Refinishing Hardwood Floors how will it effect tank?

[Skedaddle]

I need to refinish my hardwood floors. With 6 dogs in the house durability is key so I need to use an oil based polyurethane. Does anyone have any experience as to how this may effect a tank? I have a 125 gal mixed reef display with a 40 gal sump in the same room that I will be refinishing.
I may be able to DIY a fresh air inlet to the tank alcove but I feel no mater what I do it will be exposed to some VOC's.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[James M]

I don’t know if it will affect ur tank but I would run carbon just to be safe

 

[PEP12]

to be safe use a water based polyurethane as an oil base will give off an odour which could leech into water as it cures, better to be safe than sorry, also contact the supplier or manufacturer to be absolutely sure.

 

[chris85]

If you could make a termite tent for your tank.... Run the skimmer line outside along with an air pump and the tent will fill up with positive pressure and should keep most of the contaminated air out.

 

[pscheel2]

Following

 

[Skedaddle]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am in the planning stages. I will not be doing the sanding and coating until first of April, assuming a good weather window.

I think I am going to run carbon, which I do not do now, and turn off the skimmer for a couple of days, figure there is no reason to pump bad air thru the water. Also going to try and build a plenum from a nearby doorway and use a spare computer fan to push outside air to the tank, which I will tent leaving a vent at the top. Also plan on strategic windows being open with a box fan pulling air out a window.

At least that is what I am thinking now, subject to change based on more suggestions here.

 

[PirateDan]

I’ve worked in the flooring industry for over 20 years. I think you’re talking a big chance. If you’re sanding I hope you’re using a dust reduction system because the fine dust particles can get in unless it’s sealed air tight. If you’re just buffing and coating I would try to do when you can have all windows open fumes are very strong.

 

[Blackice615]

Following. Running into the same issue. Considered finishing my basement, moving the tank down there, then redoing my floors.

 

[Skedaddle]

PirateDan the sander I will be using has a large dust collection bag, probably about a cubic yard. However I am sure it is not HEPA filtration. Hopefully with the tent/enclosure and a small fan pushing outside air into it, I can create little positive pressure.

I really do not see that I have much choice, it is 1500sq ft of 3/4 oak flooring and it has not been refinished since I laid it 12 years ago. To keep from having to do it more often I need to use something tough, 6 dogs and all.

 

[Blackice615]

Replace with tile that look like hardwood ;Happy

 

[Coral Keeper]

DON'T DO IT!!! So I too had to refurnish my hardwood floors and the sanding and what not might be fine with sealing the tank off and having the sander collect all the dust, but the polyurethane is what is deadly, i was talking to several professionals that do hardwood floors for a living and they have told me that they had ALL their customers who's aquariums filled with fish or reptiles or anything of that nature die due to the fumes and toxins of the polyurethane...
Even when I had the windows open 24/7 and air purifiers and air filters running 24/7 the fumes lasted for a long WHILE... it WILL kill your tank...

 

[Coral Keeper]

Even have a friend that owns a fish store who had ALL of his corals and fish die because there was some construction going on across the street and I guess the toxins or fumes or whatever got into his systems...

 

[Coral Keeper]

If you can, set the tank up somewhere else, a friends place or whatever and wait out the fumes for a week or so just to be safe.. it would suck if you lost all your fish and colonies of corals that you've had for years...

 

[twotangs]

Of all the posts thus far no direct conformation that the poster refinished their floors and had a loss directly contributed to their system. For me when we do our floors the plan is to keep the skimmer going with outside air and a large turnover of ambient air in the space as the finish cures. Five years ago i did our living room floors with a 120 present. Sanded, stained and several coats of waterlox. No issues.

 

[Skedaddle]

I was hoping for some first hand knowledge thank you @twotangs. Do you happen to remember what formulation of Waterlox you used, or at least if it was water or solvent cleanup for the brushes etc.

I am a bit at a loss at this point what to do. Moving the tank is not an option, no where to put it that is climate controlled (ie. not the front porch). Based on previous posts it could not be with in a country mile.

Does anyone else have any first hand experiences with this situation. Hard to believe you have to breakdown a tank to refinish floors anywhere in the house.

I guess using a no VOC coating would be an option, but everything says it will not last with heavy traffic and with dogs and a stone/dust driveway it is tough on floor finishes.

 

[lapin]

I am familiar with these finishes from a few years back. Every year the formula changes, due to gov regulations on voc's.
You can call them (tech support) and ask what voc's will flash off the products. This might help in deciding if you can get away with a water based finish.
https://www.hillyard.com/MediaCenter/Documents/Literature/LIT-Wood.pdf

 

[sde1500]

I refinished upstairs 3 bedrooms, a bathroom, hallway and stairwell with the tank downstairs two years ago. The dust collections was quite poor, and I used a low VOC oil poly. Had a tarp up around the bottom of the stairs, and I think I may have put a sheet up around the tank like a small tarp to protect it. That's it. 3 days of sanding, the floor was really bad, plus a few days poly, zero problems with the tank.

 

[twotangs]

I was hoping for some first hand knowledge thank you @twotangs. Do you happen to remember what formulation of Waterlox you used, or at least if it was water or solvent cleanup for the brushes etc.

https://www.waterlox.com/products-item/waterlox-original-UV-protection-marine-wood-sealer

Ventilate well and it is not water soluble.

We have two German Shorthairs, they are hard on floors, nice thing about the Waterlox is you can re-coat as needed which we will be doing this summer.

 

[MnFish1]

DON'T DO IT!!! So I too had to refurnish my hardwood floors and the sanding and what not might be fine with sealing the tank off and having the sander collect all the dust, but the polyurethane is what is deadly, i was talking to several professionals that do hardwood floors for a living and they have told me that they had ALL their customers who's aquariums filled with fish or reptiles or anything of that nature die due to the fumes and toxins of the polyurethane...
Even when I had the windows open 24/7 and air purifiers and air filters running 24/7 the fumes lasted for a long WHILE... it WILL kill your tank...

At least when we had ours done WE had to move out of the house for 4 days until it was cured - I would check with a friend/neighbor if you could set up your tank at their place for a couple days - its a hassle - but you'll likely kill everything if you don't. (with the oil b based poly)

 

[BeejReef]

I'll be facing this same issue myself, so following with interest. Refinished the hardwood floors upstairs last year and it is a MESS to do. Crazy sawdust, loud, loud noises, runaway sanders, and heavy current draw. Are you just light sanding and re-doing the polyurethane, or going down to bare wood, filling, and staining? Before I set my tank up, I thought I'd be able to finish around it, but the more I think about it now, I think it will actually be less work to disassemble and hold my livestock in totes for a few days.

I like some of the above ideas about tenting and maintaining positive air pressure with an air intake from outside. That sounds good. I'm just thinking about Murphy's law when your sander hits a nail and the 60lb machine jumps a foot and punctures the tent. Also keep in mind that you and your hands are going to be covered in really toxic stuff, so any tank emergency will have to be handled by someone else. It could all go just right, or it could go all-wrong. I just worry that if it starts to go a little wrong and the tank needs an intervention, you can't access it because you are poisonous and even opening the tent to say, add more carbon, only increases exposure.