This is my bedroom floor…
…on which I laid the first coat of urethane 4 hours ago. And it’s still not dry enough to walk on, even without boots, for a second coat. Plus the smell is killing me. I waited till it was warm enough to open all the windows, and I’m really glad for that precaution because this stuff is awful.
Stuck without anything constructive to do while I waited for each molecule of my floor treatment to individually and sequentially dry, I loaded up LB in the Jeep and we went to Landlady’s barn.
There we (okay: I) got to work on the bedframe I scored from the local thrift store Monday. Fortunately the wind has settled down.
BE IT KNOWN that I basically took everybody’s advice here. I scraped it down with a wire brush and steel wool. Then I burned it with frickin’ fire (propane torch). Then I primed it and painted it. Any bedbug egg that could have survived on this contraption would have come from a bug that had already conquered the world, so I’m not worrying about bugs any more.
That took a couple of hours, and we came home only to learn that the floor still wasn’t walkable even in socks. Now I’m starting to wonder if I even want to hit it with a second coat today, lest the air be too foul for sleeping when I have to close the windows. Doesn’t take long at all to apply and it’s easy as pie. But the drying time is glacial. This is quick-dry? How long does slow-dry take?
This is a case where a box fan comes in really handy.
Or a propane torch…
}:-]
“Into every life, a little rain must fall.” Hope it dries out and doesn’t give you cancer breathing it.
The good news is that nasty smell is likely the volatiles evaporating from your new floor finish, which is an indication that it is actually in the act of drying.
Urethane needs moisture to cure. If the humidity is really low it will take longer to set. Sounds counter intuitive, but that’s the way urethane works. The solvents will evaporate faster in low humidity, however the resin needs moisture to complete a chemical reaction and harden……….
Pretty sure temperature affects the drying time too — you mentioned it’s been cool. Did four coats and sanded between coats several years ago when we found out our ugly-assed carpet had been hiding hardwood floors. The Wife had to spend the week at Mom-in-Law’s house because of the fumes. Being it was summer and we live in Central Illinois, providing humidity was not an issue!
Cheers
What are your plans for the loft? Air BnB?
“What are your plans for the loft? Air BnB?”
I can see the ad now. Warmest place in the house. good climbing skills, strong bladder, not spooked by gun fire, snakes or the local amorous bull. ;>)
That’s going to be a sharp looking floor when it gets done.
The pantry’s going to move into the loft. So I’ll still be using the ladder quite a lot.
There’s low VOC polyurethane but your paint store must not have it. Used it on a kitchen floor done for a friend. It dried quickly in a low humidity environment and produced a hard glossy finish that didn’t scuff. Don’t remember the brand. Low VOC finishes are wonderful if you are living in the space.
High five to Judy