Our newest floor finish line: Vermont Natural Coatings PolyWhey.
If you want it all and you want it now, we may have the floor finish for you.
The chemistry of wood floor protection is incredibly complicated.
In the past, the industry relied on petroleum-derived solvents and plastics to create protective floor finishes. The strong solvents were needed to keep the plastics dissolved, but allowed the liquid to solidify quickly into a permanent and attractive coating.
But there is so much we don’t know about the insidious effects of those chemicals on our environments and our bodies.
The future of floor coating
So, if you can achieve all your floor protection goals, but swap out those problematic substances for renewable options that are byproducts of the dairy industry, wouldn’t you want that?
That is why PolyWhey should be the future of floor coating and we want to be a part of slowly weaning the industry off of the older but deeply-entrenched alternatives.
We get it. You just want to protect your freshly sanded wood floor, for as long as possible.
Because you really don’t want to go through the ordeal of sanding again any time soon. We got you. The Vermont Natural Coatings PolyWhey line ticks all the boxes:
1. It’s aggressively safer than any other polyurethane currently on the market
2. It is easy to apply evenly and well
3. It is long-wearing
4. It is one of the few manufacturers that will sell directly to small business like Pete’s which keeps the price very low for such high quality
Polywhey Sealers
Sealer is just another word for primer
PolyWhey 3000 Wood Floor Sealer
Just like every other floor finish we sell, PolyWhey is a 3-layer system, and the first layer MUST be a sealer, especially for controlling tannin pull on oaks.
If you are using PolyWhey topcoats, they were designed to bond to PolyWhey 3000 Sealer. Floor finishes bond better when they are all from the same brand family.
For best results, apply one coat of PolyWhey 3000 Wood Floor Sealer, followed by 2-3 coats PolyWhey Ez-Pro or PolyWhey 3500.
PolyWhey 3000:
- is a completely CLEAR sealer. If you need an amber or white effect, you can use a different brand of sealer, but with care.
- is water-based, so will likely raise the grain and leave the wood feeling rough. But it can be lightly sanded at 180-grit without gumming after 6 hours
- applies easily with 3/8″ nap microfiber roller or microfiber head on a t-bar.
Published coverage rate: 500sqft per gallon
Solvent base: Water
VOC level: 50 g/L
Finishes
PolyWhey EZ-Pro Waterborne Wood Floor Finish, Satin and Semi Gloss
Too good to be true, but it is.
You know how you have that one friend that just fits in everywhere? That is the PolyWhey EZ-Pro.
If we had to carry only one finish, we would choose this one because it works for so many different customers. This finish solves problems before you encounter them.
- It has perfect viscosity so it flows well under both rollers and t-bars.
- It has a long enough working time that you can feather and blend your strokes.
- It can be recoated quickly.
- It has a generous coverage rate.
- It doesn’t smell.
- It uses whey instead of petro-derived solvents to achieve its workability and strength.
- And like all waterborne polyurethanes, it is transparent and clear. No yellow. No gold.
And even though is is not the toughest finish in the PolyWhey line (see the PolyWhey 3500 below for their “best” topcoat) it punches above its weight.
By that we mean it is extremely hardwearing for a single-component, mid-priced polyurethane. It is better at half the price than its competitors (looking at you Bona Mega).
For best results, apply one coat of PolyWhey 3000 Wood Floor Sealer, followed by 2-3 coats PolyWhey Ez-Pro or PolyWhey 3500.
Published coverage rate: 600-700sqft per gallon
Solvent base: Water
VOC level: 210 g/L
PolyWhey 3500 Wood Floor Finish
Sometimes, you need extra protection.
So, you want options. You need all the features that the PolyWhey EZ-Pro has, but you want it to wear even longer and harder because you’re coating a kitchen or because you live in Minnesota and track in a lot of road salt.
Then PolyWhey 3500 is your better choice. It has all the same low-toxicity, easy-to-apply, fast-drying, clear, protection of EZ-Pro, but designed for tougher environments.
It simply takes more walking to wear through a higher-grade more expensive polyurethane. So, if you are just coating bedrooms, the PolyWhey 3500 might be overkill, but it’s perfect for a dining room that you use every day.
Keep in mind that tougher finishes can’t completely prevent scratches.
All polyurethanes will scratch. But the higher-priced ones use harder resins, which will can limit the depth of a scratch. Mostly what you get for your money is more years of protection from wear and washing before you need to recoat.
It does NOT mean you can drag your pianos or buffet cabinets across your wood floor without damage – please stop doing that.
For best results, apply one coat of PolyWhey 3000 Wood Floor Sealer, followed by 2-3 coats PolyWhey Ez-Pro or PolyWhey 3500.
Published coverage rate: 600-700sqft per gallon
Solvent base: Water
VOC level: 95g/L
You say that it is always best to use PolyWhey’s proprietary sealer coat, but I had my heart set on using one of those white-tinted sealers because my red oak floor looks orange even with just a clear primer.
Do I have any options?
Yes, you do have options here. As long as you allow a more generous drying time (12-24 hours) for your non-PolyWhey sealer coat, you can safely use it under PolyWhey EZ-Pro or PolyWhey 3500. We would recommend using Pallmann NatureSeal or Pallmann WhiteSeal, just because we find them easier to use than other brands of white sealer.
As long as we’re on the topic of using non-PolyWhey primer coats, if you are looking to make your floor more amber, you could use an oil-based sealer like Bona DriFast, under your PolyWhey topcoats. If you do that, wait at least 12 hours and lightly abrade the DriFast with a 180-grit paper or screen and remove all dust with a water-dampened rag before proceeding.
Do I need to sand between coats of PolyWhey?
As long as wait less than 24 hours between coats, PolyWhey will bond well with any previous PolyWhey coating.
So, if it has been more than 24 hours since your previous coat, you must abrade it with a 180-grit paper or screen.
However, as with all waterborne finishes, if you do not abrade between any of the three layers of PolyWhey, the floor is likely to feel rough because water “whiskers up” the grain.
So, for better, smoother results, Vermont Natural Coatings recommends lightly sanding the PolyWhey 3000 Wood Sealer with 180-grit paper or screens prior to any topcoats.