Choosing the Best Varnish for your Hardwood Floor

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When it comes to choosing the best varnish for your hardwood floor, making the best selection is crucial. You will need to take many points into consideration to help you choose a finish that will leave your floor looking shiny while building its strength and durability. You can choose to have your floor already finished or you may purchase a hardwood floor that is unfinished and varnish it yourself. Choosing to varnish your floor yourself will require some skill to prevent mistakes, however the project can easily be contracted out to a professional, if you feel uncomfortable completing the project yourself.

Toning With Your Existing Decor

Choosing the best varnish for your hardwood floor will include determining the correct shade you would like. You have complete liberty to choose a light wood shade or a darker deeper tone. Consider your home's decor as well as your other furnishings when choosing the best varnish for your hardwood floor and remember that light colors tend to make a room look larger, while darker colors give a more secluded feel. However, deep mahogany and cherry varnishes look splendid in offices and other rooms where there are plenty of brass, gold, and copper furnishing and accessories.

What Finish?

Two things to consider when choosing the best varnish for your hardwood floor is whether you want a surface finish or a penetrating finish. A surface finish uses a stain and then a layer of varnish or polyurethane to seal in the floor. Some finishes, such as conversion varnish have fumes that are so powerful, that a professional should only apply them. Some Urethane finishes may be applied by the home does it yourselfer craftsmen or woman. An Oil-based Urethane finish is the most common finish to be applied. It is usually completely adhered within 8 hours, making it an easy weekend project.

High or Low Gloss Finish?

Another option to consider when choosing the best varnish for your hardwood floor is whether you want a low or high gloss finish. Using a penetrating finish will offer you the choice of high gloss or satin finish. Penetrating finishes, unlike surface finishes, penetrate deep into the wood. After the finish has bee applied and allowed to penetrate into the deep layers of the wood, the high or satin finish then penetrates deeply into the wood. Finally, when choosing the best varnish for your hardwood floor, remember that most residential homes use a low gloss varnish to minimize the appearance of scratches.