Water-based polyurethanes provide a clear finish and have low odor. We can recoat them in two hour. If we start early enough in the day, we can apply the recommended four coats and you can sleep in the room that night.

Oil-based polyurethanes leave an amber glow and require fewer coats. But the 8 hour wait between coats and 16-hour wait after the last coat will put a bedroom out of commission for a few days—and you’ll have to put up with a strong odor.

But water-based polys have their tradeoffs. They cost more then oil-based polys. We can now make water base have that same amber glow that oil base offers.Most water-based polys contain only 30 to 35 percent solids, compared with the 45 to 50 percent solids in oil-based products. Since these solids create the protective finish, you need to apply four coats, as opposed to two or three. AnThere’s debate over which finish is harder, but some experts maintain that hardness isn’t necessarily a good attribute of a floor finish. You want a finish that will flex along with the floor. And a super-hard finish shows scratches more readily.

 We recommend the water base over the oil base.