I would advise you to contact a good floor refinishing company and ask them to do your floors. If your contractor is relying on you to tell him what to use, you need a more knowledgeable contractor.

Our floor contractor used satin finish polyurethane (?) on our white oak.

I didn't say that my contractor was asking me what to use. I am asking for opinions. I thought that's what this forum was for.

One answer - Bona Naturale'

Hi, Georgianna, so glad you asked the question it is identical to one I was going to ask. Have you finished your floor? If so, what was used? Do you like the finished floors?

Thank you, I am going to read that now..

Thanks to everyone for the helpful suggestions!

I strongly advise you to hire a hardwood flooring contractor to sand and finish your floors. I have personally seen way too many "builders" and "general contractors" tell homeowners they have experience sanding and finishing wood floors, only to end up doing a terrible job. Sanding and finishing is an art form that requires years of experience and training to truly master. For finishes, I recommend a 2-component, catalyzed Waterborne (any manufacturer, just make sure it's 2-part and not a single component), or Glitsa Swedish finish, or a natural hardwax oil from Loba, Pallman, Arboritec, or Eukula. White oak is gorgeous and timeless, good luck!

Yes, Rubio Monocoat too! BUT....that should only be applied by a hardwood flooring contractor. DO NOT let your builder apply this finish. It's unique, and they will not get it right if they've never used it before (only hardwood flooring professionals are familiar with this product).

Dear Floor Pros and non-Pros, I have taken all your words to heart and have been doing my homework.

For the first time, I've come across a product called Dura-Seal Trowelable Wood Filler.

What is it? Should it be used on raw white oak before sanding?

Wood filler is used to fill any gaps between boards, knots, and minor board imperfections during the sanding process. The use of wood filler is one of the standard steps in the sanding process. It's used after the first rough sanding cut and before the final fine sanding cut.

Oh, thank you, very much for such a clear explanation.

I realize this discussion was started 4 years ago. I'm curious on what you ended up doing and if you like your floors. I also have a question for all of you flooring experts. Do you have to customize your stain or are there a variety of stains for each type of wood? We are thinking of either installing white oak or hickory. We don't love the really light pieces in natural but we don't want a dark floor. Is there a stain that is not custom that is between a medium and light stain. I'd like a few shades darker than natural.

We used Bona Naturale and are extremely happy with that decision.

I've used from hardwoods4less https://hardwoods4less.com/collections/white-oak and i'm very happy with choosing them, good quality fair price