Is water based poly as good as solvent-based?

Hey floor pros!

I have been wondering about this since my new house was finished. My last house (built in 1940) had beautiful hardwoods throughout, and we had them expertly refinished by a local contractor who specialized in this and came highly recommended. We had the unique luxury of owning two houses for a couple weeks, so we went with solvent-based poly at his recommendation. Boy, did it stink!!! We had to keep off it for a week and keep the furniture off it for a little longer, but damn it was a beautiful floor when it was done (as a side note, the guy replaced a bunch of quarter round as part of the job, it was obvious he cared a lot about how the finished product looked).

Fast forward a few years, when the flooring guys from my builder were finishing the hardwoods in my new (newly-built) home, they applied several coats of sealer and sanded between coats, then came in with water-based poly. It was dry in maybe 24 hours. I want to say they did a couple coats, but I really don't know. It didn't reek up the joint so bad, and now 2 years later it seems like no problems at all.

I'm just wanting to know if there's a discernable advantage to the solvent-based poly (besides copping a mean buzz)? If I eventually refinish these floors, should I request solvent-based? To be perfectly clear, I'm not disappointed in the performance of the water-based stuff.

Thanks, floor pros!

[Nick Arrera]

Rob , I sanded Bowling alleys for 7 years , in that time we went from laquer , to polly then to water base even on the approach , and you know what kind of traffic that gets .. if applied right no problem .. we use to put on one base , two top coats , then in the winter put another top coat on it .. But you should not need the 4 th coat .. You might be in the area of one of the many pros on this board who take pride in their work .. good luck with your new floor ..

[Steve Olson]

The newer two part water based finish dries faster, and is a harder finish, then the old style oil modifeds. Water based also has less odor, and being able to apply more then one coat of finish, is a plus. Bona Traffic is a great finish, find a pro who use's it, and can give you reference's, (ahead of when you will need him), will help you to find the right person for the job. Both NOFMA, and the NWFA are excellent resources, check them out.