Question:
Hey Joseph. Thanks so much for your advice. I did have a written contract with this guy, so I’m in the process of negotiating a discount of some sort. He’s no too fond of the idea, as you can imagine. He keeps arguing, “Street Shoe is a *better* finish than poly! Way better!” I’m so glad I had contacted you a while back otherwise, I wouldn’t have known any different. Plastic-y floors are exactly what I didn’t want. I am happy with the stain, though, so at least I’ve got that going for me. As for the satin vs. matte finish, which do you prefer on dark floors?
Thanks a ton,
Kathleen
Answer:
Dear Kathleen
I was glad to be of help. And as to the Street Shoe, it’s not really “Way better” than oil poly, just “Way more” expensive. Anyway, I prefer a satin finish on my stained floors, I want just a bit of sheen, and at least the sheen and the stain on your floor look great to me. Too bad floor guys just don’t realize what “clarity of finish film” means. Street Shoe was meant to be (and still is great for this) a commercial floor finish, meant to be resanded every decade or so. It’s lack of clarity just doesn’t make it the best residential long (20-40 years) term floor finish. I’m sure you’ll find that Street Shoe is tough, but appearance counts for something, or am I crazy ?
As always your Most humble servant, Joseph, the Wood Floor Doctor.