We have a history of buying fixer-upper homes so have gone through the hardwood floor refinishing process in multiple homes. I’ve learned a lot, including the pros and cons of using oil- versus water-based polyurethane. Today I’m sharing everything I learned with you to help you decide between these two types of polyurethane. These are the major deciding factors…
Drying Time
Water-based polyurethane dries much faster than oil-based polyurethane. With oil-based, you typically have to wait until the next day to add another coat of polyurethane, but water-based polyurethane can be recoated in as soon as 2-3 hours. Since refinishing wood floors involves multiple coats of polyurethane, this means that the total time of your refinishing job is longer with the oil-based.
Also, once the last coat of polyurethane has been placed on the floor, the time before you can walk on your floors and put your furniture and rugs back in place is much shorter with water-based polyurethane. When we refinished our wood stairs and used water-based polyurethane, by the end of the day we were able to walk up our stairs in our socks and sleep in our own beds. If we had chosen oil-based polyurethane, we would have had to spend several nights away from our home since no foot traffic is recommended for at least 24 hours (and due to odor – more on that next!).
There is also a significant time difference for how long you have to wait before putting furniture and rugs back in place on polyurethane sealed floors. With oil-based polyurethane, you should wait at least 3-4 days before putting furniture back and 2-4 weeks before putting rugs back. With water-based polyurethane, common recommendations are to wait two days before putting furniture back and at least one week before putting rugs back.
Odor
Oil-based polyurethane is much higher in VOCs so it has a strong odor and is not environmentally friendly. Water-based polyurethane is a low VOC product with little to no smell. The odor and possible health effects of using a high VOC product should always be considered, particularly if you’re refinishing hardwood floors in the winter when you can’t air the house out well. Several states have regulations regarding oil-based finishes due to their high VOC with their sale being either restricted or banned.
Because of the odors associated with oil-based polyurethanes, it is recommended that you stay out of your home for at least 72 hours after applying an oil-based polyurethane finish.
Color
Floors that are finished with oil-based polyurethane tend to amber (turn an orangey yellow) over time whereas floors finished with water-based polyurethane are not expected to change color significantly with age. Some people like the rich ambering that occurs with oil-based polyurethane and feel that this type of polyurethane adds more richness and depth to the floors whereas others don’t appreciate the change in color.
Here’s an example of the orangey hardwoods our home had when we bought it due to being finished with oil-based polyurethane. In comparison, the lighter hardwoods are our newly refinished hardwoods with a water-based finish:
Cost
Water-based polyurethane is a more expensive product than oil-based polyurethane. However, some companies don’t charge a whole lot more for water-based polyurethane because there is less drying time between coats, allowing them to get your job done faster and move on to the next job. When I’ve gotten bids for hardwood refinishing, I found that the added cost of water-based polyurethane varied greatly from company to company.
Durability
I’ve come across all sorts of different opinions about the durability difference between oil-based and water-based polyurethane. Some refinishers feel that oil-based polyurethane is more durable. Others feel that the durability is fairly equal if you are using a high quality water-based polyurethane.
Which is Best?
You’ve probably guessed my preference by now – I prefer using water-based polyurethane. For me, the extra cost of water-based polyurethane is worth it due to the faster drying time and lower VOCs. I also like that the color doesn’t change over time, as our floors that were finished with oil-based polyurethane years before we moved into the house look downright orange.
Want more info on refinishing your hardwood floors? Check out my post on hardwood floor refinishing with all the details on the process and my preferred finishes. Also see my post on how to clean hardwood floors so you know how to best care for your beautiful new floors!
Want to save this post?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Have you tried both types of poly and, if so, which type would you use the next time you refinish your floors?
