time than an more traditional product. Curing and drying times can be affected by the way you apply the product as well as how much drying time you allow between coats.

In addition to a longer curing time, some water based products may not offer the same UV protect that another type of product would. This may not be relevant to the area you are refinishing, but if your floors are exposed to a lot of direct light in certain areas throughout the year, you can begin to see sun bleaching. Again, this just depends on your situation. There are products with UV blockers available, so it's just something to be aware of.

The Minwax product you posted a link to, while being marketed as a "low-VOC" option, is still rated at 275g/liter. That's actually not very low, IMO. A typical interior wall paint, for example, is around 100g/liter. I would consider a low-VOC product to be somewhere around 50g/liter or lower. You may still find it smelly and unpleasant to work with.

VOCs are also not just about the smell when applying the product, but also are released after the product dries and continues to off-gas, which is a process that takes place over weeks or months. If you are concerned about minimizing the health risks of VOC exposure, you may want to take this into consideration. A product which is higher in VOCs, but with a much shorter drying/curing time may result in less exposure for you and you family in the long run. It depends on if you plan to apply the product yourself and how long you can avoid the area being refinished.

I would contact Minwax and maybe a few other companies directly and ask for their MSDS data sheets and ask to speak to someone very knowledgeable about these products. Water-based and low-VOC products have become very popular in recent years and there are so many varying degrees of quality that doing a bit of research man be in your best interest. Their is no standard set for what is considered low-VOC and a lot of products are marketed as such when they are not. You should be able to get some good information directly from the source, rather than relying on a sales clerk at Lowe's or someone else who may not know much more than what's written on the back of the can.

I hope this helps! You should be able to find something that will work for you as long as you do a bit of research and ask the right questions. Good luck!

nsees

nonoemily:

I have a bit of knowledge in this area, although I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to give you an easy answer. I will tell you what I know about floor coatings in general....

Water-based polys are (as a general rule) not as durable as an oil based product, a spar varnish (marine varnish), shellac based product, or other traditional type of coating. It's not that you can't or shouldn't use a water based product, but you should be aware that the performance is not exactly the same, and you may be looking at a longer curing time than an more traditional product. Curing and drying times can be affected by the way you apply the product as well as how much drying time you allow between coats.

In addition to a longer curing time, some water based products may not offer the same UV protect that another type of product would. This may not be relevant to the area you are refinishing, but if your floors are exposed to a lot of direct light in certain areas throughout the year, you can begin to see sun bleaching. Again, this just depends on your situation. There are products with UV blockers available, so it's just something to be aware of.

The Minwax product you posted a link to, while being marketed as a "low-VOC" option, is still rated at 275g/liter. That's actually not very low, IMO. A typical interior wall paint, for example, is around 100g/liter. I would consider a low-VOC product to be somewhere around 50g/liter or lower. You may still find it smelly and unpleasant to work with.

VOCs are also not just about the smell when applying the product, but also are released after the product dries and continues to off-gas, which is a process that takes place over weeks or months. If you are concerned about minimizing the health risks of VOC exposure, you may want to take this into consideration. A product which is higher in VOCs, but with a much shorter drying/curing time may result in less exposure for you and you family in the long run. It depends on if you plan to apply the product yourself and how long you can avoid the area being refinished.

I would contact Minwax and maybe a few other companies directly and ask for their MSDS data sheets and ask to speak to someone very knowledgeable about these products. Water-based and low-VOC products have become very popular in recent years and there are so many varying degrees of quality that doing a bit of research man be in your best interest. Their is no standard set for what is considered low-VOC and a lot of products are marketed as such when they are not. You should be able to get some good information directly from the source, rather than relying on a sales clerk at Lowe's or someone else who may not know much more than what's written on the back of the can.

I hope this helps! You should be able to find something that will work for you as long as you do a bit of research and ask the right questions. Good luck!

Thanks for the information!  Unfortunately it's a high traffic area that we need to refinish (living room, hallway, kitchen) and we won't be able to vacate during the project so it sounds like we might need to use a traditional poly with the shorter cure time.  I have done some research that was leading me in that direction because of the drying time and our circumstances but your explanation was very helpful.  I may make some phone calls yet before I decide.  We're finishing up a couple of other projects so I have a little bit of time yet.  Thanks again!