OK, I have to weigh in too.
My fave surface for kitchens is cork. Resilient. Great to stand on,
and dishes often don't break if you drop them. We put 1 x 3 tongue
and groove cork planks in our kitchen. You can see it here: <http://
www.environmentalhomecenter.com/shop.mv?
CatCode=PRODUCT&ProdCode=CORK_PLANK>.
We finished it with two coats of BonaKemi "Traffic". It's a low-toxic
catalyzed water-based poly that is super durable. <http://
www.bonakemi.com/productspecs/pdf/traffic.pdf> We used that on the
oak floors in the bedrooms that we refinished too.
In the living and dining rooms (which originally had only wall-to-
wall carpeting) we put in a pre-finished engineered floor in a Forest
Stewardship Council certified White Tigerwood. It's a tropical wood
about twice as hard as oak. <http://ecotimber.com/flooring/
display.asp?id=40&cid=4>.
For hardwood, my favorite finish is OS Hardwax Oil. You can touch it
up where it wears, rather than having to refinish the entire floor.
Really nice sheen that allows the wood to show through--as opposed to
the deep thick gloss you sometimes get with solvent-based poly, which
makes any floor look fake.
< http://www.environmentalhomecenter.com/shop.mv?
CatCode=PRODUCT&ProdCode=OS_HARDWAX_OIL>
We're starting to see "Mountain Ash" as well as Jarrah here too. I
personally think the Aussies ought to hang on to it themselves rather
than letting Americans scoop it up.
Rob in Seattle
On Apr 21, 2006, at 9:34 PM, Andrew Fildes wrote:
> Try something like Danish Oil - penetrates and has a hardening effect.
> Or one of the CFP finishes (cork, flooring and parquet) - and thin
> the first coat with a reducer to get penetration.
> Fir is lovely and strong but has a soft surface which needs
> toughening.
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