# Need a tough durable clear finish for threshold



## jpc (Dec 11, 2010)

hello everyone,its been a while since I last posted, and thank you to all that helped me with my many other questions, and thanks in advance to any and all input for the following question, I made a oak threshold tying my hallway tile into my son's bedroom of hardwood flooring, in a hurry to get the job done I put a couple coats of " Rust-oleum" ultimate polyurethane that I got from Lowe's a while back on both sides and installed it, not sure if this stuff would have worked better had I taken my time, and built up thickness or if im totally in the wrong direction as far a what product to use, so Im looking for advice,feedback,input on what to use and also any finishing tip's since finishing is a weak area for me,lol . Thanks again for your time and input. Here is a picture of the threshold back when I first installed


----------



## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Not sure what you are asking? It looks fine in the picture. Are you saying the finish has chipped, peeled or is otherwise failing?

Did you seal/stain the oak before applying the clear finish? If not, that may come back to haunt you. Otherwise I don't see a problem with your choice of a polyurethane for this. If it gets a lot of wear, I guess you could go to a two part polyurethane or epoxy. Or add a couple more coats of what you have.

If it has failed, you will have to scrape off the chipped and peeled areas and reapply.


----------



## jpc (Dec 11, 2010)

Hey sedster, thanks for your responce, im sorry for not making my problem clear, thats probibly why no one has touched the topic,lol. That pic was taken a few minutes after it was installed, I added it to my post to show that it is in a high traffic area,,, but right now the clear coat finish has worn down to the wood , to where the oak is starting to get discolored, I should have posted a "now" pic along with the other. I did not use any sealer, I did use Minwax Natural stain before applying the clear coat, after I get off the puter Im gonna go and pull it up so I can start to clean it up before anything else, should I strip it down to wood and sand back to a nice finish? then any suggestion's on what to do or use


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

The more coats you take the time to apply the longer it's gong to last.
If you only applyed one coat that the main reason it failed.


----------



## jpc (Dec 11, 2010)

I knew when I installed it I didnt spend no where near enough time finishing, so for starters am I using a product that will be durable and last long if applied correctly? If so good, dont have to spend anymore money, since I still have half a can of that,. Everytime I take a shortcut or assume its good I get smacked in the back of my head, thanks guys for your time and input


----------



## spraygunn (Nov 14, 2010)

Try Minwax polyurethane for floors. It has or at least had a 51% urethane content. Pratt & Lambert Varmor varnish would be my second choice with a 48% urethane content. Just because the can says polyurethane on the label doesn't necessarily mean it's a quality product. You're going to need to do some research, but those are the two products I am familiar with and have used in that application.


----------



## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Thresholds can take a real beating so if yours is a lucky one, you may just have to commit to refinishing it on a regular basis. Is something like a toy box, laundry basket, etc. getting dragged over the threshold on a regular basis? It looks fine in the original photo but is the profile of the threshold too tall and just asking for abuse? Would planing it down a bit be a possibility. I cannot see the tile to wood floor transition so do not know. Maybe bevel it more?

Stepping up the urethane, epoxy or whatever content should help. As mentioned you can think about two part marine finishes in either epoxy and urethane. They are used on railings and things that take a lot of abuse. They can tend to chip though which creates its own problems.

I do not know the Rustoleum product you used but I have found through the years the company is pretty good about not overstating the capabilities of its products. How many coats did the can recommend? Price is not always the only indicator but obviously something with more epoxy or urethane in it is likely to come at a heftier price tag.

As to whether you should strip it down to bare wood? I cannot see it so do not know how bad it is. I guess if you have it off, want to put the time into it, and stripping it all the way down is the only way to get an even finish back on it? Go for it. It shouldn't take you all that long. 

What was used on the floor by the way? Maybe that is the finish you should be using on the threshold if it is holding up.


----------



## jpc (Dec 11, 2010)

hey thanks everyone for your time, Sdsester..sorry for taking so long to get back here, the wood floors were prefinished wood flooring I got from lowes,so honestly dont know what exactly the finish is, its tuff as hell though, the can said no more than 3 coats is reccomended and sanding in between coats is unneccesary. I did however pull the threshhold up and sanded it all the way bare and back to smooth and even,I'm hoping I have time today to work on it some more


----------

