THE HILL HOUSE

When we tore up the old carpets upstairs at the Hill House, we crossed our fingers that something beautiful was hiding underneath. And thankfully, it was. The original fir floors were still there - scuffed, painted, and full of old carpet staples - but absolutely worth saving and refinishing.

Over the years, we’ve refinished more hardwood (and softwood!) floors than I can count, and we’ve tried nearly every floor finish out there. But this project changed things for us. We finally landed on a finish we truly love for historic homes and high-traffic spaces: Bona Traffic HD. Today we’re sharing why it’s become our go-to finish, application notes, and lots and lots of photos of the finished floors. Let’s get into it…

Finished fir floors at the Hill House sealed with Bona Traffic HD, showing natural grain and warm tone

Jeans, sneakers

Refinished fir floors at the Hill House upstairs landing with paneled walls in the background

Finished fir wood floors at the Hill House with natural light, paneled walls, and classic details

psst: Are your old wood floors worth saving? Here’s how to tell…

Aren’t they beautiful?! Freshly-finished fir is quite possibly my favorite wood flooring. It’s warm and slightly pink and light (it’ll darken and continue to warm up as the sun hits it). 115 years and better than new :)

pssst: more on that paneling soon!

Okay, let’s talk about the product and application process…

Application Notes

We’ve shared a hardwood floor refinishing step-by-step tutorial in the past, so definitely check that out if you’re planning to refinish yourself, but I’m sharing the cliff notes version of this finish application below. First thing to note, when using Bona Traffic HD, you start with Bona Seal and then after it dries you mix and apply the two-part Bona Traffic HD finish. Here are the exact products we used for this project:

Bona Seal (in clear)

Bona Traffic HD (in satin)

Here are the basics on this application:

We applied two coats of Bona ClearSeal + two coats of Bona Traffic HD
Used a T-bar for even distribution
Did a light pole-sand between coats
Let each coat dry fully before continuing (about 3 hours)
We used satin sheen (it feels so right in a historic home!)

A very do-able DIY. If you’ve ever used a water-based poly, you can definitely use this (and even if you haven’t, it’s straightforward!). You basically just dump the stuff on the floor and spread it around with the T-bar applicator. With a little finesse and an eye for detail, this product is going to look beautiful on your floors.

Pole sanding fir floors between sealer coats during Bona Traffic HD refinishing process

Preparing fir floors for Bona Traffic HD with pole sanding between coats

Now more about the finish…

Why We Chose Bona Traffic HD & why we lOVE it

Bona Traffic HD is a water-based, two-component, commercial-grade finish. And that checks a lot of boxes when you’re refinishing original floors in an old home. Here’s why we picked Bona Traffic HD and why we love it! BTW this isn’t sponsored, we’re just big fans :)

1. Exceptional durability (commercial-grade!)

Durability is the #1 reason we opted for Bona Traffic HD and the reason pros choose it too. It’s designed for high-traffic spaces like restaurants, studios, retail shops - places that see way more wear than your average home. In real-life homeowner terms, that means:

it resists scratches
it cures hard
it stays resilient under furniture dragging, pets, and kids (!!!)
it needs less maintenance

With three kids, plenty of furniture moving yet to be done, and floors that already have 115 years of wear on them - durability was everything to us.

2. Clear, non-yellowing finish

One of the biggest joys of old floors is seeing their grain and character shine. And one of the biggest frustrations of some floor finishes is that yellow tint they leave behind. Bona Traffic HD stays clear, meaning:

no ambering
no muddying of grain
no “orange glow” over time
natural color preserved (with the clear sealer)

On old-growth fir, that clarity makes a huge difference. Everything looks warm and natural without looking dingy or artificially yellow.

3. Low VOC + fast dry time

This is one of the most user-friendly finishes we’ve ever tried, because:

Minimal odor
Low VOCs
Fast dry times between coats
Faster return to use

When you’re juggling floor finishing between school pickups and work deadlines, these things matter!

4. Longer lifespan = better long-term value

Yes, Bona Traffic HD is more expensive upfront (sharing the budget below) than many homeowner-grade finishes. But because it’s more durable, it lasts longer, 10-15 years and maybe even longer in low-traffic areas like bedrooms. Fewer refinish cycles equals fewer sandings, which equals less work and less wood removed over time. Old floors don’t have endless sanding life, so finish longevity matters a lot to how long a floor will last.

5. The finished look is gorgeous

We used the satin sheen, and it is chef’s kiss for old houses. It’s a soft matte finish and showcases the grain beautifully. The floors feel original, but refreshed in the best possible way. And that’s a hard balance to strike!

Before & After at the Hill House

Here are some before, during, and after photos of the floors…

Before refinishing: original fir floors with old paint revealed after carpet removal

Fir floors during sanding phase of hardwood floor refinishing at the Hill House

After refinishing fir floors with Bona Traffic HD for a durable, natural finish

Of course the lighting changes in these photos, but you get the idea. Refinishing is such a great way to bring the wood back to life and leave all that character and history in tact!

Finished fir floors leading into bedroom at the Hill House with paneled walls

Refinished fir floors running through upstairs hallway at the Hill House

Finished fir floors at the Hill House with exposed brick chimney and paneled walls

Of course old wood floors aren’t perfect and these had plenty of carpet staples, stains, patches, and fills. Here are some closeups of the imperfections after sanding and 2 coats of Bona Sealer and 2 coats of Bona Traffic HD…

running shoes

Personally I think imperfections add character to a floor, and for anything too large and ugly (looking at you large brown stain), there are always rugs ;)

We’ve used so many finish products in the past and Bona Traffic HD is the first product that checks ALL the boxes: durable, clear, user-friendly, low-VOC, beautiful, and old-home appropriate. This is definitely our go-to for future floor refinishing projects.

Here’s how much you can expect to spend on this finish…

What it costs

Bona Traffic HD is a more expensive product and I wanted to share the numbers. I’d guess that the up front cost of Bona Traffic HD is in the range of 2.5x to 3x that of basic water-based poly that you can find at Home Depot or your local hardware store. Our project was ~550sf project and this is what we spend on it (just the finish - we’re not counting initial sanding or pole sanding between coats). As a reminder, we used 2 coats of the Bona ClearSeal and 2 coats of the Bona Traffic HD.

2 gallons Bona ClearSeal at $125ea = $250

3 bottles Bona Traffic HD (satin) at $150ea = $450

T bar + applicator $45

Total = $745

Not cheap! But when you factor in it’s durability, long-life, and beautiful finish, Bona Traffic HD feels like a no-brainer. I’m hoping we see 1.5 or 2 times the life from this finish vs a basic poly. It’s definitely worth it to us!

We’re so pleased with how these fir floors turned out! Let us know if you have any questions about the process.

xx

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