Best Wood Floor Finishes: What Professional Contractors Should Consider

Selecting the right wood floor finish is a critical decision for every hardwood flooring project. The finish affects durability, appearance, dry time, maintenance requirements, VOC considerations, and long-term customer satisfaction. For contractors, the best finish is the one that aligns with jobsite conditions, traffic level, wood species, design goals, return-to-service needs, and the customer’s maintenance expectations.

Selecting the right wood floor finish is a critical decision for every hardwood flooring project. The finish affects durability, appearance, dry time, maintenance requirements, indoor air quality considerations, and long-term customer satisfaction. Flooring contractors can use this guide to help homeowners and commercial clients choose a finish that fits the jobsite, traffic level, design goals, and return-to-service timeline.

In professional hardwood flooring, a wood floor finish is the protective topcoat system applied after sanding and, when specified, staining and sealing. The right finish helps protect the wood surface, supports long-term performance, and defines the final sheen and visual character of the floor.

Helping customers make smart hardwood floor finish decisions

Professional flooring contractors can agree that installing or refinishing hardwood floors can be an exciting time for customers, as it can bring a big change in the aesthetic of a customer’s home or a particular room. Homeowners will look to their expert wood floor contractor for guidance when it comes to making decisions about floor stain color, texture and finish.

You can help educate customers about hardwood floor finish options, so they can make the best choices in terms of look and style as well as the needs of their family and home.

To help flooring contractors with their sales process, we’ve put together a list of important things to consider when choosing a hardwood floor finish for the home, and why choosing the Bona Traffic HD® family of finishes can help meet demanding residential and commercial project requirements.

Benefits of choosing Bona Traffic HD® Waterborne Wood Floor Finish

Designed with indoor environments in mind. Bona Traffic HD® is a very low VOC, waterborne finish with less than 150 grams per liter of VOCs and GREENGUARD Gold Certification, helping contractors meet indoor air quality considerations for residential projects.

Unsurpassed durability. As a pioneer in waterborne finish technology, Bona continues to lead with high-performance finishes such as Bona Traffic HD®. Bona Traffic HD® helps floors stand up to everyday wear in busy homes and high-traffic spaces, including households with pets.

The following graphs can help in showing customers how Bona Traffic HD® beat out the competition in rigorous, internal durability testing:

The higher, the better

In internal scratch testing using an Ecrihsen Testing Device, Bona Traffic HD® outperformed the competitive set of Acid-Cure (Swedish) Finishes when exposed to a range of 1 to 20 newton, which is the measurement of how much force is applied on the surface of the wood floor before an initial scratch occurs.

The lower, the better

In internal Taber wear testing, using industry standard ASTM method for Taber, Bona Traffic HD® along with 4 other Acid-Cure (Swedish) finishes were tested for their resistance to abrasion. Bona Traffic HD® showed the lowest measured wear loss in the internal Taber abrasion test, indicating strong abrasion resistance compared with the tested finishes.

Finally, chemical resistance testing was completed using 21 different stains from bleach and vinegar to ketchup and red wine. In internal chemical resistance testing, Bona Traffic HD® performed as well as or better than the acid-cured finishes tested.

Under normal conditions and when applied according to instructions, Bona Traffic HD® has a fast dry time and reaches full cure in 3 days. Always follow the current Bona TDS for dry time, ventilation, coverage, and return-to-service guidance.

Design-Driven Wood Floor Finishes

Bona Traffic HD® waterborne finishes dry clear and are designed to resist yellowing, helping preserve the intended wood tone or stain color over time. This allows the true natural beauty and elegance of the wood to remain over the life of the floor. 

Bona offers a full system of compatible sealers and stains to provide endless color combinations to enhance the design of a room or to provide a perfect neutral foundation. Bona Traffic HD® Anti-Slip is designed for areas where added slip resistance is required or recommended, including stairs, kitchens, select commercial spaces, and homes with older adults.

In addition to color, Bona Traffic HD® Family of Finishes offers four sheen levels from an extra matte to gloss. Acid-Cure (Swedish) Finish will yellow to an amber patina over time, altering the original wood grain or stain color you select. While some prefer this aging patina on the wood floor, be mindful when selecting a stain or sealer color as the appearance will change.

How to explain why Bona Traffic HD® is better than Acid-Cured (“Swedish”) Finishes for your customers’ hardwood floors

Different wood floor finishes perform uniquely in areas of abrasion resistance, cure time, and maintenance requirements, influencing which systems are most appropriate for specific project types. 

Here are six common questions that your customers may have about the finishing (or refinishing) of their hardwood floors.

“Do I have to vacate my home?” 

Bona Traffic HD® and Bona waterborne finishes are very low VOC, nonflammable, and low odor compared with many solvent-based systems, helping reduce disruption on residential jobs. Contractors should always follow the current product instructions, ventilation requirements, and jobsite safety practices.

“How long is the dry time, and when will I be able to walk on the floor in socks?”

With Bona Traffic HD® you have only a 2-3 hour wait time, versus with Acid-Cured Finishes, you need to wait as long as 4-6 hours.

“Does Bona Traffic HD contain formaldehyde?”

Bona Traffic HD® is a waterborne finish and is not formulated with formaldehyde. Acid-cured finish systems are commonly associated with formaldehyde-containing chemistry, so contractors should review product SDS/TDS requirements carefully.

“Is Bona Traffic HD flammable?”

Bona Traffic HD® is listed by Bona as nonflammable. Contractors using solvent-based or acid-cured systems should follow the manufacturer’s SDS/TDS and all jobsite fire-safety requirements.

“What is the VOC level of Bona Traffic HD?”

Some acid-cured systems have significantly higher VOC levels than Bona Traffic HD®. Use current, product-specific VOC values and applicable state/local regulatory limits when making comparisons.

“Will there be an odor after the floors are finished?”

Odor and ventilation requirements vary by finish type, product, and jobsite conditions. Compared with acid-cured systems, Bona Traffic HD® offers a low-odor, non-offending odor profile according to Bona product information.

Bona Traffic HD® Finish Comparison for Professional Applications

Finish Type	Performance Profile	Best Application	Professional Notes
Bona Traffic HD®	Two-component waterborne polyurethane with excellent abrasion resistance and chemical durability	Commercial and high-traffic residential spaces, retail, hospitality	High-performance two-component waterborne finish for contractors seeking excellent durability, fast return-to-service, and low-VOC technology.
Bona Traffic HD RAW™	Two-component waterborne finish designed to create ultra-matte, natural-looking floors with Traffic HD family durability.	Light wood species and projects requiring a neutral, natural appearance	Maintains the natural look of the wood while providing the same professional-grade protection and wear resistance as Bona Traffic HD®
Bona Traffic HD® Anti-Slip	Two-component waterborne finish with enhanced slip resistance (R10-R12 rating depending on method)	Commercial environments where safety is a priority: gyms, entryways, hospitals	Provides professional-grade abrasion resistance while improving traction; ideal for spaces that require both durability and anti-slip properties