If the finish dissolves this time then you can be assured you have a shellac finish.
Testing hardwood floor finish.
Hardwood floor finishes have varying levels of ease durability even glossiness.
Shudder there are two types of products you need to test for to determine if you need to chemically strip the floor before recoating.
It is absorbed into the floor and then topped off by a coat of floor wax.
How can you properly clean hardwood floors without knowing the finish that was applied.
If nothing happens move on to the next test.
The finish is generally consistent insofar as it is inconsistent throughout the house.
It comes in both paste and liquid forms.
Test 2 is it shellac.
If you can feel the graininess and texture of the wood the floor probably has a coating of penetrating oil and perhaps wax.
Brush up on the basics of 8 popular options before choosing yours.
Testing hardwood floor finishes in a closet.
The cheapest of the modern finishes this type adds a warm glow to popular wood flooring options like white oak or maple.
Grease based residue like wax or oil soap.
Unfinished solid hardwood flooring has a penetrating finish which does as the name implies.
Finishing expert peter gedrys explains how you can test you floors to determine the finish used.
Even if you screen it aggressively first you are likely to experience crawling the dreaded fish eye or just widespread peeling after the finish is applied.
This time apply a small amount of denatured alcohol to the finish and do the same process.
If the finish dissolves congratulations you ve got a waxed floor.
Since there are no signs that these floors had ever been covered the assumption has always been stained maybe with coats of well worn and time darkened clear coat over it.
Finishes for hardwood floors come in several different types.
The easiest way to test a floor finish is to run your hand along the surface of the floor.
Oil based polyurethane oil based polyurethane offers middle of the road durability at an affordable price.
Best hardwood floor finish for high traffic.
Found on prefinished solid hardwood flooring surface finishes such as polyurethane form a protective layer over the floor and are some of the most common finishes in use today.