Go Kitchens

How long do you have to wait after polyurethaning hardwood floors before you put furniture on them?

We have done the first coat of fast-drying poly on newly stained hardwood floors. The can says this stuff should dry in 3-4 hrs. We're on hour 8 and it's still tacky. Temp is at 72 deg and fans are blowing. Anyway, we still have to do another coat, and wait for that to dry. We thought we'd be good to go by this evening, but the can says you then have to wait another 72 hours before putting furniture on it! we started this whole process 3 days ago. Since we have all our furniture in the kitchen and living room, and have a 5 yr old and 3 yr old, this is chaos! Do we really have to wait 72 hours or is this an overcautious just-in-case-we-get-sued manufacturers direction? Thanks for the recommendation to be patient. We realize that we're in for the long haul. To the person who seems to think that they are the only one with a brain: 1) My kids have nothing to do with you. A goofed up DIY process has nothing to fo with good parenting skills. And yes, they were elsewhere. Sheesh. It is precisely because I need to get them back in their own rooms that I'm asking this question. 2) Like I SAID, we bought the super-fast drying poly and asked the guy at the store to explain the process to us. He only mentioned the 3-4 hr drying time, nothing about 72 hrs. We read the tiny print on the can as much as we could, and trusted him for the rest. It was only in double-checking before we applied the first coat, that we realized the 72 hrs was required. 3) We're using safety equipment. 4) Why would you feel the need to attack us from a simple DIY goof-up question? Don't try to figure out our lives from one short, simple question - JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION!!!!!!!

Public Comments

1. The manufactures directions should be taken as a guide line only. If your floor is not insulated well you could be drawing cold from the other side of the wood. How thick are your coats? Better to wait till dry or experience the poor results of your impatience.
2. Actually I'd go even longer than the directions as furniture is weight and it would really stink to do ALL THAT WORK just to move the chairs in a few weeks to clean and come to realize the finish came up with the feet of the chair. Being winter, the moisture level is higher in the air so it takes longer for things to dry. Best bet is to hand the kids off to someone, crank the heat up to 80 in the place and late tonight put the 2nd coat down. Then go stay at a hotel for a few days while the house is set at 80 to cure it all good. Quality is never a rushed job.
3. You have alot of humidity in the areas that are affecting the drying time. With that kind of a product you should have applied several really thin coats. With heavy furniture on the tacky floor, it will get stuck there. Maybe a hotel would be best for you guys right now.
4. I do hdwd flrs all the time, and in my own home I wouldn't put furniture on it until 72 hours after the last coat. has nothing to do with suing, mfgs recommendations or anything else...just get it hard.
5. Perhaps the more important question should be to you: Where did your kids stay during this process and why are you having to ask this now that you have started? You probably could have saved a lot of time if you had asked for advice on the topic of floors. From the responses so far there are quite a few with extensive knowledge on the subject. Hopefully you will ask the next time you have something you have not done before. The children question only comes from your chaos statement. I believe that most of these products recomend breathing apparatis of some type while along with ventilation including opening windows etc. Is this an environment for children?