How long does it take for floorboards to cure after staining and polishing?

HandyEl

We just sanded, stained and polished the floorboards in our old house, finishing with a oil based polyurethane. We are at day 4.

We weren't able to finish painting the walls, skirting boards prior, so I was looking to do some painting over the Christmas break.

How soon is too soon to lay tape and the drop cloths? I've heard conflicting opinions re the curing time for the floors....

Thank you

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @HandyEl. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about varnished floors.

You should follow the instructions on the product as to when the area will be trafficable. Typically this is within a day, and then you can walk over the area with socks. At this point, you'll be able to lay your drop cloths, though I wouldn't advise you to tape them to the floor but to the skirting boards instead. This will allow you to paint the walls. Once you've finished the walls, you'll be a few days down the track and closer to when you'd be able to tape to the floors. Since you're at day five, it sounds like you'd be fine to lay your drop sheets now.

Before taping to the floors to do the skirting boards, do a test section in an inconspicuous location. Apply a small section of tape to the floor and leave it there for the same amount of time you intend to take to paint the skirting boards. Hopefully, you should be able to do a room within a few hours and remove the tape immediately afterwards. After a few hours, remove the tape and check to see if it removed any of the coating. If it has, you'll need to wait longer before using it over the whole room. I'd suggest using only tape designed for delicate surfaces.

Curing times differ greatly from product to product and can depend on the temperature and humidity in your area, so it's hard to give an exact timeframe. However, to fully cure, some coatings can take up to two weeks, so you need to be cautious when applying anything that is adhered to them and will pull up on the coating when removed.

Please let me know if you have further questions.

Mitchell