Why We Work With These Three
We do not apply oil-modified polyurethane. Oil-based finishes take 24+ hours between coats, require 2 to 4 weeks to fully cure, off-gas heavily throughout that period, and yellow significantly over time — the amber cast that makes older Raleigh hardwood look dated is almost always oil-modified polyurethane aging. Our three systems cure faster, start clearer, and stay clearer.
Bona Traffic HD and Bona Mega One are both water-based polyurethanes. They form a surface coating — a film on top of the wood that provides durability and can be built up in multiple coats. Rubio Monocoat is fundamentally different: it is a plant-based hardwax oil that penetrates the wood fibers and cures inside them rather than forming a film on top. The look, feel, and repair behavior of oil finish is distinct from polyurethane in ways that matter when choosing. Finish selection is one of the first decisions we walk through during every hardwood floor refinishing project — before sanding begins, before stain is chosen.
Bona Traffic HD: The Workhorse
Traffic HD is a commercial-grade water-based polyurethane — the same product used in commercial settings like restaurants, retail stores, and gymnasiums, available for residential application. It is the hardest water-based finish we carry.
The key spec: 3 days to full cure.Most water-based products require 5 to 7 days. Traffic HD's faster cure time means your home returns to normal faster — furniture back in, rugs down, and no restrictions on foot traffic within 72 hours of the final coat.
Traffic HD is available in Extra Matte, Matte, Satin, Semi-Gloss, and High Gloss. Most of our residential clients choose Matte or Satin. Matte reads as flat — no sheen visible unless light hits it at a very low angle. Satin has a subtle gloss that reads as polished without being reflective. Both hide everyday scratches and scuffs better than Semi-Gloss or High Gloss, which amplify imperfections.
The limitation of Traffic HD is that deep damage — scratches through the finish to bare wood, heavy gouges, water staining — requires a full resand to repair. You cannot spot-treat Traffic HD. This is not unique to Traffic HD; it is the nature of surface-coating polyurethane systems. The practical way to extend Traffic HD's life is regular hardwood floor recoating — a light screen and fresh coat every 3 to 5 years that refreshes the surface before wear cuts through to bare wood.
Bona Mega One: The Flexible Alternative
Mega One is a residential-grade water-based polyurethane. Softer than Traffic HD, with a 5-day full cure. It is the right choice for rooms with lighter traffic where maximum hardness is not the priority — formal dining rooms, bedrooms, home offices, and guest areas.
The main advantage of Mega One over Traffic HD is flexibility. Water-based finishes can be somewhat rigid, and Mega One's softer formulation makes it a slightly more forgiving finish in terms of coating performance. In practice, for most residential applications, the difference in durability between Traffic HD and Mega One is noticeable only in high-traffic areas over years of use.
Like Traffic HD, deep damage to Mega One requires a full resand to repair. Spot treatment is not an option with either polyurethane system.
Rubio Monocoat: The Oil Finish That Earns Its Price
Rubio Monocoat is in a different category from the polyurethanes. It is a plant-based hardwax oil — made from linseed, sunflower, and other plant-derived oils — that penetrates the wood fibers and cures inside them through a molecular bonding process. The result is a finish that does not sit on top of the wood as a separate film. It feels like finished wood rather than wood under glass.
The durability rating (★★★★½) reflects that Rubio is highly durable for an oil-based penetrating finish and compares favorably to mid-grade polyurethanes — but it is not as hard as Traffic HD. Where Rubio significantly outperforms polyurethanes is in repairability.
Spot repair without resanding is Rubio's defining advantage. When a polyurethane floor is damaged — scratched through the finish, worn in a traffic lane, water stained — you have two options: live with it or sand the entire floor down and start over. With Rubio Monocoat, small scratches and worn areas can be treated with a small amount of Monocoat applied directly to the damaged area. The oil replenishes and bonds, and the repair blends without touching the surrounding floor. For a dog household, this means floors stay presentable between refinishing cycles rather than accumulating visible wear.
The cure timeline for Rubio is different from polyurethanes. The floor is usable — light foot traffic — within 5 days. Full molecular cure takes approximately 30 days. During the 30-day cure period, the finish continues to harden and should not be treated with cleaning products that could interfere with the curing chemistry.
Rubio's Zero VOC rating makes it the right choice for households with sensitivity concerns, small children, or anyone wanting to minimize chemical exposure during and after the finishing process.
One limitation: Rubio is only available in matte and satin sheens. If you want Semi-Gloss or High Gloss, you need a polyurethane system.
How to Choose
Choose Bona Traffic HD if: maximum scratch resistance is the priority, you have heavy foot traffic (main living areas, open-plan first floor, kitchen access), you have dogs and want the hardest surface available, or you want the fastest return to normal use (3-day cure).
Choose Bona Mega One if: the room has light to moderate traffic and maximum hardness is not the deciding factor, you want a slightly softer overall finish feel, or you are finishing lower-priority areas (guest bedrooms, formal rooms) at lower cost.
Choose Rubio Monocoatif: spot repairability matters more than maximum initial hardness, you want a natural open-grain look that feels like the wood rather than a coating, you have dogs and value the ability to touch up scratches without resanding, you want Zero VOC, or you are doing a ceruse or specialty color technique that benefits from Rubio's oil chemistry.
We discuss finish choice at every in-home assessment as part of the estimate process. In most cases, the right finish choice becomes clear once we walk the floor together. For the full picture of how finish fits into the hardwood floor refinishing process in Raleigh, including the water popping step, stain selection, and day-by-day timeline, see our complete Raleigh refinishing guide.
Not sure which finish is right for your floor? Request a free in-home assessment — we walk the floor with you, discuss finish options in the context of your specific species and traffic patterns, and provide a written estimate with the recommended system.
