Q:

I have 2×6 tongue-and-groove plank flooring that I want to protect from spills and stains, but I don’t want a glossy—or even a satin—finish. What kind of finish would you recommend?

Andrew L. Blair, Jr., Denver, CO

A:

Paul Fuge, a flooring contractor in Santa Fe, New Mexico, replies: You need to finish your wood floors with either a top-quality, satin-urethane waterborne finish or a very well-rubbed-in and buffed penetrating oil finish. Skanvahr Coatings Ltd. (18646 142nd St. N. E., Woodinville, Wash. 98072; 206- 487-1500) has a waterborne satin-urethane finish called Pearl, which is about as inconspicuous as a durable surface finish can be.

It protects a wood floor against spills with a continuous film of water- and oil-resistant plastic. At the microscopic level, Skanvahr Pearl’s rough surface makes it appear as though the floor has no finish coat.

Well-rubbed, penetrating, hardening oil finishes are nearly invisible, yet they fill the wood’s pores to prevent water, oil and dust from penetrating. Tung oil is an example of this kind of finish. The dull look of a rubbed finish comes from the microscopic variations in the surface of the wood transferred to the surface of the very thin coating of oil left on the rubbed surface. After an oil finish is well-rubbed and thoroughly dried, screen it with very fine buffing pads to render a dull sheen and vacuum between passes.