With today’s wood floor finishes, lasting beauty requires minimal maintenance. The most popular wood floor finishes are usually urethane. Urethane floor finishes remain on the surface of the wood and form a protective coating that is durable, water-resistant and require minimal maintenance. The following types of surface finishes can be found at almost any home improvement store.

- Oil modified urethane is a solvent-base polyurethane that dries in about eight hours. This type of finish ambers and is easy to apply.

- Moisture cured urethane is a solvent-base polyurethane that is more durable and more moisture resistant than other surface finishes. Coming in non-yellowing and in ambering types, moisture-cured urethane is generally available in satin or gloss. These finishes are extremely difficult to apply, have a strong odor and are best left to the professionals.

- Conversion varnish or Swedish Finish dries clear to slight amber. These finishes have an extremely strong odor and should be applied by a highly skilled flooring professional.

- Water based urethane is a waterborne urethane that dries by water evaporation. These finishes are clear and non-yellowing. They have a milder odor than oil-modified finishes have and dry in about two to three hours. Water-based urethanes are generally more expensive.

- Penetrating Stain and Wax finish soaks into the pores of the wood and hardens to form a protective penetrating seal. The wax gives a low-gloss satin sheen. It is generally maintained with solvent-based (never water-based) waxes, buffing pastes or cleaning liquids (specifically made for wax-finished wood floors and an additional thin application of wax as needed.

- Wax is the oldest, and in some ways the best. Wax is the easiest to apply, least expensive, fastest drying, easiest to repair, and with proper care will survive forever. Wax over a penetrating stain, and the system is in the wood so you wear the wood, not the finish.

- Aluminum Oxide Finishes is he newest in wood floor finishes offers a long lasting more durable coating than past wood floor finishes. These finishes carry a limited warranties, and is the latest trend wood floor manufacturers.