The biggest difference is in appearance.
Water based polyurethane floor varnish.
Traditional steel wool will leave behind bits of steel which will react with the water and leave rust stains in the clear coat.
Polyurethane is widely revered as one of the most durable yet easy to apply protective wood finishes polyurethanes are commonly available in both oil based and water based formulas and there are minor differences between the two in both performance and application.
Easy application and cleanup.
Here are our expert.
Synthetic wool is a must have product with water based finishes.
Very smooth and shiny finish.
Though this particular product is available in satin only it gives a beautiful finish that leaves your project the perfection it needs.
Low odor and low vocs.
Often used to finish hardwood floors the newer water based oil modified polyurethane lends a more robust level of protection than traditional water based poly.
Floors in need of a clear finish that dries quickly pros.
Polyurethane is actually the most durable hardwood floor finish.
Use coarse to medium synthetic wool between coats.
High durability water borne polyurethane brands the top 3 choices.
Water based polyurethane dries faster.
Over the years we have tested many brands of polyurethane on thousands of floors and i want to share with you the best water based poly that we have found for hardwood flooring.
Wood that is gray white or light looks better with a clear coat i e a water based finish.
However any water based.
High quality water based polyurethanes is considered by many homeowners flooring professionals to be equally durable.
If you want your floor to stay the same color choose water based polyurethane.
Oil based used to be unquestionably more durable.
Synthetic wool comes in various grades and is readily available where water based finishes are sold.
Advantages of water based polyurethane.
Today though water based polyurethane has evolved with better formulations that are equally durable as oil based polyurethane.
Oil based can take 3 5 days pending on humidity and you need to wait at least 24 hrs before walking on them.
In my opinion this is the largest benefit of water based polyurethane.
Woods with a hint of yellow in them already such as pine fir and ash become even yellower with an oil based finish.
Usually water based jobs can be done in 2 days and you can walk on it that night.