Hardwax Oil Experiment – Part 2 Rubio Monocoat [2024 UPDATE]

Did Rubio do well in regards to resistance to pet urine? We are looking for a finish for new white oak that is durable and easy to repair given lots of grandkids and granddogs.

Thanks so much for the prompt response. The repairability aspect sounds great!

Hi,
We are going to renovate our dance floor in a banquet hall. The floor takes abuse due to variety of functions taking place in the hall – from scratches made by chairs, tables or loudspeakers to high hills, street shoes etc.
Spills of pop and juice as well as alcoholic drinks are very common as well. Is Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus a right product for our floor? If so, how do you clean spills of drinks (sugar and alcohol)? Oil finish probably doesn’t like a wet mop?
Since we have to make a quick decision your reply will be really appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Hi there!!
I’m wondering if this product is good for refinish a 5/16 , 2″ white oak . It seems to be the first sanding but it needs a couple of patching work.
My client is looking for a green product but , I read that is not good for floors with gaps ( usually happens with 5/16 floors )
Thanks

The Rubio Monocoat site claims that you can use their Plus 2C finish for wood countertops. Do you think this would be a good application? I want the hand rubbed oil look and want it to be food safe, though i won’t be cutting on this counter. It is the same as the RM Natural Oil Plus but has an accelerator to speed up the drying time.

Thank you so much for your informative experiment.

Thanks for putting in the time to write a great article!

This is a great post. I’ve been looking for a natural finish for my wood floors and I think Monocoat may be it now thanks to this article. Very helpful insights. Thank you so much.

I have used Rubio 2C plus black & black pre color for a counter top & I love the results!I did coat it 3 times to achieve the effect I wanted (hint of grain showing). It was extremely easy to work with. Too bad it is so hard to fine maintenance information. even the companies website offers little when I am concerned about food safe care. What would you recommend for cleaning greasy spots and if I wanted to add a shine, would beeswax & mineral oil blend be a good choice?

Thanks for the informative post~

Hi Tadas, I own a small company in Ma. Called Eco Options. We have done quite a few rmc jobs and one thing that needs to be cleared up is the ability to spot repair these floors. Most of our jobs have been with a pre treatment followed by the oil. On these floors, spot repairing will be quite impossible to. Get even. Just oil jobs do yellow over time leaving them hard to spot repair as well. I just wanted to point out the difficulty of spot repairing most of these floors. A pro would have a tough time let alone a home owner.

Yes time to update the site!

Hi there! I loved your info on this product, as I’m trying to decide whether or not to use on my soon to be refinished floors. This was very helpful. But I’m the kind that likes the shiny floor. But I would be happy with a satin finish. Does the satin soap look nice? Also do you have any more pics of floors youve done recently with this product? Im having my floors done next week! Thanks!

Hi Guys! Great review of the product. My question revolves around your comments regarding surface preparation. I’m using 100+ year old barn wood for farm tables and small desks. I like the one coat application and the non-plastic appearance that monocoat provides. I want to be able to see and feel the character this old wood has. Part of that character though is is the sawmill marks, nail holes, gouges, etc that you find in this type of wood. Is it your recommendation that the wood be planed or sanded down to bare wood? I’m currently sanding down to a relatively smooth (not perfect) surface while still maintaining the patina and character. Thanks, Robert

Tadas,

Thanks for the reply. My projects are generally made to order for folks I know or those that end up contacting me unless my wife decides she wants to keep a particular piece. The people I deal with generally want to be able to feel the wood and that’s why I’m interested in the Monocoat products. I’ve got a distributor right here in Asheville and will be going out to get some today. Thanks very much for the information!

Robert

Tadas,
Great site… exactly the info and experience I was hoping for! Thanks for posting about this!!!

On Thanksgiving day, our neighbor’s guest’s car accelerator got stuck and they backed into/through our brick wall into our living room (probably at 30+mph)! Miraculously, nobody was hurt, but the damage was extensive.

Our 60 yr old hardwood oak floors (urethane finish) were deeply gouged and scraped in places from furniture and debris (broken glass, brick, plaster, etc) scraping across the floor upon impact. Much of the floor damage can/will be sanded down/out, but some deeper gouges will probably need wood filler or some other repair technique.

I have 3 kids and a baby due in March so going as non-toxic as possible is a must. I am between Bona Traffic HD (low VOC) and Rubio Monocoat (Zero VOC). I have 3 questions:
1) Will Bona Traffic HD [or any urethane based product] continue to off-gas after it has cured (1 week is Bona’s cure time)? (insurance will pay for a hotel stay during the application time)
2) My contractor is not familiar with Monocoat, what wood filler or repair tactic would you suggest to repair the floor gouges that would work well with Monocoat?
3) Is there a professional (maybe you???) that I could direct my contractor to for the questions I’m certain he will have about application and durability of Monocoat? Sure, I could send him to the website, but experience speaks so much louder.

Thanks again for a great blog and for sharing your knowledge/experience. Merry Christmas!

I have been pouring over the computer for months trying to decide what finish to use for our reclaimed heartpine flooring. It has knots but no large gaps. I was all ready to use Waterlox when I found your site. Your extensive research has changed my mind. I believe that Rubio Monocoat would be the best product for us. The problem is I can’t find a floor refinisher that has used it. They all have their certain products they want to use because they are experienced with using them. My husband is very handy – we are thinking about having a professional sand the floor and we would put down the Monocoat finish ourself. Do you have any special recommendations for us.

I am using an engineered recycled timber floor and I am wanting to use a monocoat finish.
The color I want to achieve is more of a natural finish, however the coating brings up a more yellowish coloring due to the natural timber patinas.
I also want the finish to have a satin finish so I can avoid dusty foot marks.
Any suggestions?

Thanks so much for the time you spent responding to my email

We found a reputable floor finisher that uses Rubio Monocoat and the Osmos. They seemed to prefer the Rubio but said both are good. I believe that the Rubio will be best for us and I like the matte finish for our reclaimed heartpine floor. Since we have a Golden Retriever who likes to drip water all over the floor, I thought I would use the test sample they did for us by putting water on it and letting it sit for several hours. Haven’t seen a water spot yet.

Can’t wait to see the completed project.

I have Rubio Monocoat on white oak with the High Traffic applied on top. I have dark stain and water spots are a big problem; even if I wipe a spill up immediately, a water spot remains. The only thing that gets rid of them is using the High Traffic full strength. From what I’ve read, this is not normal. Do you have any ideas why this is happening? Thank you.

Greetings from Ireland Tadas,
We distribute Monocoat in Ireland and I came across your blog by accident. We do not have issues with the oil fading over time so I dont think you will have. We had been using saturative multi-coat oils for years so it was a bit of a leap of faith to persuade end-users and installers that a single coat system is as good. We have found it to be superior in every aspect. Drying times, coverage, repairability and 100% VOC free, makes for happy customers . It has been our experience, in the early days, that any issues we encountered were due mostly to over -application of either the oil or the maintenance products. It is counter intuitive for customers to apply “less” of something. It is also worth noting that there is a maintenance oil that can be applied periodically depending on wear levels. It works a treat and makes the floor look brand new again. Keep up the good work, I am enjoying the blog. Derek in Dublin

We used Monocoat Pure Color on our oak floors and have lived with them for 18 months. Our wood floor covers the entire main floor – kitchen, foyer, great room, dining room, stairs. We have large south facing windows and therefore lots of winter sun and haven’t noticed any fading or yellowing. I choose Monocoat for a rustic look and wanted the floors to look old and bare and encouraged the kids to be rough on them as I wanted them to develop a distressed look. Guess what? not happening! It wears like iron. In fact, I had a wood refinisher professional look at them and he dropped his jaw in disbelief as he watched my 5 year old son slide a heavy chair (no pads, just bare wood legs) across the room without even so much as a scuff mark! He couldn’t believe how the floors are holding up with our excessive abuse. (3 kids, 1 large dog, a cat with claws and construction work daily as we are still remodeling.) BTW-It has no trouble with vomit (the bile wipes away after hours of sitting on the surface – my dog vomits when we leave her alone in the house)

I like the distressed look but I require clean floors and our kitchen is showing signs of poor maintenance. Because I wash the kitchen floor more often than the rest, I have needed to use the refresher once but it is continuing to look dull and dirty even with using the soap. It looks like grease stains from food and cooking have penetrated the surface and I can’t get them out. I also have some black spots near my sink/dishwasher that might be water marks but I can’t figure out exactly what they are from because I frequently have water spills which leave no marks, even when left for hours. Unfortunately, I was unaware of the maintenance oil and the grease remover which is unclear to me if I can use it weekly, in a large area, as a maintenance product as cooking creates microscopic grease particles that settle eventually on the floor. Plus, with young kids, everything ends up on the floor! As a result, I now have a greasy, grimy kitchen floor.

Coupled with the problem that our large oak planks shrunk over the last 18 months and never grew over the summer… (we have 6″, 8″, 10″) we now have huge gaps and with kids and pets, I can’t take it any longer. The plan is to remove the worst boards and replace them. For the rest of the gaps which are 1/8″ and bigger, the wood floor professional in our area has recommended to fill them with Woodwise filler (after replacing and securing the rest to minimize further movement, and sanding them flat again) and then use a more traditional poly finish to fill in the gaps. He just doesn’t know if Monocoat will work with fillers.

I am saddened that may be our only option. Question: Can I use Woodwise to fill gaps, sand it down and finish with Monocoat? Will it “stick” to the filler? Any info is appreciated. Thanks!

Muchas gracias, me ha gustado mucho. Un beso!!

Thanks Tadas for sharing this great information on these types of new finishes. So many choices out there. It’s nice to read real life researched reviews that show you actually know what you are talking about. Shame you’re so far away from us though or I’d hire you!

One question: This review is over a year old – are you still happy with this finish?

Thanks for the great post! This is really convincing me that natural oil is the way to go for our floors. I have read a lot about Woca brand oil. Do you have experience with that brand, and if so, how would it compare to Rubio Monocoat? Thanks for all the great info!

Hello!

We’re considering using Monocoat on our new red birch floors and like the rich warmth that we’ve seen with the oiled wood. Will the pure (clear) bring out the color of the wood or will we need to go with a stain to do that?

Thank you!
Joli

I love my monocoat floors, I applied the fumed effect and then 5% white.. looks beautiful over oak and it has held up great to the wear and tear of two dogs.

I have to say that for the past couple of hours i have been hooked by the amazing posts on this blog. Keep up the wonderful work.

Tadas,
You are such a kind person to post all of this info and answer all these questions regarding Rubio Monocoat when there is nothing to gain for you. I would suggest you become a distributor so we can all buy the product from you! I am having a hard time finding a good knowledgeable source in the Midwest to buy from! Your website is great and I wish you were in my state! Thanks, I hope you recieve many blessings in your business for all the kindness you show to other people.
Sincerely,
Marilyn

I had new qtr sawn oak floors installed six years ago and finished with the oak oil. I have used the satin soap. They have held up beautifully. Recently I applied Refresh and followed with the satin soap full strength. Gorgeous!
Couldn’t get this with urethane! RMC is highly recommended!

Just had my floors done using Rubio Monocoat, and they look beautiful. Now to clean them. I plan to use the Rubio soap but wondered whether you could recommend a brand of mop. I’m scared I’m going to do the wrong thing and ruin my gorgeous floors!

Hi Tadas,

What a terrific site – thanks for all the info on what is (unfortunately) a pretty obscure topic on the web!

We just bought a house from the 1920s with the original 1.5″ oak floors that were just refinished with poly. There’s also a small hall with pine or fir, and we’ve also just exposed the same flooring that was under the vinyl in the kitchen.

The floors weren’t stained, and I want them to be dark. Also, we are we are renovating to open the dining room and kitchen to each other, and we want to make them as similar as we can.

The floors are on the thin side, and likely won’t have more than one more good sanding in them, so I’d really like to use something that doesn’t have to be sanded for repairs. I also want a green product that is low or no-VOC. And it needs to be pretty waterproof, since we plan to use it in a kitchen (and we have kids).

Especially since I want to get a pretty close color on both the pine and oak floors, and since I want a relatively dark color, the Rubio Monocoat seems like an ideal product. I’m a little worried about putting it on top of a floor that has had polyurethane on it, though, as I’ve heard that the poly can stick to the sides or gaps in the boards and then the new product might not adhere, or it would be streaky. And if they sand down really far to avoid this, the gaps might get out of hand.

Do you think this sounds like a good product for us, or should we look at Bona (or even something totally old school, like shellac or stain with oil / wax on top)?

Thanks so much for your insight and advice!
Rachel

Hi Tadas,

IMy floors are old Douglas Fir from 1874. They’ve just been aggressively sanded down to remove hills and valleys from previous poor sanding/ painting/ poly jobs.

I’m wondering how Rubio Monocoat will work on this old but flat and freshly sanded floor. Wood is clean, flat, knotty. Sanded to 80 grit, then buffed.

–The floors are patched in places with new ordinary pine that is lighter in color (I’ll stain it to match as closely as possible, but realize it will never be perfect).
What do you think is the best way to handle these newer boards? Should I stain them and apply the finish (whether Rubio or oil poly) on top, or use a darker color of finish just on these boards?

–Antique steel nailheads are exposed and gleaming. There are discolored grey patches around some of these nailheads. When I applied a waterbased poly to a sample section, these discolored grey patches turned an inky blue-black. I’d like to minimize this if possible.

–I’m also curious to know if one can polyurethane over the Rubio at a later time, or if further sanding would be required.

Thanks so much for a clear and informative website and blog. Eager to hear your thoughts!

Mukti

We are considering installing vertical grain fir for our floors. We are not huge fans of oak. We like the longer lines of the fir… less grain look. We like the idea of using the Rubio Monocoat System.
1. Is fir a good choice? I am concerned about the grain raising and splinters popping out. Is the water misting easy for professionals to do…get?
2. What other woods would you suggest?

Thank you so much for your response! I feel so much better now if we chose to use the fir. I have done lots of research on the Rubio and it really seems like a great product. Your blog is amazing, in fact I am very impressed with your site, knowledge, and appeared desire for true craftsmanship. So rare these days. I only wish we lived in Naperville!!
Connie

I recently built a sprung dance floor surfaced with baltic birch plywood (over osb), and am trying to decide how to finish it. There are some gaps between the plywood sheets so I’m guessing mono coat wouldn’t work well. How about the pallmann oil? Also my wife is adamant that the floor not be too slick. She wanted to leave the wood unfinished, but agreed to something after seeing how easily they got dirty. Any other recommendations? Thanks for this great resource.

Rashad

Great Blog … greetings from Croatia and thanks for your time and effort,

We have installed ourselves Oak floor … planks are in various sizes from 60cm to 220 cm, and 16 cm width. Widths were not perfectly even, so after installation there remained  quite a few gaps ranging form half mm to maybe 2 mm … We are in the process of sanding it lightly ( it has v grooves we want to preserve, and still we need to flatten some joints and small bumps ).

What do you advise to use for filling those gaps. Wood has been laying in the house for more than a half year and it is on the floor for a 2 weeks now … we plan on installing a humidifier to keep humidity levels controlled.

Will acrylic fillers work well with rubio 2c coating or do we have to use woodgrain with gluer?

Also, what is the best process to keep the color most true to the the raw appearance of the oak? cotton white has been suggested to us ( with use of the 2C monocoat ). Don’t want it too yellow or honey like … rather whitish or grayish …

this is the raw wood installed :(photo removed by Marko)

Thank you very much for taking a time to reply so quickly!

We ll give acrylic filler a try … we did everything ourselves so far … made a few mistakes in the process but we ll try to finish it now on our own also, whatever happens :)

Don’t know if I would do the same next time though, but could not find a flooring company or contractor that instilled confidence ( most of floors done here are PU varnish with gloss … )

We have this product here that you might be aware of http://www.bona.com/en-GB/United-Kingdom/BonaSystem1/Coatings1/Fillers/Bona-Gap-Master/

I ll sure try on a sample first, and will certainly post a photo of installed and oiled floors when finished.

Hi ya Tados, Greetings from Ireland.
I’ve been testing products and reading product reviews and getting totally confused!! But I think that monocoat is the answer to all my woes! We’re renovating a house and the floor boards date back to the mid 1800’s. They’ve been sanded professionally and are ok – they were never going to be fantastic – but my professional and I are having major differences of opinion on what to finish the boards with. Monocoat sounds great, in that I get the impression it will unify some patched repair jobs done over the years – the wood used for the repairs was white deal, so looks very different to the original boards, not sure what kind of wood they are. The pro has filled gaps and gouges with a synthetic filler. I’m wondering two things – do you think the monocoat will bind with the filler, and will a coloured monocoat tone down the differences between the boards? Think we’re trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear!!
We also have a new light oak woodblock parquet floor to finish
will the clear monocoat change the colour of that?
Oh almost forgot – is it absolutely necessary to use a buffer to apply it, or would a wide flat microfiber pad and lots of elbow grease, both of which I have, do the job?
Can’t wait to hear back from you. Slan

thanks for all the info!!
we’re doing a gut renovation- after applying rubio, how long should we wait before installing cabinetry??
also, we have mixed rift and quarter sawn white oak, i want that slightly pinkish hue i’ve seen- do you think 5%white or 5%smoke is the answer?? i also don’t want the floors any lighter than they naturally are. thanks!!

This may have been answered, and I just missed it — will 1 liter *really* cover 350 to 400 sf? I am finishing the interior of a Gypsy wagon (tiny house) with white pine paneling.

:)

Tadas,
Thank you for sharing all of your experience here on your blog. We recently did a 5% White Monocoat on 5″ rift and quarter sawn white oak floors. After the samples we saw, we were expecting a natural finish with some white in the grain, but they came out almost bleached. Do you have any idea why this might have happened, or more importantly, how we can fix it (without re-sanding and starting over)?

Thank you!

Hi. You are so generous to share you experience with all of us. We just had our flooring contractor put in new Montana character grade tight knot fir with Rubio finish in our Tudor style home upper floor. It looks beautiful but one thing bothers me. There are a fair number of circular sanding marks all over the floor from the buffer. We think it was caused by the initial 100grit sanding. After viweing the test area where the swirl scratches were really bad they resanded the entire floor with 150 and then 220. Much better but still there. Not immediately noticeable but if you look at the floor for any length of time even while standing they’re noticeable. Is this normal? What should we have done? I ask for future reference if we ever refinish or do our main floor with this system. Thank you!

Oh I should have mentioned the color we used was a 50/50 mix of chocolate and castle brown in the 2C product

My story is almost exactly like Lucy who Feb. 28– I would absolutely HAZARD people with kids from using this product under tables or in kitchens. We love the look and feel of the product but can’t believe the maintenance. Every piece of oily food dropped on the floor leaves a mark! As a result, my floors never look clean! We are also experiencing the mystery black marks and can’t figure out where they are coming from. The rooms gets a lot of light too; think it will need to be refreshed often as it seems to be fading quickly.

My husband and I go back and forth trying to decide whether to totally redo the floors using a traditional refinish, or try to build up the mono coat hoping it will get more resistant with time. Frustrated.

Would love any suggestions you have. Please test your floors with grease, to add to your consumer review. Thanks.

This site has been so helpful in our decision making for choosing a finish on our new floors so I decided to share our experience. Our floors are beautiful locally harvested (CT) 5″ red oak. 2 months ago we had the floors (living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom) coated with RMC 2C half pure and half natural. The color is pretty light due to the white pigment in the natural color. The overall look is beautiful! We haven’t had them long enough to determine wear but we have had a few stains. Once we had a small amount of dog urine that sat unnoticed and created a gray stain and another time a few drops of tea were left on the floor creating a black stain. Both times I was able to lightly sand and reapply the oil completely eliminating all traces of the stains! I am a little worried about this happening more frequently but I am so pleased with the ability to repair/refresh without having to sand and of the 0 VOCs that I am willing to tolerate it. If it becomes too much maintenance I can always go with a poly finish but I hope it doesn’t come to that.

Tadas,
WOW! your blog and your flooring craftsmanship is awesome!
We have just put in reclaimed barnwood floors (the barn was built in the 1870’s so we figure the trees started growing at least a hundred years before that) They have been remilled and grooved, and have lots of large knot holes in them, which we love.
We really like the idea of using Rubio Monocoat, but we have a few concerns that we hope you can address.
We want to fill in the holes and cracks with a dark filler to keep them visible, and were considering using a 2 part epoxy since some of the holes are about 1 inch square or a bit larger. Will the monocoat work with epoxy? Or will Woodwise filler work in that size hole?
Also, is the monocoat rawwood cleaner necessary or is water-popping the floor going to accomplish the same thing?
Thanks again.

Hi Tadas,

I am hardwood floor expert here in Croatia (another one reader from Croatia :) and I love your work and every job done according to pictures and your descriptions. It’s and very informative to read you.
You really are doing a great job! Keep on going ;)

I have 2 questions and doubts regarding Rubio Monocat product so would be grateful for help.

When combining with polyurethane and/or water based product – you mentioned before that it is fine to go with polyurethane or acrylic water based product on top of RMC oil. How much time should wait after applying oil to be sure it is dry enough and secure to go with PU or water over it to be sure the new water or PU layer will hold (glue) properly on oil?

Soon will start working on oak floor planks in various sizes – from 50-2000 cm which will need to brush to get those old unevenly look. A client wants to get matte look with natural oak look so believe RMC ‘Naturale’ color oil will be perfect option. Now am wondering will there be a problem with oiling those floor after sanding (scraping) as there could possibly stay too much oil in those area where wood is scraped deeper? What do you think? It is a kind of different situation than perfectly sanded flat floors…

Thanks for help and for sharing :)

Hi Tadas,

We would like to use Rubio on our hardwood floorboards, if possible. We have gappy floorboards (up to 5mm). What method/product would you recommend to eliminate our gaps and enable the use of Rubio?

Thank you.

Thank you so much for all this information! What do you think maintenance of the rubiocoat on white oak will be like for a kitchen and dining room that has 3 boys under the age of 4 that spill all the time? I love the idea, but also am nervous about the amount of repairs I’d need to do. And is it true that it really doesn’t show the scratches as much as a traditional oil-based polyurethane?

Thanks so much for your advice. We live south of Sydney in Australia. We’re after a rustic look.

It seems that no filling product is suitable for our application according to the manufacturers advice.

Can you please advise what would happen if we were to use Rubio without filling the gaps (up to 5mm wide). Is it because the product would pool between boards and not dry properly? If so, is there a technique that we could use to prevent the pooling in the gaps.

Thanks again,
John

I have a old pine floor that we used the RMC finish on and do to the extreem humidity change we have here is Austin Tx, the filler has fallen out after 3 years. I need to repair this filler. what would be the simple and effective way to do this.
Thx

Wonderful product! Can we use it on wooden walls and windows as well?

Installing 7″ rift and quartered white oak in Maine, engineered over radiant. I loved the fumed, look…but thinking I need the poly durability with 2 kids and a lab. Can I fume with monocoat fume or smoke and then poly? I want to go more brown like your pictures, not as much grey although undertones would be nice. Will the poly bring out the same brown as the monocoat pure oil? I am trying some Bona stains and just not getting a color I love and don’t want to ruin these expensive floors!!! I want a dark floor…but want to compliment the rift and quartered grain. I would rather not have a lot of light flecking, all more subdued…warm, nutty brown. No red. A little scared of the maintenance of the pure oil finish and lack of luster. I don’t want shiney…but a soft “glow”…I have read everything and lost too many nights sleep over thinking this. My floor manufacturer also suggested pure tongue oil. Over a stain. The stain options (zar, bona) have just not done it yet…even mixing. I am thinking fuming with monocoat might be the answer…

Would Rubio monocoat be good to use on a reclaimed sawn red oak floor. We used tung oil on some and it made the floor very dark. We are trying to maintain the lightness. Perhaps adding 5percent white. Lots of nooks and holes in the wood.

Great blog and you’re work is outstanding as well!
What would it take to get you to the Washington DC area to install and finish a floor with Rubio??

Thank You Tadas,
Thank you so much for your time. I have just had Rubio stain put on my new oak floors in my 60 year old home.
You have given me more peace of mind and information than anyone, including the Rubio website or the wonderful folks who installed my floors. I love my new floors & now am so much better informed on “curing time” and how to maintain them.
You, your skill, knowledge, and willingness to give your time and share this information with us is very much appreciated!
Sincerely, Christie

This is a great post. I hope you don’t mind I put a link to it on my blog to share with others. We are building a cedar yurt on Vashon Island, WA and will be using the Cherry Coral color on reclaimed fir flooring from the early 1900’s and also for the wood trim.

Thanks for writing this. Wonderful information.

My blog about building our yurt in which I included your link in post #15:

www. sharingtheonlyone .wordpress .com

All the best,
Laura

We have an historic old house, and have been struggling to find the best finishes for old wood. We found Rubio to be excellent for hard woods, like our 200 year old chestnut wide board kitchen countertops. But it has proven to be less satisfactory for softer woods, like the original antique wide board pine floors. The Rubio makes them much darker, redder and somewhat splotchy. The color difference is startling. We are looking at alternatives like Tung oil (waterlox) that is more neutral, but higher in VOCs. Any advice or experience would be appreciated!

I am loving this wealth of information – thank you for all of it! I am installing a floating oak butcher block shelf above a cooktop and would like to use Rubio for this, what do you think? There is a downdraft vent, but some steam will most likely escape. Also, I have the same butcher block on a breakfast bar that I got tired of treating with oils and would like to also use Rubio for this. It hasn’t been treated for nearly a year now and I would like to sand it and apply Rubio, do you think this will work?

hi! thanks for sharing your knowledge!
i am a furniture maker and have started using Rubio monocoat plus c to finish my work including table tops because of Rubio’s reputation to be resistant to water and other liquids. i love everything about this products but have found that it is very sensitive to water and wine and oils even after 30 days. i apply 2 coats as i prefer the fuller and more even look. i apply the oil with a white non abrasive pad, let the oil sit for a few minutes and wipe the excess completely off. what am doing wrong? i don’t buff with a machine. would that make a difference?

Can i use oil or water base finish on top of monocoat pure oil.

We would like to use the Monocoat pure on a reclaimed restoration hardware table we just purchased. I’m just worried that I might see overlap :./ I was told by the vendor it’s pretty straight forward – just add the accelerator. Shake and apply with a rag ( Ensure good coverage) then wipe off the excess . Does this sound about right to you ? Thanks so much !

I’ve been looking at RMC to use on our unfinished oak floors we’re about to install. Since this article was writtn in 2012. have you checked back or seen the wear over years? How has it held up? I LOVE the fumed+white look!

We have existing pine floors from 1920s and newly installed reclaimed heartwood. In kitchen, living,bedroom and in master bath. Sanded to 100, and now considering finish. Do 1/16″ – 1/8″ gaps between existing wood present an issue? If so, please recommend treatment/preparation. Width and length of gap is irregular, so filling with milled wood strips is not possible. Glitsa wood flour?

I just installed cabin grade red oak flooring in my home- I do not want to sand my floors and am curious as to how you think the Rubio would be absorbed. Going for a very rustic look so the “perfect finished” floor is not what I am after. I would love to do a light grey just not sure if the pigment would be absorbed unevenly. Thoughts? Also any tips for using a buffer on floor with a few holes?

I have enjoyed reading all of this valuable information, but alas, was hoping to find someone who had used RMC on cherry floors. We recently purchased a home that has 3″ Brazilian Cherry flooring with a perfect, shiny, clear finish. The floors are far too shiny, slippery and perfect looking for our busy, pet-friendly household. There is definitely an ’80’s/’90’s vibe to the overall perfect look of the floors. The back of the house is mostly glass so the cherry has bleached to a more blonde color in some areas but remains a darker, very reddish color in other places. The look we are hoping to achieve is more rustic (bleached, driftwood or white-washed, and less red). Do you have any experience toning down the red in Brazilian Cherry? Is there any hope of achieving a more rustic, aged and “charactered” look with cherry?
Thank you!
Kim

Wow, have I learned a lot from this blog! Thanks so much for sharing and teaching! I would love to use Rubio Monocoat for two different projects and would love your advice?

I ordered a birch butcherblock countertop from IKEA that I plan to turn into a bar-height table for our kitchen. I’d love to be able to sand the birch and use a chocolate RMC to create a non-toxic, natural looking and impervious chocolate finish. 1) I see you warning folks to not undertake their floors as a diy project and I’m wondering if you think this table project would require special skills? As I understand, you brush it on with a cotton cloth or foam applicator, wait a few minutes and wipe off. Do I have a rent a buffer to take off extra product? 2) I see a special formulation suggested for countertops with an accelerator added – is this so that overlaps in application don’t sink into the wood so fast? 3) do I have to be concerned about what type of wood I’m starting with when choosing a RMC color? I know birch is a light wood and want to end up with chocolate?

Secondly, my daughers bedroom has a hardwood floor that I’m not sure has ever been sanded down (had carpet when we moved in). It has some staining from liquid soaked through carpet possibly and also some holes drilled in it (yes holes, and not by us) we believe to bring cable television into the room. I’m wondering if you think we could use RMC on a floor that has coaxial cable sized patches in it?

Lastly, I’m curious how the pricing of RMC compares to the other products out there, both other oils as well as urethane. This sounds like the perfect product for us!

Thanks so much for any guidance you’re able to provide.

Hi,

I’m glad to have found this site! We used Rubio Monocoat to finish our hickory, spalted maple, birch and ash floors. The hickory and ash are in variable widths, 3, 5 and 7 inches and the hickory and birch are over a warmfloor radiant subfloor system. We are happy with the non-plastic RMC, but having some issues with the wood on the warmfloor as well as some of the ash (not on radiant). After 2 years of installation, there have been season of shrinking and swelling, resulting in some cupping or unevenness. Any ideas? I’m not thrilled with the cracks widening, but more upset about the boards being uneven (were perfect when they were sanded in the fall)At one point they seemed to settle out, but this winter they seem worse than last winter, and last summer they were better than the previous summer. Go figure! Considering resanding, but what a mess to get that big belt floor sander back and make all that dust (it’s in a huge dining room/great room area with a loft overlooking it)

Have to chime in with big thanks to you for such extensive coverage of not only the topic, but of subsequent questions and attention to each individuals circumstances and scenarios for 3 years!! I’ve read the entire thread and all comments and have learned so much. I also wish I could just fly you in to refinish my floors for me :)

I really really want to use this product on my fir floors (original to my 1918 craftsman) and hoping one of the few refinishers in my area are experienced with it. I have carpet and some linoleum to pull up, all of the wood is covered at the moment but I’ve checked each room and confirmed that the fir exists throughout the main floor.

My only reservation with refinishing the wood has been that I keep hearing how soft fir is and I have a 95lb dog and two 130b dog visitors who at times jump around and the thought of nail indentations everywhere hurts my heart, I saw the effect on the bamboo floors in my last place, most people didn’t notice but once I could see it, it was all I could see. But I think a combo of area rugs, regular nail trims to shorten up their nails, a training refresher, no shoes on in the house policy and keeping the floors free of debris in general will help and be worth it in the end. This 30 year old carpet has to go!!

Thanks again for the wealth of information, I feel much more educated and confident going into this process and with speaking to potential refinishers.

Cheers!
Caz

Thanks for your blog – very helpful reviews of the HWO choices. I still am unsure what would work best for my situation. We have old parquet floors that we sanded down ourselves. They are quite uneven at the macroscale (due to age) and now also no doubt have a lot of microscale sanding imperfections. Which of the finishes is least likely to present a problem? I am looking for a color-free finish, but it sounded like you would avoid Rubio for an imperfect floor even without stain? Do you expect Osmo to perform better in this situation?

Oh, also, it’s rather gappy parquet, and of course every square is perpendicular to the last in grain direction – which product is easiest to apply?

Thanks for any insight you can provide,
Alex

Thank you for the blog. We are installing 4-6″ character white oak in the upstairs of our house and are planning on rubio fumed plus pure. Couple quick questions: I saw a display at a local shop and they said it was white oak fumed with pure…it was a warm brown color with undertones of gray, but everything I have read and seen seems to indicate that I should see more gray and less brown. I loved what I saw, but now am wondering is the rep I spoke with was confused. Have you seen this combination before?

Also, if you want to get a slight sheen using the satin soap, do you have to apply a full strength coating of it soon after putting the 2c on, or could it be anytime?

Finally, is the maintenance oil different than the 2c oil you finish the floors with?

Thank you for your consideration.

I just had 3200sf of 10″ heart pine installed. I haven’t been able to find a RMC color that we like. Can I stain the floors first with Durastain (or whatever you might recommend) and then finish with pure RMC? Or would it be better to use Pallmans Magic Oil? Also, what’s tips do you have on sanding the pine flooring? I am a General Contractor and am installing these on my personal house, I have some experience in flooring.

We just got a new wood floor and have to fill some gaps before using the Rubio clear.
Which filler do you recommend? We might like to use one that is mixed with the sawdust to get the best colour match possible. Should it be water based or solvent based?

Our floor guy did not recommend to use the Rubio as he had problems with fat stains in the kitchen. What is your experience?

Hi Tadas,
Thanks for all this info…in my part of the world (Alabama) Rubio is largely unheard of, and it’s difficult to get answers. We reno’ed a house and used Rubio and love the look, but man is that Rubio Soap expensive. I know you’re not “supposed” to use any other cleaners, but are there any other gentle things out there that would do the trick? I have to pay to have the stuff shipped in as no local stores carry it….
Thanks!

Hello Tadas,
We have recently acquired a space with a 110 year old douglas Fir plank floor. After removing the glued down carpet, we need to sand and finish. The floor is old with character, so we are not looking for a new look, just a rustic finish that will make the floor usable and protect the wood in the future. I am debating between the Rubio and Magic oil. The space is a public coffeeshop/music venue. Would you have a recommendation on one or the other. I understand that your experience with soft fir is limited, but any advice would be appreciated. As much as we would love to have a professional do the work, it is just not in the budget, so we will be doing this ourselves with some experienced help.

Great Post! You mentioned in your comments that it is acceptable to use a polyurethane finish over Rubio Monocoat. Is a water base ok? And how long should we wait before applying?

Hello,

I have a custom island countertop made from restored pine from an old barn. There are numerous holes and knots that must be filled to level off counter before finishing it. It was recommended to us to use an epoxy to fill the holes. My question is whether or not the Rubio Monocoat would adhere properly to the epoxy’d holes?

Thanks,
Greg

Hi Tadas,

Wonderful info…greatly appreciate it. Do you know of any who’ve used the Rubio on baseboards/trim and unfinished windows? I’m assuming it would work well. Thoughts?

Thanks!

We are having this product put on our floors tomorrow AM. We have 3 dogs. When will it be safe to let the dogs on the floors?

I’ve had my new floors with Rubio Monocoat for just three weeks and came home to find black marks by the time today. Pizza grease that wasn’t wiped up. :-( What do you recommend? Can the spots be cleaned? Or sand and refinish that area? Thank you!

This has been incredibly informative. I’m amazed that you have kept up this useful dialog for nearly 4 years! So let me add one more question: We are purchasing new Ambrosia Maple, aka Wormy Maple/Spalted Maple, for a 750 sq. ft. great room and kitchen. As you know, this product will have all those little worm holes all over every plank. We were happy with a “test” of Rubio Monocoat on a sanded 1960s oak strip floor that was still very sound and tight, but would we be in for a surprise on how the RMC responds to these little worm holes? We don’t need to fill them, but since it is supposed to be buffed in/off, I wonder whether any RMC that gets into the holes might cure differently. Thanks.

I’m trying to get a table building company off the ground, and have ordered a sample. I am specializing in cutting down, and slicing up over-sized dead trees, and have several truck loads cut up drying. The largest tree in Okla was near our home, and died a few years ago, and no one could cut it down. {the stump measured 11′ across} We sliced the log up with a 12’bar between two chainsaws, mostly crosscut slices. I used PEG to stabilize them, but they are still full of crack/checks, but have been getting by with using epoxy resin, with turquoise trinkets and such, {for filler} to weld them up….and for a finish. I’d like to be able to sand down the epoxy and try this. Is there much difference between the flooring/counter top?

I reiterate what has been said a thousand times by now, thank you for your blog and dedication to answering so many questions! I am scheduled to have my floors done just days from now and am second-guessing my choice of Rubio color. I am going for that same look mentioned by Tadas back in 2013, a natural, just sanded look. I wonder if, either their results were shared with you, or if you have done this personally? I’m looking for that specific result on red oak. I appreciate anything you can offer in terms of advice.

Hi Tadas
Great blog, looks like you are best monocoat expert . I did my floor a week ego . I use ” pro contractor” . I have rift & quarter white oak . I did few samples . Finally I decide to go with cotton white . My pro send the floor with 60 grit , than use buffer with # 100 & 150 screen . He didn’t use Monocoat cleaner , he didn’t water popping . He apply monocoat 2C . The color is completely different from my sample ( he explained me because of buffer- I did by hand ) . He mixed 2 container of RMC – 1 1/2 left over ( my floor is 750 sf ) .
And now problems begins . I can live with different color , Bona satin finish floor looks floor – but not with foot prints almost everywhere. After 5 days he came back to fix the floor . He apply another coat of RMC with white pad ( before he also use white pad ) . Floor looks even worst than before – more foot prints than before. I spoke with him today – he’s planning to put 3 rd coat of RMC . I decide to use RMC because it looks like unfinished – now it looks like regular satin poly finish .
What is the right solution to resolve this problem .
Best Regards Mark

Hello,

I have a question if you don’t mind. I like to use rubio monocoat with my walnut serving boards. I am selling these serving boards and I like to be sure if the product is food safe or not?

I hear stuff that it is non-toxic but does this mean it is food-safe? If it would be they would rather say that it’s food safe right?

I have talked with my local distributor and they tried to sell me the product by holding back information.

I tried to get in touch with Rubio through their web site, but as they are trying to get me in touch with my local distributor (again), and they felt unfriendly and not interested much.

Thank you very much!

Hi Tadas,

I’m so happy to have found your blog! I’ve read through so many of your posts, as well as the questions and comments, and have learned so much. Thanks for being so generous with all your knowledge!

We have approximately 1,800 square feet of maple that we are going to sand down and and I’m very undecided about what type of finish we should use. I really love the look of maple in its raw, natural state so I would like to the floor to be it’s natural color or perhaps a bit whiter with a matte finish. I also like the idea of being able to make spot repairs to the floor if needed, but want something that’s going to hold up well too. I’ve made some samples using the Rubio Monocoat in super white and 5% white, but I’m wondering if I were to choose either of these whether the floor would yellow over time? Also, is would it be easier to make spot repairs the the floor if I went with the super white? Would it be better to go with Pall-X-96 in a matte finish? Would the floor yellow with that too?

Thanks so much!

Is Rubio Monocoat a good option for unfnished tigerwood (aka -Brazilian Koa)?

Solid 3/4 inch planks. We have already installed it. We LOVE the wood unfinished & prefer a matte finish.

Is the WACO Diamond product also a good option??? Farm with dogs so we need tough

I greatly appreciate reading through your responses to many of the same questions that I have

Thank you for such great information! Hard to believe I still have 2 questions!

Love your detailed blog on Rubio Monocoat. I will be extending my old thin plank white oak floors to the kitchen and bonus room of my 1924 cottage. When I purchased my home 5 years ago, I had the wall-to-wall carpeting removed had the floors finished with a standard stain and a shellac sealer. The people I was staying with were big proponents of shellac as one of them had serious multiple chem allergies issues. The shellac has worn well, and I love that the grain shows through and that there is not a plastic film on the floor. However, I know that it is not the sealer to use in a kitchen, as an undetected spill from Xmas tree watering can attest to. I have a few comments, questions and concerns re: matching the shade and sheen of pre-existing floors not treated with rmc when extending the flooring to other rooms for which rmc 2 wiould be a good choice.

The first is that the rmc pamphlet says that colors can be custom-mixed. I was able to approximate the shade I needed with the help of sample bottles from the local vendor and thei paint barista. As the type of flooring varies the share depending on the planks, the matching is easy enough. However, in communicating with Rubio, I learned that their “custom mixing” of colors as noted on page 11 of their pamphlet is only available for manufacturer purchases of over 10,000 liters. For someone in my situation, that of matching the shade of an existing floor, the mixing will be up to my installer, which I trust he can do, but I will need to buy twice the stain, when 1 liter of the pricy stuff will do. Just a heads up to others in my situation.

The other question I have is that of matching the sheen of the shellac… which is not super shiny, but is more sheeny than rmc as far as I can tell. I I have noticed that Soap Satin has been dropped from the rmc line-up as a sheen enhancer. I have read reviews on other blogs that it did have issues with water spots. Does the soap product offered now, in lieu of Soap Satin, offer enough sheen to match the sheen of shellac? They do not sell samples of the soap. is there a way to reduce the shellac sheen of the floors I already have so that the transition to the new flooring treated with rmc products is less noticeable?

If not, are their other products you’ve worked with that meet these criteria:

Low/no voc
Durable enough for kitchen flooring
Matching sheen of shellac

Thx a million for your blog and continual advice on this product.

We had a Rubio Monocoat finish installed on our beautiful new white oak floors. It looks bad, and we have been through a lot. First, the installer said the floors were dirty, and he cleaned them. When that didn’t work, he said they needed maintenance oil, and we moved out of the house for two days and removed our furniture while he applied it, to no avail. They look worse than ever.

I am familiar with oil based finishes, because I had Woca oil on another floor. But, I believe the Rubio Monocoat is much worse. I recommend against using it.

I have a customer that wants to use a minwax stain (for the color of course). But wants to use the natural Rubio Moncoat as the sealer. Do you know if that is possible?

thanks!

Tadas,
We recently moved to Ann Arbor MI. WE have about 1900 sqft on maple wood floor. An unfortunately we hired an inexperienced floor company who left the floors scratched and damaged after sanding.
We found someone who can repair the floors. He will do an “audition” on a small room. He is proposing to do a light sanding to remove the scratches, then apply water to open the wood pores and stain with Rubio Monocoat.
What should we need to be in the lookout to make sure this time the job is right?
The new flooring person also told us that because the floor has been left unfinished for a few weeks (about 6 total by the time he can get to it), the floors will expand and contract with temperature changes.
Can you comment?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Ana

I don’t have a question but I wanted to say thank you for all this helpful information. If we lived in Illinois, I would be so happy to work with your company.

Can this also be used on exterior porch railings and posts?

First of all, thank you so much for sharing your expertise! This has been very helpful. I have a question or two for you regarding my 5″ red oak floor. The floor has been sanded twice now, once at installation and once five years ago. Due to water damage near the front door and changing from Bona Natural to Rubio Monocoat, my floor guy wants to do a full sanding rather than just a screening. The quarter round was off the last two times the floor was sanded. Due to sanding being so important with Rubio, does he have to take the quarter round off? While I would really like to avoid the $600 for dealing with the quarter round, I also really want a great result! Is it possible to get a great result without taking off the quarter round? If so, any tips?

My second question would be, what color would you suggest for someone with red oak who wants a fresh, raw, historic look with as little red/orange/yellow/pink as possible? I have samples of Natural, Vanilla, and 5% Smoke, but I haven’t tried them yet. I do NOT want a pickled or hazy look. My guess is some combination of Natural and Vanilla will work, but I can find much written about Vanilla.

Thank you so much for your time and your insight!

Tadas, thank you so much for all of the information and for your time in answering. I understand you don’t have much experience with pine floors but maybe you have some insight for me. The floor installer said he’s used RMC before (and hasn’t been shy about saying he doesn’t really care for it). He sanded and sanded then applied with a buffer. It’s a lot lighter than on my sample board (same floor) and seems to be getting lighter as the days go on. Is it possibly soaking in? He did the stair treads after the main floors, also pine, and they’re MUCH darker. Any ideas on this?

Hello, I am building a Tiny House. I’ve nailed down and sanded my 3/4″ Red Oak flooring but have been hesitant regarding what to coat the floor with. I find the Rubio Monocoat with 2C very interesting.
The wood floor area is only 118 Sq.Ft. and by our calculations the 350 Ml. size should more that coat the floor based on the 1.3L covering 650 Sq.Ft.. My dad did the math and it seems 350 Ml. should coat 174.9 Sq.Ft.. That said, my dad scratches his head to such a minuscule amount covering such a large area (much less using a rag to soak up the extra).
Is my consideration for Monocoat 2C a wise choice? I’ll be living by myself, no pets and gone during the day to work. So traffic will be relatively light.
Lastly, to application. This is a small area, can it be applied by hand? If so, what applicator? I saw a video where a floor buffer was used with a white pad, screen??? We have an orbital car polisher and were wondering if the pad/screen can be cut down and used with that? Thank you for you time in replying. It is greatly appreciated.

Hi Tadas, great work and thanks ahead for answering my question :-)

We are planning on redoing the floors in our newly purchased house (all the floors + the stairs). We were told that it’s birch wood. The house is only 10 years old. So the floor is not in a bad condition… a few deeper scratches, covered with a regular varnish, not shiny. We chose a contractor… Since they were going to reapply a similar varnish product they decided not to sand all of the stairs rails… just to make a few touch ups on the stairs… but then I started to look at the composition of the varnishes… I do not want my house to be polluted so I started to look at alternatives… Came across your site and was impressed by the comments! I will be talking to our floor company about the issue of High VOC and etc. tomorrow… I was wondering if the Monocoat oil without any color would be a good choice for birch floors? And if at all we can use it on birch? Thanks again for your time! Keep up the good job! I wish you lived in Montreal :-)

Hello there! I am a homeowner from New York state. Monocrat is not well known here. My contractor is coming next week to refinish the floors from very old varnish.

I loved the article about smoked monocoat. Would like to ask a question. Let me know if possible!
I bought samples and first Smoked red oak, then applied smoke oil over it. It looks beautiful, but some pieces did turn greenish. Smoke oil made it more yellowish. Still beautiful. I am afraid that overtime tannins will go to the top, and the boards will become greener looking

How do you smoke red oak without the boards turning green?

An advice would be very, very much appreciated

Anna

In a 11-5-16 post my daughter asked a few questions about the Monocoat as it applied to a Tiny House. I thought I’d reply back on her behalf since we finished the application a few days ago.

Being in a small (118 Sq.Ft. and less than 8′ wide) confined space it was impractical and costly to apply with a traditional professional buffer. We had purchased the Monocoat in the 350 Ml. size with the 2C hardener agent. Using the hardwood application rate for a liter this equated to 175 Sq. Ft. from the 350 Ml. size. I want to note that the math says the two components (275 Ml. and 75 Ml.) mix at a rate of 3.66 to 1. However, the Monocoat instructions that came with the product state state 3 to 1. Likely not a great issue, but I do feel it is worth noting. We had for lack of a better term a mustard/ketchup squeeze bottle that I measured and marked at the 3″ and then an additional inch mark for the 3 to 1 ratio. This took what seemed like exactly half the total 350 Ml. contents.

We put down what seemed a sufficient amount of the product. Initially by hand to spread, then used a 12″ white buffing pad on a slow turning hand drill to get a consistent, even, and full coating. The drill held an eyeball centered, fiber woven abrasive disc (often called a Zippity Do) and light pressure on the buffing pad held it in place due to the course nature of the disc. This work exceptionally well to get a full, even coating.

Following the instructions shortly after 3 minutes of application we attempted to wipe off the excess. However, even though the floor was obviously fully coated by the natural color change (clear) there was virtually nothing that came up. Thus we proceeded with the application omitting the wiping off the excess simply because there was virtually nothing.

My math had us using 5/7th’s of the product (118 Sq. ft. of the 175 Sq. Ft. listed for hardwood). Yet, when we had completed the application it was more like only 3/7th’s used. My guess is that we were just very diligent in our application, working 12″ off the floor (with good coating observation) and I assume that which normally is removed by cloth accounts for the extra amount we had left. While some may contest if we got a full application 48 hours later visual (and feel) inspection shows ever inch of the floor coated in a very consistent way.

The end result is rather decent for a first time project. The floor has the slightest sheen (not even satin) rather than the stated flat. It looks very much like the fifth and sixth pictures above. There are a few spots where there appears there is no color change. Initially I thought it might be voids due to the minimal application. However, the feel and visual inspection show the area coated regardless of the color. Thus, we attribute it to the wood itself.

While the product is listed as 0 VOC’s it had a slight Linseed oil smell during application and 48 hr’s later it has a distinctive smell like apple cider with cinnamon. I don’t see that as a bad thing, but if you are expecting no smell at all that isn’t what we experienced.

Thank you Tadas for your instruction and encouragement. It gave us the confidence to proceed. I’d be curious for your feedback on the minimal amount we used and the lack of need to remove excess. Again, I want to assure that the floor was fully coated. Regards, for Audrey – her dad Tom

Tadas,
Let me add to the chorus of thanks here. I spent the day reading these, and feel much better informed. Unlike many people, I do not wish I lived in Naperville. Instead I wish you worked out of Tulsa. ;)

My wife and I have laminate floors. They told us when they sold them to us that they has stair nosing, but alas, they actually only had corner moulding type stuff – which was awful. Gotta love the sales department, huh? We improvised last minute and had carpet put on our treads instead. That carpet has past its prime – to put it politely… So we are looking to tear out our staircase, and rebuild it with read oak.

We wanted to figure out a way to match the floors, and I have come up with a way that works. (At least on a sample piece of red oak baseboard…) If we Ebonize the wood (we made our own Ebonizer), then use Monocoat in smoke, it looks perfect. I was impressed that we managed to get it so spot on!

However, (and I am sure you anticipated the “however”…) 2 questions, if you don’t mind…

Since aside from redoing all the trim in the house we want to do the stairs with red oak treads, the concern we have is that the daily wear will take the monocoat off, and we will need to re-apply it. Is this a valid concern? Or if its on there, and we use the recommended soap, should it last a fairly long amount of time? The Ebonizer we made will absolutely show variations if it is applied twice.

We are going to get a sample of the Fume, since it seems to do the same thing (Grey out the tannins), and bonus, it would be standardized…

But from a link up in these comments (Where you fixed a badly fumed floor), I can see that fume also will show overlap… So if we have to touch up a bit of scratched wood, is sanding it down and refuming then monocoating an option that will blend well?

To summarize:
1) How does monocoat hold up on high traffic areas? Is there any special treatment/care to help it last longer?

2) Is successfully fixing a damaged area with a combination of fume and monocoat a realistic option? Will it blend back into the rest of the surrounding area?

Thanks in advance, and again, you and your team are true artists. Thanks for helping the rest of us. :)

I have seen that the Pallman magic oil accelerator amount can be doubled to increase hardness for certain areas or for commercial applications. Have you tried that with Rubio monocoat or know what the manufacturer would say about that?

Can the Monocoat be applied over a newly stained pine floor?

Wow, this site has really helped me answer some questions. Here in Minnesota. We are about to redo our entire first level of our home’s traditional 2″ wood floors. Its the third time and dreading it! Our contractor is recommending RubioMonoCoat this time around (verses the poly, multi-coats). My biggest question is on durability and scratches – mainly due to a bulldog. Sounds like its easily repairable (a great advantage over poly.) Can you or anyone offer any more details about durability, repair-ability with large dogs?

Hello,

Great source of information. This helped me a lot. I applied monocoat (cotton white) on my newly installed white oak floor. It looks good. But in some places, i do see small patches where i think i may have applied more that i shd have. I did buff it after a few mins and it didnt really do anything, the patches stayed there. Any suggestions? We have so far only finished 2 bedrooms and we have a lot more to go. Want to make sure that we do it right.

Hello,

Excellent source of information.

We are installing reclaimed hardwood floors in our new house. The wood is a mix of hardwoods in varying widths and lengths. It has been partially milled leaving some of the patina on the wood. It also has a uneven surface from board to board for a barn style look.

The product is sold thru Pioneer Mill Works.

My question is how to apply the Rubio finish. Using a buffer would tear up on the uneven flooring. Any suggestions? Can it be applied by brush?

Hi,
I am planning a dining table in alder and would like to use Rubio. I am wondering how alder will take the color..will it be much different than the oak? I will order a few samples, but just looking for a starting point. Thanks

My husband and I just refinished our 120 year-old pine floors. They aren’t in the best shape and there was only so much sanding we could do in the limited time we had before our move. We sanded to 100 grit, but there are still areas that feel as though you could easily get a splinter in your foot when you walk on it. We plan to live here for at least 5 years and want a product that will protect the floors from us, but also us from the floors. I’ve read that Rubio Monocoat doesn’t seal down splinters – is this true? What would you recommend for us to address the issue of splinters? Unfortunately, we are on a deadline and can’t spend any more time sanding. We actually already purchased our Rubio Monocoat – but before we apply it, we want to make sure we shouldn’t instead go the polyurethane route – to seal down painful splinters.

Thanks!

Hi I have a Red Oak dinningroom table and dresser that is coated with varnish. Do I need to sand everything down to the raw wood or can I apply Monocoat direct to the product.

Hi- Can you buff the Monocoat with a drill and a buffing pad? Or do you have to rent a big floor buffer? Thanks!

Hi Tadas, I have been reading your blog for a few months now in anticipation of redoing our red oak floors. I have also been trying to educate some flooring refinishers in the area that are unfamiliar with the new finishes available. Your blog is absolutely fantastic and there is nothing like it that I have been able to find. Thank you! I see that you reviewed Rubio Monocoat Plus but I haven’t yet seen if you reviewed RMC Oil Plus 2C. It seems that it advertises a quicker cure which would be advantageous but I wanted to find out if there were any drawbacks and if you have used it in your work. Also, there don’t seem to be any dealers for RMC in our area – San Jose, CA. We will be having someone sand the floors and then we will be applying the finish ourselves. Is my best option to order it online directly from Rubio?

Thanks for the walkthrough and recommendation on the Rubio monocoat. We used monocoat on oak flooring and walnut countertops – easiest finish application I have ever done. It held up extremely well with only one noticable scratch after moving in a few days after finishing the floor. Great product and website

Do you have experience using Rubio on a figured red birch floor? I’ve been testing some sample colors and it appears to color more evenly than regular stain, but I’m worried about it killing the look of the figuring if I use anything but the Pure. Thoughts, or suggestions on something else?

Hi Tadas, Whay a wealth of information your blog is, I was wondering if RM can be used on new unfinished cabinets, either Oak, Alder or Walnut ?

Tadas, great information. Read through a lot of this and have two questions.
1) I have a wide plank heart pine floor with 1/8″ plus gaps. What is wrong with some Rubio spilling down into the gaps? I like the gapped look. No difference than the Bioshield Oil I’ve let spill into the gaps before
2) Woud Rubio be compatible to apply over an older oiled floor. Not going to sand them again but would be interested in using Rubio as the next options after a thorough cleaning?
Thank you for your thoughts.

Hey, thanks for the detailed write up. Im a furniture maker and products like these are something I want to move to. Only have one question: on the other two reviews you listed they wont leave water rings, is it the same for Rubio or can you actually get water marks with it. Thanks againI

Hi Tadas,
Happy Holidays and thank you for maintaining such an informative blog. We love RMC at our company and have recommended it to several home owners, as well as for commercial applications. We have encountered an issue at one commercial site that has RMC over 6″ character grade oak, in what has ended up being a very low humidity setting.
This has resulted in surface checking and cracking, as well as gaps between the boards. The clients will not be adding humidification through the HVAC system, and are not willing to put in portable cool air humidifiers through the space. They are also looking for a more durable finish that requires less costly maintenance care and asked about re-coating the floors with a Non yellowing moisture cure finish, believing this will hold up better to our NYC temperature and humidity swings.
Thoughts?

Hello Tadas!

I am totally new to wood refinishing and have a few questions! I just sanded my red oak floors (approx 60+ years old) down to raw wood. I was planning to do the traditional stain and polyurethane and discovered how beautiful my floors look natural. I began to look for some green options to refinishing floors and found OSMO and Rubio Monocoat. I am undecided as of now on which to use. I am leaning towards the Rubio Monocoat due to it’s -VOC properties but the OSMO has a “natural look” option that will not darken my floors at all.
1) What do you use to clean the floors prior to applying product ?
2) what do you use for application of the products?
3) what do you use to remove excess ?
4) I would like to keep my floors as light as possible to keep the natural look. Does the OSMO or Rubio Monocoat darken or yellow the floors at all?
Thanks for your time!

Hallo Tadas,
thanks a lot for your blog. I have some questions: If you use rubio monocoat 2C for a floor, do you always make the water popping before? And than after water popping, how do you handle the buffer while staining. Did the bufferwheels leave marks on the floors while changing the pads. Because of the weight of the buffer. How do you handle this? Greetings from Germany.

Hello Tadas, Great review!
I plan to apply Rubio Nordic blue to a new maple armoire I am constructing. I have experimented on pieces prior to applying and have had trouble getting a consistent level of colour across the test piece this is particularly true for the maple veneer sheets and to a lesser degree for the solid maple frame pieces. The wood is sanded very smooth. Any suggestions regarding a methodology to apply the Rubio monocoat?

Wow, you have a lot of comments on this article! I have to say that I am not entirely happy with the Rubio Monocoat 2c on our eucalyptus floors. It’s upstairs and on a sunny day, you can see every drip from my kids wet hair, every tear drop, every bit of water that has ever been on our floors for 30 seconds or more. We wipe as quick as we can, but it still shows water spots more than any wood floor I’ve ever encountered. Sure, I guess you can retreat it when that happens, but with three kids, who has time for that? My son also wrote on a board with ball point pen, so we’ll have to see if we can coat over that after washing off the pen and the finish. I would go for a lot less maintenance with three kids!

Hello Matthew and thanks for all your information on RMC products. I tried your link for the soap-satin product but it came up as invalid and I did a search for it on the RMC website and it showed no such product. Could the product you mentioned now be the the universal maintenance oil?

Sincerely,

Michael

Our white oak floors did not turn out the color we had hoped for when refinishing. Much more red than we want. Used Antique Brown. Can this product go over the existing oil based poly to change to color to more brown?

Hi there,

Our reclaimed, tung oil finished hardwoods need a new finish. Can we use the monocoat?

Thanks so much for your wisdom!

I’ve used Rubio Monocoat on wood countertops that see regular water (including an undermount sink) – it has held up impressively. It really does seem like magic.

Hello fromCanada; Tadas – wonderful blog! I have leant so much, thank you! We had our american walnut floors resanded professionally and rubo 2c oil in “pure” applied. It is the complete main floor, 10 years old and previous had a shiney poly coatingd. I love the colour and matte look of rubio on walnut. However, the day after application of “1st” rubio there were areas of cloudy look, small shiney spots and two large swirl shaped outlines visible. The flooring guys have added another coating of 2C ( buffering i think) but there are still appears to swirl outlines when we peaked a few hours after they finished. I am afraid these are due to the sanding not the coating. I am assuming the only way to get rid of these IF due to sanding is to resand. Or Can we apply a darker colour low Voc type poly over the floor to hide these swirls? Have you ever heard of adding a poly over rubio – probably never had to as you know how to apply rubio mc ;) …. The flooring guys are working to make it right btw so not concerned other timeline :) Anycooments are appreciated and whenever you have time to comment! thanks,anita

We just installed a large parquet floor (32 in squares). It is white oak. There are some gaps in the pattern but we want a floor that has the same character as an old home in Europe. Would you recommend RMC or Magic Oil (I am down to these two options). There is a particular color that we are trying to achieve but not seeing any comments on this page I am guessing that you do not apply RMC over a stained floor but use their color options to achieve the color you want. Final question would be do you see footprints with an oil finished floor?
Note: a professional will be doing the work.

How would this system work for furniture finishing? It sounds like it would hold up well to water stains from glass rings and spills based on your floor reviews. Would application to sharp corners, curves, and vertical surfaces be easy using a brush or cloth? Would the product run on vertical surfaces?

We recently finished two rooms of newly installed four-inch white oak floors with Rubio Monocoat Pure. We trained and prepared for the installation ahead of time, and the application went very well. No issues with tackiness, and the surface is a beautiful matte finish. We purchased an Oreck Commercial ORB550MC Commercial Orbiter Floor Machine plus 12″ red and white 3M pads to apply the finish, and it was a breeze! Despite the ease and beautiful surface finish, I am extremely disappointed with Rubio Monocoat – because of the COLOR of the finish is HORRIBLE. We used the finish called “Pure”, which according to every site I read in advance is “a little darker” than clear. The finish is soooo dark and ugly with a definite yellow tone – utterly unbearable to look at. Not modern at all. I wish I could post photos here. So much wasted time and energy and $ on our part. Maybe in a year we will have the energy to completely sand them down to raw and refinish. The thought is unbearable for now. Meanwhile I will be researching which product I can use to get that beautiful bright natural white oak look that I have had my heart set on for so long for the remaining rooms. Until then, I will be singing the Rubio blues.

Hi Tadas

Great analysis. Thanks.

Working on a wood slab counter for two vessel sinks in a bath. I expect there will be plenty of water splashed around. Any concerns about using RMC?

Thanks,
Chris

Do you have experience with using Woodwise to fill any nail holes or gaps and then covering with Rubio Monocoat? We just installed 200+ year old reclaimed heart pine floors (from my Grandmother’s old home!), and the flooring guys used Woodwise to fill old nail holes and gaps and then sanded and put down the coat of RMC. Where the putty was used, there’s almost these white, totally unnatural looking spots all throughout the floors. Do you know why this would have happened? The flooring company and the company that planed/cut out wood have never seen this happen. Any suggestions?!

Your Blog’s on hardwood floor finishes have been very informative, since I have been doing some research on an oil-based brand for our new reclaimed hardwood floor! I was wondering if you have ever used WOCA Oil? This is a hardwood floor finish that I am looking into, along with the brand Waterlox. I was hoping you would have some insight into these brands!? Thank you1

Hello,
Great blog! We are building new construction and did 3000 sqft of engineered, unfinished European French oak. Flooring was sanded with 100 grit, vacuumed and then dust cleaned with mineral spirits. Once dry applied one coat of Rubio Monocoat natural with red pad and then buffed with white and then rags to remove excess. About 40 hours later checked floors and they are not matte, they look like a satin finish, some areas are lighter than others ( uneven color ) a hardwood flooring guy did the job not a DIY. Do you know if the satin sheen and uneven color could be from cleaning dust with mineral spirits or would that be from not removing enough excess oil?
Thank you for any information!

Hello Tadas!!

I hope you can help me with my maintenance question. I have red oak floors (about 80 years old) that were sanded, stained with Precolor Easy in Nordic White, and then finished in monocoat 2c oil in Cotton white…so altogether a very light colored floor. To say I love the look would be an understatement…it’s &*%^$ gorgeous, but every time something a little too heavy gets dragged on the floor I get a dark “scuff” if you will. It’s not anything on the surface..it seems as though somehow the wood grain fibers have been disturbed. The area won’t absorb more precolor and the scuff still stands out after re-oiling. For what its worth, I’ve tried sanding a few dog gouges using hand sanding sponges and never gotten much of a match to my original finish. I guess my question is should I use an electric rotary sander to sand patches? If so how would I feather out into the rest of the field of finish? We’ve been on these floors for 3 years now and I also have areas that have sort of lost color. Do I need to resend and refinish? I have a small Oreck buffing machine and a handheld random orbit sander at my disposal.

I know it would normally make sense to talk with my contractor, but he bailed on us..and he didn’t have much experience with monocoat or precolor …he was the only person in my area who had any experience at all. Long story. Okay, thank you so much for your help!

Anne

Thank you for your information on the RMC products. I am wondering if you have used the fume technique with any other top oil other than 5% white. If you could share a link to any pics that would be appreciated.

Wonderful information. I wish you were closer to Philadelphia….
We want floors that children and grandchildren can play on and are easily repaired when life happens. We used Waterlox a few years ago for this reason…but now we want to do an old yellow pine floor in a kitchen and want it done as fast as possible. The floor is quite worn in spots, probably should have boards replaced with ones from pantry, but contractor says not necessary. I saw where heavy used floors a relative no. With our priorities of fixable and fast, would you recommend this or something else? Know any contractors in Philadelphia? Thanks

We put in white oak floors prefinished at the factory with Rubio Monocoat Clear Natural. The color has ambered quite dramatically in the last 8 years. We need to sand and refinish with something else. I can send anyone photos since we have some of the original wood that has not been in the sunlight.

Hi!

We are about to install a white oak countertop in our kitchen and was thinking of using Rubio’s Monocoat as a treatment for it. I love the matte finish and natural look of Rubio’s Mono coat! Our contractor however said the guy he uses for treating countertops strongly advices against using Rubio’s because of the moisture level in the kitchen area and wear and tear that a countertop receives. I don’t know if he’s right or if he’s just not used to working with Rubio’s? Our local Woodcraft store told us that it’s a great treatment that protects the wood well as long as you clean up water spills and don’t let it sit. What are your thoughts? Do you think it’ll hold up in the long run around the sink area and with a dishwasher installed under it? Or should we consider another treatment?

Thank you so much for your advice!

Kind regards
Johanna

Hello Tadas,
We just bought the Helmer CASTLE in Jackson, Michigan and are in the process of renovations to make it an airbnb.
The Tower was built in 1927 and has 5 floors of 1 5/8″ THICK ,, 5″ Wide Tongue and Groove Fir (as best the guy at the sawmill could determine). The floor boards from each room are also the ceiling for the room below. The floors were covered with Carpet for decades…..and I have removed all the carpet and the 3/4″ plywood that was installed with Cement Nails (tough job). There had been a roof issue for years and it was finally dealt with in the 80’s….but the water damage (rot near the edges of the stone walls) is extensive on the 2 upper floors. The top floor is the worst and our plan is to remove that wood and use what is salvageable to make repairs to the floor below. Then, have 1 5/8″ thick, 5″ wide White Oak milled for a NEW floor on the top level.
Beyond that, the problems that are messing with my head are….GAPS. Obviously there is some gapping at the wall edges where it meets the stone….but I think I can deal with that with concrete (unless you have a better idea). But there are sizeable gaps between the planks, some as much as 1/4″. Dust and debris sifts from one room down to the next. I was thinking of using a caulk filler on the underside of the boards (the ceiling side) and then hand applied Glitza for the gaps in the floor boards. Chinks of old filler popped out rather consistently when I removed the plywood. So I am not sure what was used way back then, or what is the best to use now. I am not familiar with the linseed oil/whiting stuff….but really I am willing to use whatever you think would work best.
And then we have the issue of refinishing. The floors are nearly black but don’t appear to have anything on them. (one level has some crusty yellow stuff that flakes off rather easily).
The Tower rooms are rather small and only accessed by a narrow spiral staircase or hoisting things through the old windows. Thus, I believe my solution for those rooms is sanding them with a palm sander and by hand. I want to keep as much of the original character as I possibly can. I think to fill the nail holes with a 2 part epoxy. I read that to use the oil floor finishes the floors have to be prepared perfectly. In my case- I just don’t know what that means. And to what sandpaper grit?
Anyway, the final problem is the finish. My local supplier is directing me toward Pallmans 2K…but I want the floors to look as natural and original as possible, so I was thinking to use the Rubio Monocoat. But I also don’t want them to look naked and new….so I just have no clue what color to go with. Dark floors show the dirt and dust – so not keen on too dark. When someone walks in the castle – I want them to be overcome with the sense that everything is original and has been held in a state of preservation for nearly 100 years.
Whew! I know that’s too much information. The main floor addition (also stone structure) was installed in rather ordinary 2 1/4″ Red Oak Plank and is in decent shape other than I want to sand off the Poly Coating, eliminate the poor sanding marks and make them match the floors of the tower.
ANY and ALL ADVICE is welcome and appreciated.
Warm Regards,
Joy

If the product will not accept a second coat at all, does this mean you can finish a large floor in sections over a few days or weekends and not see any lines or overlap?

Hi,
We have an 1860 home in which we are renovating our kitchen. We are thinking of red and white oak reclaimed wood for the floor, thou are concerned about splinters as we have 5 grandkids under 6 and a 130 lb dog. We definitely need a finish that is easily repairable. Which finish would you recommend on a reclaimed wood floor?
Thanks so much!
Kathie

We’re updating our floors (sanding existing 1 1/4 inch red oak and laying some new where we used to have tile). Our contractor has used Rubio for years and prefers the product but I’m going back and forth on pushing him for a more traditional oil beaded product. The hesitation comes from kid spills a me high wet traffic from the pool into the house. Have u had anyone use Rubio where there’s a lot of pool traffic?

You mentioned you wouldn’t put the oil on a floor with a lot of gaps. What is the reasoning? I was thinking an oil finish could help embrace the imperfections of a 120 year old pine floor which will never have a real uniform glossy surface with a poly finish.

Hi Tadas,

Thank you for all this information. I’m planning to do a DIY checkered floor with Rubio Monocoat (90-year-old pine floor in Massachusetts, which we had professionally sanded), and I have a few questions about the checkered floor you show above.

Did you allow the first color to cure completely before doing the second one?

Once the first color is done, do I need to tape off the squares for the second color? Or will the squares that have Monocoat on them already be saturated enough that the second color will run right off them? If a second taping is required, what should I do to make sure the tape doesn’t damage the finished squares?

Does it matter in which order the colors are applied? (I’m planning on a white and a natural brown.)

How do you use a buffer without lifting the tape? Did you have to hand buff? I assume you couldn’t use a large floor buffer and had to use a handheld one, if electric at all, but please correct me if that’s wrong!

Thanks for your help.

First off thank you so much for sharing this info! I wish I lived in the Chicago area, so that I could have you do my floors! I stumbled upon this post because I recently purchased my very first home and been doing research to decide if I want to refinish my floors before moving in. The house is a Victorian built in 1908 with oak hardwood floors that look like they might be the original? It’s not in bad shape, but I figured I should refinish anyway while the house is empty and do my part to maintain the integrity of the floor. Been doing research and talking to some folks. Was told by one contractor that it’s not a good idea to use Rubio Monocoat on old floors because older floors need more protection and the maintenance required with Monocoat would not be good for an older floor longterm (e.g. cannot sand down older floors too many times). Their recommendation to me was to use Pallmann Power-X for the best balance of low VOCs and protection. Any thoughts on that? I would really rather stick with more natural products like the Monocoat or Pallmann Magic Oil if possible, but worried about not properly caring for my old floors. Thank you in advance for your insight and advice!

You posted a floor in Glen Ellyn, Illinois with Oyster color, but you did not say what wood species it was applied to. Can you please clarify. We will be refinishing or red oak floors currently have just polyurethane. We are looking for a light natural finish with as little orange as possible. Thank you. Your article was very helpful.

Thank you for your response on my last post. Do you have any other photos of any other color on red oak, without pre-color, or other techniques applied. I was told it’s best to pick a color that looks good on the red oak without a pre-color so that it is easier to repair in the future.

Hi! We recently had our floors refinished with Rubio over red oak. We made samples and used half black and half ice brown. In the samples it looked more of a neutral medium brown. After they were done with the floors they looked super red and orangish colored. We contacted Rubio and they suggested a 2c renovation with just black to tone down the color. Have you ever experienced this? I’m worried even if the floors are buffed with a maroon pad and a second coat is applied that it will effect the durability of the floors. Like finish coming up and spotting.

In case durability is an issue, is there a poly coating you can recommend that you’ve used over Rubio?

Thanks!

We have white pine floors. Would Rubio work for these?

Hi Tadas,
Great information here about Rubio Monocoat. I’m wondering what your experience is using this on exterior wooden doors? I have a new door that is raw wood without stain and I don’t want the hassle of polyurenthane. I would like a more natural wood look with good weather protection.
I see mostly information about this product on flooring.
Can you please guide.
Thanks much,
Linda

Any experience or advice on using Pall-X Power Satin as the finish on new unstained maple kitchen cabinets?
Thanks!

Hello Tadas,
I have read this blog post a few times in order to get all the useful information you have placed here, thank you so much for the details!
I was wondering if you had any experience or opinion on putting Rubio Monocoat onto engineered wood floors (ones purchased “bare” or without a finish on them of course). Would the results be similar or is this a better product for true hardwood floors.

thank you so much!

Would you recommend this finish for a pine floor in the kitchen and bathrooms of a rustic lakeside cottage in Maine? The look of it sounds perfect to me. Not sure about the durability, but that sounds pretty good too. Thanks.

Hello. First off thank you a million times over for supporting this blog and providing such great information!

I have a small cabin in the woods that has face nailed plank flooring. The finish on it has failed. These planks are pretty rough with dings, scratches, etc and between the boards, the gap ranges up to about 1/8”. I don’t think we are in the mind to eliminate all of this “character” from the floor via excessive sanding. Given the price of these hard wax oils, having gaps between the boards is far from ideal. However, the place is small enough that I could easily stain each plank individually and use a hand buffer/polisher to work it in. Thoughts on this approach?

Now, I failed to mention earlier but those planks are not all flat. Some have bowed a bit and some have cupped a bit. Contrary to what I mentioned earlier, if I sanded the floor to be flat, it would take a lot of the wood with it so I’m wondering what your thoughts are on stripping the finish vs sanding? I would give it a light sanding by hand probably to remove the raised grain.

I’m not married to one product over another at this point but have been leaning a bit towards the Rubio but if you have any recommendations for something else that might be better in my situation, I’m all ears.

Again, many thanks!

Great info on the posts i’ve read so far for Osmo and Rubio, thanks a bunch!

One thing that I noticed comparing the photo of Osmo and Rubio is the distinct white lines in most of the floors applied with Rubio, whereas the Osmo coated floors all looked a lot more natural. Is it just me? The Rubio in the GIF that shows the guy squeegeeing also looks very pale with a blue hue, a bit like water-based poly has which is a huge turn off for me. I prefer wood to have a warm tone than a cold tone.
Would Osmo be better for my baltic pine floors, given this?
Cheers again!

Hello! I come from Poland, right on the border with Ukraine (you heard shots across the river … unfortunately.) I read and you really know wooden floors! I have such boards. Many years old dried in the living sun and wind. Brushed with visible grain hollows. Wood species: pine. Rubio probably will not be suitable for finishing such a floor, right? What do you recommend and how to best apply it in this situation? Hand rub? Regards Pawel

I am so thankful to have found these blog entries – you are clearly so very knowledgable! Thank you for sharing your experience with the rest of us. This has helped me feel very comfortable going with a RMC finish for a new house we’re building this summer, if we can find anyone with any experience with the product to apply it. Wish we could hire you but we’re several states away!

Hello Tadas,

your posts are really really useful. Learnt a lot! Thank you!
I installed massive industrial parquet. The blades have a very small surface (1 x 12 inch) and are very uneven, with huge color variations, knots and all sort of artistic defects. After (much) sanding I think the floor needs filler to fill in the gaps before oiling.
I’d like to have it dark – maybe not completely black, but a cold and very dark nuance. I am thinkg of three options:

1. I am tempted by the Rubio Monocoat Pre-Aging Fume intense + Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2C. But Rubio only has a premixed filler I am skeptical about.

2. two coats of Pallmann Magic Oil black after filling with Pallmann Allkitt that can be mixed with sanding powder

3. the crazy option – filling with Pallmann Allkitt ( I think it’s alcohol based), Rubio Monocoat Pre-Aging (non-reactive water-based) on top and finishing with Pallman Magic Oil

Is option 3 even possible?
What would you recommend?

The floor guy used other oils, but neither Pallmann, nor Rubio, yet he is willing to try. We have lots of scraps to test on.

Thanks!

Hi, I would like to know if you have seen aging over time a particular type of wood floor treated with RMC white. We have a hard maple floor and find RMC white slightly whiter than what we wan’t. I have read in your blog that it’s normal to expect an oiled based product to change color over time. White 5% would be an option, but I would not wan’t to see the actual natural look of white 5% yellowing more than it is. Can we expect RMC with to look like similar to White 5% in a couple of months?

Thanks!

Hi Guys,
Have you had a chance to use a “light chocolate type color” Rubio on maple? Have you had any success. We are looking at their Ash Grey and Black. Maple sure has its challenges.
Thanks for producing a great website – very informative!!
Cheers

I am considering Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2C (black or charcoal) with the Pre Color (Intense black) on a hard maple stage floor in a small performing arts center. We want the floor to be as black as possible, and to be able to stand up to the regular application of Pro Gaff gaffers tape. Have you had any experience with this product as it relates to gaff tape? Would you recommend water popping our blonde maple floor before application of the pre color?

Hey there! Great article. I have heart pine floors and was wondering what you would think of using RMC? I want an unfinished, matte look the brighten up my log cabin. Do you have examples/experience with how it performs on heart pine?

Thanks for the informative post! I am building a white oak dining table. I already have it stained with a minwax stain. Debating on top coat and was considering Rubio. Can I apply MonoCoat over stained wood?

Hello – I found your blog after trying to search for information about redoing floors that have been previously treated with Rubio 2C. It looks like you have a lot of experience with this product and we are hoping you might have some advice.

We have Brazilian walnut floors that were originally treated with RMC in 2015 by a previous owner (work done by a contractor). When we moved into the house, we applied maintenance oil, but due to our lack of skill and experience, it didn’t look even. Now, three years later, we have hired a contractor who is supposed to be familiar with the Rubio products but it isn’t going very well. On initial consult they suggested a 2C application after a deep clean with red pads. We agreed to this. When the team arrived, it seems like they didn’t do any cleaning or abrasion and went straight to the 2C application. The oil did not dry and there were footprints and gummy oil left everywhere, even after waiting 4 days. They’ve now been back and have spent the day using a maroon pad (it took two passes) removing the oil layer from the floor. They don’t seem to have any experience with Brazilian walnut (and we are also having a hard time googling any info about Rubio on Brazilian walnut), and because of the botched first application, they do not think 2c is the right product. So their solution was to apply maintenance oil on the maroon pad abraised floor. My questions are as follows:
-Does using the maroon pad (220 grit equivalent as I understand) remove the protective initial application of the 2C layer, which would mean the wood is no longer protected?
-Will the maintenance oil provide adequate protection to the floors that have been maroon pad abraised? I’ve only seen instruction that maintenance oil is to be applied over a 2C treated floor, and that 2C is to be applied on abraised surfaces.

Our primary concern is that it seems like Rubio always recommends applying the 2C as a second coat after the maroon pad abrasion process, and that maintenance oil is primarily used to enhance sheen rather than protecting the floor. Although the maintenance oil seemed to have gone on smoothly from what we can see so far in the test room (I.e. our guest bedroom), will the long term resilience of the floor be compromised because some of the original 2C layer has been removed?

Thanks in advance, and if you don’t have experience with applying maintenance oil on an abraised 2C treated surface, we can always keep you updated on how it holds up! We were really hoping not to be a test case! :)