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Three features differentiate flooring topcoats

1. General Finishes flooring topcoat, Pro Image, is fortified with significantly more urethane to increase durability.
2. The slip rate of flooring topcoats is higher to improve floor safety and reduce the likelihood of slipping; approximately a 5.7 rating. For example, someone in socks is less likely to slip on a flooring finish, or a basketball player is less likely to slip on a good professional floor finish.

The hardness properties of a wood finish are formulated around the objectives of use. A hard finish is desirable on projects that get heavy wear such as kitchen cabinets or table tops.

But in other situations, such as an outdoor topcoat, a desired property of the finish is elongation, which allows the topcoat to expand and contract through different extremes of temperature.

A steam mop won't damage the finish film but it will force moisture into the wood between the boards or into any open scratched areas on the surface of the board. This could cause a de-lamination of the finish from the wood or damage to the wood itself. We recommend a commercial floor cleaner such as Bona floor cleaning system.

General Finishes Pro Image Topcoat or Pro Shield Topcoat can be applied directly to the stain without a sealer.

In cases of species like White Oak top coats can pull tannin from the wood leaving an undesirable color affect. Many closed grain woods such as maple, walnut, and cherry may only require one seal coat and two finish coats. Most open grain woods such as the oaks and ash will need two seal coats to increase the build of the finish and improve the final result. If in doubt, put down a coat of sealer.

Now more than ever, water-based stains offer a viable alternative to oil-based and other solvent-based stains.

Water-based stains penetrate deeper into wood than oil-based stains, resulting in deep, rich colors in only one coat. Manufacturers, professionals, and DIY users moving away from solvent-based products to water-based systems find immediate advantages...