Creating a white look on oak and beech hardwood floors

[@lifeandmylens]

Beautiful! This is exactly the look I am going for. I have white oak floors. I sanded down, and just used bona white and vigorously wiped it off (a lot of work). It still is not completely seamless, you can see a little overlapping in places. Is that because I missed the bona natural step? I've only done one room, so I can add the bona natural step for the remaining rooms.

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

Hello Shawn, thank you very much for contacting me. You are right! Working with Bona White directly on bare wood is a bit of a challenge due to the high amount of white pigment. If I were you, I would follow the process as in this video. OR you have a second option by using a 1K product like Bona Classic UX or Bona Domo as a first coat, let it dry for 1.5 hours and then apply Bona White on top.

[@lifeandmylens]

@@alexanderdolschenko4225 thank you very much. I went to my local flooring place and asked for “Bona White” and they sold me Bona DriFast Stain in white. I didn’t realize it until just recently that it’s the wrong product. I’ll need to see if it’s worth sanding again and applying natural seal and the real Bona white this time.

[@nemmesis11]

What would you recommend for achieving the same look on Red Oak floors? I am guessing the video shows White Oak and thus wanted to check if there is a different formula for achieving a similar look on red oak floors.

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

Thanks for your question! Yes, you are right, it is white oak. The appearance of red oak treated with Bona Natural and/or Bona White will be a little bit different. But if you don't have red and white oak next to each other, you won't notice any differences.

[@MRSSNOWSTORM]

Hello, Alexander, our floors are beech tree wood. How would you recommend to paint it? Will it looks nice with Bona white? And how it calls in russian? I try to find it in Azerbaijan. Appreciate your reply.

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

Hey Nazrin, thanks for your request. There are many treatment choices for achieving an amazing result. If you are connected with Telegram, then please visit my channel "Я-паркетчик". Below is the link to the channel: t.me/BOdwAT_PhKw5NWNi My few latest posts are about renovation of a beech wood floor. You can also raise questions there. If you don't have access to Telegram, then please describe here whether your floor is solid or engineered, glued down to the subfloor, or laid floating, varnished, or oild. After receiving your details, I will suggest a proper treatment schedule. Br, Alexander

[@damirsarac151]

Man awesome work, I'm currently working on a stair treads,they are white oak, which Bona product would you recommend me in order to stain oak a bit darker and also to avoid yellowing as much as possible? Thanks a lot and keep up the good work.

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

Thanks 😊. Depending on where are you located. In the US we have DryFast Stain and Craft Oil 2K, which are overcoatable with Traffic HD. In Europe we only use Bona Craft Oil 2K and Traffic HD on top.

[@damirsarac151]

@@alexanderdolschenko4225 than man,i'll probably use Traffic HD as a top coat,just need to decide what to use to stain them, thanks man,much appreciated!!!

[@mk-qe9ep]

Hi Alex, We are finishing grade 1 white oak floors tomorrow, we want more of contemporary looking white and which doesnt show too many grains. Could you please suggest what we should go with? Thanks.,

[@yaslh3534]

Hello Alex! Do the floors need to be damped with water prior to the application of the first coat? If so, is it right before the application of that first coat or the day before? Thanks!

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

Hi! No, don't do a water pop before using water-borne primer.

[@sagarsingha3670]

Can you finish the job without overcoating with proper finishing materials? I mean both are Primers!

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

No, a top coat with at least one layer of varnish is always required. We recommend the application of varnishes such as Bona Traffic, Bona Mega ONE or Bona Domo.

[@Dan-vo7vc]

Great result! What is the purpose of the first coat of natural?

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

Both Bona Natural and Bona White contain pigments. The reason is why to use Bona Natural first is because it has fewer pigments, and it will be easier to work with.

[@qq911]

After 1x Neutral and 1x White, how many coats of Traffic HD do you recommend?

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

At least 1 coat for normal wear. For high wear 2 coats.

[@qq911]

@@alexanderdolschenko4225 Thank you for the quick reply! So for an apartment with 2 small kids, a dog and 2 cats, I'm guessing 2 coats :D

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

@@qq911 yes, I would definitely recommend 👌

[@jamielewis2509]

What is “HD” and before adding these products do I have to sand my floor and then your these two products? So confusing

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

@@jamielewis2509 the hardwood floor needs to be sanded before application of the primer/sealer. The products in the video are primer with white pigments. It shows how to create more white look. There are different ways for it. Regarding "HD", I guess you mean Traffic HD. It yes, it is our two component waterborne finish which should be applied on top of the primer (last step).

[@szymonhofman9554]

Hi Alex, do you later apply coat of clear varnish ? Let's say 1x natural, 2x white and 1x mega ?

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

Hi, you are right, a clear varnish is always needed on top! Bear in mind, Bona Mega shouldn't be used on Natural or White, as this varnish will yellow over time and thus the surface will strongly change its colour. We only recommend to use non-yellowing finish on top of it like Bona Domo, Mega ONE, Traffic HD Raw, Traffic Natural, Traffic HD.

[@pascallevloet9937]

What’s the difference between Bona Traffic HD Raw and Bona Traffic Naturel?

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

Traffic HD Raw is a improved version of Traffic Natural. It is more ultra mat about 4%. The product is easier to apply and has great haptic feeling.

[@pascallevloet9937]

Oke, thank you for your information!!! So for an unfinished look i can use 2x Bona naturel primer and 1x Bona Traffic hd Raw???

[@kelanjames3488]

@@pascallevloet9937 just raw

[@elizabethsundsted8144]

Can you use this same process on wood cabinets?

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

Elizabeth, I haven't tried it yet, but I'm pretty sure that works out as well.

[@carlaviteri7585]

Very nice video!! Thanks for sharing. Would you recommend white oak (USA) to have the same exact look (loving the Bona White 2x). My only concern is that the Oak HF tend to be wayyyy yellowishhhh/orange than the one you are showing 😭😭😭😭!!

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

Thanks for your comment. You are right! The oak tends to get yellowish over time because of its content of tannin. That's a natural process and cannot be prevented entirely. In that case, I recommend using Traffic natural or Traffic HD extra mat finish over Natural/White primer.

[@pascallevloet9937]

Don’t you have to sand inbetween the layers?

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

Yes, sure, it needs to be done.

[@pascallevloet9937]

@@alexanderdolschenko4225 Thank you so much. After the first layer or (also) after the second layer?

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

@@pascallevloet9937 after the first layer use Bona Sand ScradPad (maroon pad). It helps to remove all the raised wood grains and get the surface smooth. Please don't use any other abrasive to avoid sanding through the primer/sealer film. After the second coat of primer/sealer use the same ScradPad (maroon pad) with two or three pieces Diamond abrasive G120 or similar sanding paper and apply the desired finish on top.

[@alijagicarmin]

Dear Alexander, great video! I’m leaning towards bona natural (1x) and bona white (1x) on my european white oak. But how is this different from doing only 1x bona white combined with bona traffic natural 2x in terms of the visual end result? The idea is to create an unfinished (not too whitewashed) look. What would you suggest: Option 1: Bona natural 1x + Bona white 1x + Bona traffic natural 2x Option 2: Bona white 1x + Bona traffic natural 2x Thanks

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

Dear Armin, thank you for reaching out to me. If you want to have an unfinished look, then I would suggest another option: 2x Bona Natural + 2x Bona Traffic Natural. Using Bona White, you are going to get the surface more white.

[@alijagicarmin]

​@@alexanderdolschenko4225 many thanks. Is it not going to be too dark/yellowish that way? because that is something I'm trying to avoid... I'm doing them next week, wish me luck

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

I've done it many times and the results were awesome. Wish you good luck 😉

[@alijagicarmin]

Alexander Dolschenko Thanks a lot. You convinced me :) Keep posting great videos

[@mariamelendez4034]

Where I can find it please

[@hellodiamonds]

Does this have to be done on unfinished hardwood only?

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

Yes, it is a primer and has to be applied on bare wood only.

[@gustavperm]

Александр, зачем столько слоев грунта?

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

Чтобы достичь желаемого оттенка)))

[@gustavperm]

@@alexanderdolschenko4225 Грунты не покусаются? , Очень хотелось бы увидеть фото и видео.. как разные грунты и лаки "поджигают"

[@carlaviteri7585]

Never mind!! Can’t find those Bona products here 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭.

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

Where are you from?

[@carlaviteri7585]

@@alexanderdolschenko4225 Chicago, IL USA.

[@alexanderdolschenko4225]

Ok, then you should look at the name Natural Sealer and White Sealer in the USA.