• Safety first: When staining a wood floor, make sure you protect your skin and eyes with the proper protection. We recommend wearing safety glasses and disposable rubber gloves.
• Test strip: Test your stain color on a scrap piece of wood to ensure you like the color before you start staining your entire floor.
• Blotches: To prevent blotches on wood, apply a thick coat of wood conditioner before you stain. The conditioner needs 15 minutes to dry before you apply your stain. It is not necessary to sand the floor after the conditioner dries.
• Oil-based stains: Stir stain thoroughly before applying. This will prevent the dyes and pigments of the stain from settling on the bottom of the can and ensure an even-looking stain. If you choose to use an oil-based stain, make sure the room is well ventilated.
• No fumes: If you do not want to deal with the fumes that come along with an oil based stain, try using a waterbased stain. Waterbased stains come in a large variety of colors and can be applied the same way as oil-based stains. Basic Coatings® has a large variety of waterbased products for your needs!
• How to apply: Apply stain with a brush or a rag, depending on your preference. If you choose to use a brush, work both with the grain and against it. Apply a nice, even and thick coat of stain on the wood. For a lighter tone, make sure you wipe the stain off immediately. For a darker stain, let the stain sit for five to ten minutes before wiping off. Be sure to wipe off the excess stain going in the direction of the grain to guarantee the stain gets into the wood opposed to settling on top.
• Water and oil do not mix: Do not mix a waterbased stain and an oil-based stain. If you want to mix stains to create your own customized color, make sure that the stains are made by the same manufacturer and are both either waterbased or oil-based. Measure the amounts of each stain used and write it down so you can duplicate the mix if necessary.

1.) Not cleaned properly: Often times the floor that is being refinished is not cleaned the correct way or often enough. Many times, accidents can be prevented with proper cleaning. Dust accumulations can make a floor seem slippery. Pull out those mops and wipe the dust away!

2.) The wrong chemical was used: When looking to buy a floor refinisher, make sure you check the label to see if it is “slip-resistant.” If you are worried about having a slick floor, do not invest your money on a product that is not slip-resistant. These products are usually higher quality so they are priced higher; however, it is worth the price when you are not spending your money at the doctor’s office!

3.) Too few or too less- If there are not enough coats of refinisher on the floor, then your result may be a slippery floor. Same goes for too many coats. We recommend you apply three to four coats of floor finish and then test for slip resistance. Apply another coat if necessary.

4.) An oily mop: An oily or over-treated dust mop can cause a floor to be slippery. We recommend you machine scrub the floor, and then go over it with a non-oil dust mop.

5.) Dirty tools: Make sure when you are refinishing any floor, that you thoroughly clean all your tools and cleaning supplies. Contaminants may contain oil or substances that will make your floor a danger zone.

We care about your safety! Use these helpful hints and tips for your future projects to prevent an accident! Basic Coatings can help you with any questions you might have regarding floor care. Contact us using the web form or by calling Customer Service at 800-441-1934.

• Amount of air movement and circulation over the drying surface
• Film thickness
• Relative humidity
• Temperature

Amount of Air Circulation
Air circulation is very important when it comes to drying  floor finishes. Without it, the solvent and water evaporating from the finish can quickly saturate a small layer of air above the finish, causing  the rate of evaporation to slow down significantly. For example, if your floor is in an enclosed area, the amount of time it takes for the finish to dry will be much longer than a floor in a room with proper air circulation. To ensure the right amount of air circulation, you can open windows, doors or install a fan to keep the air moving. Always wait until the finish has “set up” and is tack-free before introducing air movement to prevent dust accumulation or a ripple in the finish. This will normally take 30 minutes to an hour.

Film Thickness
Many are not aware, but floor finishes dry from the top down. Water and solvents must migrate through the wet film to evaporate. This will cause the curing process to become slower as film thickness increases. This simply means that thicker films will take longer to dry, stay softer longer and potentially damage your newly finished floors. Make sure that the previous layer of coating is fully dried before you apply your second coat.

Relative Humidity
When there is more humidity in the air, there is more moisture in the air. This can dramatically slow down the drying process for your floors. If it just so happens to be humid on the day you are finishing your floors, try to increase the airflow with a fan.

Temperature
The last factor that can impact drying time is temperature. There are two ways that temperature can influence drying rate. 1.) Temperature increases the air’s capacity to carry vapor. This can increase the drying rate, but only if the air is circulating and moving. 2.) The cooler the temperature, the longer the drying time. When the temperature is cooler, it slows the curing rate. Your result will be a slower drying time and a softer floor.

Waiting for your floor to finish drying can be a long process, but if you want the best results, be patient! Your beautiful floor finish will be finished drying before you know it. We recommend Basic Coating’s® StreetShoe® NXT for a fast curing finish.