Shine: water based: less shine oil based: more shine Required coats: water based: 3 coats of high quality product like Bona Traffic, 4-5 coats of lower quality product oil based: 3 coats Dry time: water based: 2-3 hours between coats, 24 hours to walk on, 72 hours to replace furniture, a total of 4 days (but house can remain occupied) oil based: one coat a day can be applied, 24 hours to walk on, 48 hours to replace furniture, a total of 5 days.(house must be vacated at least 3 days) Ease of application: water based: not easy, requires experience, not recommended for do it yourself because it dries quick & can leave bubbles & overlapping lines, difficult to correct mistakes oil based: easier to do it yourself, the extended dry time allows time to apply evenly & correct mistakes Odor/VOCs: water based: very low odor & VOCs compared to oil based, area can be safely occupied during application, much more environmentally friendly oil based: very strong odor & high VOCs during application, area must be vacated for at least a few days, odor can linger for days or weeks, requires a respirator to apply Cost: water based: quality product can cost 2-3x that of oil based, but because of oil based extended dry time requiring additional trips, contractor prices are often the same whether water or oil based
Choudhury R, Bonacci T, Wang X, Truong A, Arceci A, Zhang Y, et al
2015, October 22
Dec 2016;52(6):810-818
