A-Max Hardwood has been researching finishes since its inception 15 years ago. We have gone from oil to waterbased to now UV. Oil was our very first flooring finish we used back in 1999. Oil was the go to finish from all contractors. Oil had many downsides but also had many upsides at the current time. The upsides included easy application and the downsides included horrible smell and sub-par durability. In 2004 waterbased became very popular, especially Bona Traffic. The durability was increased and the smell was considerably less. Just recently UV has become mainstream. This coating offers more durability than other oil/waterbased finishes and virtually no smell or harmful odors like other water-based and oil finishes do.
About SunFinish
Through our research we have found that SunFinish UV finish has been the best coating in the UV industry and we exclusively use this coating for almost all hardwood flooring installation and refinishing jobs. The coating is great for homeowners and commercial applications alike. You can read more about SunFinish at their site SunFinish.com.
Pros of SunFinish UV Finish:
- Very Low Volatile organic compounds or VOC’s – Virtually no smell
- Unmatched durability – Outlasts any water-based or oil product
- Once applied the floor can be used
- Superior scratch resistance (scratching is not denting and based on your wood rating)
- Clearest coating on the wood floor market
The Steps of Using SunFinish
- Apply a Bond Coat
- Buff the Bond Coat
- Apply the Body Builder Coat
- Buff the Body Builder Coat
- Apply the Finish Coat
- Run the UV Light Over the Finish
What is a UV Light Machine?
A UV light machine is a machine that emits UV light onto a floor. There are 3 different machines A-Max has for this process; they are: Tiger, The Mako and the Bulldog. The Tiger / Bulldog are the main machines that go over 90% of the floor. The Mako UV Handheld is a machine that goes along the baseboards and under toe-kicks – the remaining 10% of the floor. The machine pictures are below.
How Does the UV Light Work?
The UV light is a very important part of the finish. This light is what makes the finish turn hard (or cured) instantly. Once the UV light is exposed to the compounds in the finish they instantly harden.
The way we know we have gone over the finish on all areas of the floor is the coating has a marker in the coating. This marker is a blue or pink color. Once the marker is exposed to the UV light will disappear within half a second and the coating will become perfectly clear.
UV hardwood finishes are the way of the future. This product allows all our customers to use their home the moment we leave their house. There is virtually no downtime of using your floor if a UV finish is applied. You do not need to get a hotel and stay out the night, in fact, you can have a party with your family and friends the day we leave. Traditional finishes like oil and water-based left you out of the house for 1-3 days and not being able to use your floor for 1-2 weeks. If you are interested in learning more about UV finishes or SunFinish in general give us a call. You can also read more about the UV cured process here.
