Nearly Invisible Floor Finish
Bona Traffic Naturale is an easy-to-apply, fast-drying alternative to polyurethane that gives the look of unfinished wood.
I love the look of natural wood, but uncoated wood isn’t a smart choice for hardwood flooring, and even the most matte polyurethane still looks like polyurethane. For me, Bona Traffic Naturale (bona.com) was just another finishing product promising a no-coat look, and I was skeptical until I saw it used in a house. It truly creates a raw, bare-wood look, and claims are that it holds up like a champ. I had used Bona waterborne polyurethane before, which applies with impressive ease and delivers fantastic results, so I figured I would give Traffic Naturale a try on my 90-year-old maple flooring. If I hadn’t been the one pouring the finish and pushing the roller for all three coats (Bona recommends at least two), I’d have sworn there was nothing on my floors. This two-part finish (the water-based polyurethane is catalyzed with an isocyanate hardener) is easily applied, dries fast, and doesn’t darken the wood surface much, if at all. One gallon covers approximately 350 to 400 sq. ft. and sells for about $130.
—Justin Fink, editorial director
From Fine Homebuilding #284
