We test a lot of finishes before we offer them for sale to DIYers. And this is one of them that made the CUT!

Waterborne hardwood floor finish in particular has been historically difficult to apply. The reason we carry the Pall-X Power is that they seem to have fixed the application problems that are common to water-based polyurethanes:

• Power is aggressively self-leveling. This means that even when you are new to the process and don’t know how to coat in tight spaces or blend around corners, this finish settles fast.
• Eliminates the need for sanding between coats. If you get your coats of Power on within 24hours of each other, you don’t need to abrade your previous coat. This saves so much time and mess.
• This finish performs well even without a separate hardener. Two-component finishes are very strong but mixing two components gets messy and causes waste. This causes anxiety, and an anxious coater is not a good coater! A single component finish that is almost as tough as the more problematic two-component finish is the better buy.
• No need to decant into a separate container; pours right out of the jug and the filter is built in.
• Can be applied with t-bar or roller, but it levels better when rolled on. Use a 3/8″ nap microfiber cover.

Pall-X Power hardwood floor finish is designed as part of a coating system. The Power is a topcoat, so you must apply a layer of a sealer to your raw wood first. If you prefer a waterborne sealer, stay within the Pallmann brand family and use Pall-X Clear or Pall-X Color. Do not use over other brands of waterborne primers or sealers!

If you really need the full-on amber look of an oil-based sealer, Pallmann will bond to other manufacturer’s products oil-based products. We sell and recommend Bona Dri-Fast or DuraSeal QuickDry for just that purpose.

Once you have your chosen sealer applied, you will need TWO coats of Pall-X Power over the top, and we recommend three coats in kitchens and entryways.

Shake VIGOUROUSLY for a full minute before apply. Really, a full minute – we are not making this up. This will not cause surface bubbles; Power needs to be well-mixed to create a uniform sheen.

Allow a minimum of four hours between coats. Only sand between coats if more than 24 hours has passed since the first coat of Pall-X 96 using a 220 grit paper or screen, being sure to remove all sanding dust from that process.

Coverage rate is 500sqft per gallon.

Dries clear, very minimal yellowing over time. Use a UV film on windows to further limit ambering of the finish from exposure to light.

Pete’s keeps only the Satin and Ultra Matte versions of the Pallmann finishes in immediate inventory, but we can get Semi-Gloss or Gloss within an extra day or two. Call the store at 651.698.5888 to request Gloss or Semi-Gloss.

This product is not freeze-thaw stable, so don’t let it freeze. Because we ship this product from Minnesota, there will be some days when simply won’t ship this product until weather conditions improve. Call the store at 651-698-5888 if you are trying to order in winter and have a tight time deadline.

Pete’s has a 30-day return policy – what’s up with that?

It may seem draconian but hear us out. We set this return limit because waterborne finishes are chemically delicate. If they are stored at very high or very low temperatures, or temperatures that fluctuate, the de-foaming agents become unstable.

The longer a gallon of finish is out of our control, the less we know about how it was handled and stored. If we can’t be sure of how a gallon of finish will behave, we won’t resell it. But if we can’t resell returns, we lose our already low margin. So, yes, we are firm on 30-day returns on all finish.