Choosing a Floor Finish

Q: How should I finish an old pine floor at my cottage? I’ve sanded the surface, and now want to seal it against wear and moisture. At first I thought I'd just pick up a gallon of urethane and be done with it. But then I did a web search for floor finishes and now I'm wondering if tung oil might be better. The area is about 400 sq. ft., in the living room/dining room of our seasonal cottage. Ideally I want to be able to repair scratches and wear marks as they occur, which I understand is easier with tung oil. But on the other hand I also want a floor that will be durable and easy to keep clean. There will be a few area rugs, some furniture and occasional wet dog traffic. What do you think? Tung oil, urethane or something else?

A: That's a great question because lots of people face the same choices. Let’s start by looking at the pros and cons. Urethane is a nice tough finish, but it's not very repairable. It starts to look pretty bad when foot traffic wears through in high-use areas, especially if the wood has been stained first. On the other hand, tung oil is highly repairable, though not as tough as urethane. If you do choose the tung oil option, get a grade of oil made especially for floors. There are several formulations, and the stuff made for furniture won’t do as well under foot. Without living with the two options, it’s difficult to make a decision, so here’s a flexible plan: Try some tung oil first and see what it's like. If it doesn't prove tough enough, oil-based urethane can be applied over fully cured oil. (Give it several months drying time, at least.) Just know that once you’ve applied urethane, you’re committed to that choice unless you sand the whole floor back to bare wood.