Choosing between whether to use an oil-based or a water-based finish coat on a hardwood floor refinishing project in Manhattan depends largely on what the clients’ goals are in terms of cost, time, and overall design aesthetic, according to Rich Kessner. As the owner of New York Floorman, LLC, Kessner has worked with countless clients throughout the New York area on remodeling and flooring projects of all sizes.
He explains that when time is a factor, water-based finish coats are almost always the way to go. That is because each coat of oil-based polyurethane can take up to a day to dry, and sometimes even longer depending on the humidity levels and weather conditions outside. Unfortunately, not all people who are renovating their homes have the time to spend living elsewhere for multiple days while they wait for the finish on their new hardwood floors to dry. For these people, and anyone else who is in a time crunch, Kessner says that water-based finish coats are almost always going to be the better option.
Odor can be another factor that causes homeowners to choose a water-based finish over an oil-based product, since oil-based polyurethanes can create a strong odor that can sometimes force homeowners and their pets to have to leave the premises. Water-based polyurethanes are completely odorless, meanwhile, which is yet another reason why many of Kessner’s Manhattan clients choose water-based for their hardwood floor refinishing projects.
The upside to using an oil-based polyurethane in a hardwood floor refinishing project, especially for Manhattan clients, is that it typically lasts longer than most water-based finishes. “The oil based is slightly more durable than the water based,” Kessner says.
To make up for that, and to ensure that any floors done with a water-based polyurethane will stand up to spills and other household messes, Kessner says he will usually put a few more coats of a water-based polyurethane on his hardwood floors than he would if he were to use an oil-based polyurethane. And because the water-based polyurethane dries much faster than the oil-based finish—typically 30 minutes to an hour per coat, compared to a day or more for oil-based polyurethanes—Kessner says these additional layers of polyurethane usually do not add any extra days to the job.
One additional factor that Kessner says plays a large role in many of the hardwood floor refinishing projects he works on in Manhattan is that an increasing number of condo and co-op buildings are instituting policies that forbid apartment owners from using oil-based polyurethanes in their remodeling projects. The reason, they say, is to cut down on odor and time, since other residents in the building would prefer to minimize the days that crews of workers are traipsing through common areas while they work on a new hardwood floor.
Kessner says that the environmental factor has been increasing people’s interest in water-based polyurethanes as well, since these types of finishes are much more environmentally friendly than oil-based finishes. “Generally the eco-friendliness of water-based polyurethane is a good selling point for me,” he says. “People like hearing that.”
In addition to the eco-friendliness, Kessner says that people also tend to favor water-based polyurethane finishes after they hear how quickly they dry as compared to oil-based versions. “So if it is a small space, then I can sand someone’s studio apartment and apply the three coats of water-based all in one day,” he says. “And that way, they can move in that night if they want to.”
Another option for people who prefer not to move out of their homes or apartments during the renovation project is to finish the floors in stages. Because water-based polyurethane is odorless, homeowners do not have to vacate the premises while the polyurethanes is going on the floor.
Instead, Kessner says he will move all of the furniture to one side of the apartment while he sands and finishes one side of the floor, then move the furniture to the other side of the apartment once the polyurethane has dried—usually just 30 minutes per coat. “So splitting the job isn’t quite as big of a deal as if you were using an oil-based, because oil-based would need 24 hours to dry between each coat,” he says.
For people who live in condos with strict regulations, people who are in a rush to get their remodeling projects finished, people who are interested in using primarily eco-friendly materials, and people who prefer not to use any particularly odorous chemicals in their homes, Kessner says water-based polyurethane is the best way to go. Although the water-based polyurethane is slightly less durable than the oil-based, Kessner says he remedies that problem by putting more layers of water-based finish on the floor to create additional layers of protection.
