Hi
I am trying to help a client out. Does anyone have a recommendation for a protective coating (or a Rep in Arizona) for an existing wood floor (think Gymnasium floor) that is being repurposed to a biology laboratory? They would like to keep the wood floor looking like the original floor.
Thanks in advance!
What kind of lab? What kind of performance?
I think it’s impractical to have the floor remain. It’s inviting contamination. A wood floor is designed to move as the wood reacts to the environment, so there are gaps at least at the edges. You don’t want gaps in a lab floor, you want a completely sealed floor, impervious to microbes and cleaning agents, as well as to the traffic and equipment movement, and whatever they’re planning to study in the lab. What kind of wash-down are they contemplating?
Take it up carefully and store it for future use.
If it’s a high school lab, they probably are not really doing a wash down like you’d see in a commercial lab. However, they surely will mop, which will be hard on wood. I’d refinish with a good urethane gymnasium floor varnish. That’s going to be about as resistant to damage as you can get for wood.