Protecting parquet kitchen floor

[bubbles]

I just bought a house with a wood parquet floor in the kitchen. It’s in great shape, but the finish looks very thin and I’m nervous that it will get water damage over time because of having so many little boards attached together. As a preventative measure, I want to put down some really good finish on it before moving in to protect it. I’ve read that an acid cured finish, or a moisture cured urethane would be strongest, although they’re kind of toxic at first just after they go on (we can afford to wait a few weeks to move in if we need to… Although I wonder how many weeks we would need to wait to really have it fully cured? I have a 17 month old so definitely don’t want any toxic fumes once we get there) but the contractors I asked about it said they thought Bona Traffic was actually just as strong, and also would be able to go straight on over the existing varnish whereas I’d have to lose part of the floor thickness by sanding down if I went with the other finishes. i’m not sure if the current finish is oil or water based, but my guess is oil based because it seems kind of yellow/orangey (see attached picture). Is Bona Traffic really strong enough to protect a parquet floor in the kitchen long term, with a toddler throwing water all over it all the time? (I do wipe the water up right away) If not, would acid cured or moisture cured urethane be better? If so, which one would you recommend, and what brand/specific product, and how long do you think we need to wait for all of the VOCs to be gone after the finish goes down? Thank you!!!

 

[Nick]

Floor looks in good shape .. No finish is completely waterproof .. Put some area rugs down ..

 

[Ernesto]

You should have screened it, light sanding prior to application. It helps the finish bond and removes contaminants that might cause bubbles and flaking off .