In the floor sanding industry, the finish you apply is just as important as the sanding itself. A perfectly sanded floor can be ruined by a cheap or poorly applied coating, and conversely a good finish can elevate even modest timber to something special. After testing dozens of products over the years, Select Timber Flooring standardised on Bona Traffic HD as our primary finish, and in this post I want to explain why.
Bona Traffic HD is a two-component, water-based polyurethane designed for commercial and high-traffic residential environments. The "HD" stands for high durability, and in practice it lives up to that name. It cures to an exceptionally hard film that resists scratches, scuffs, and chemical spills better than any other water-based product we have used. For Central Coast families with kids, dogs, and sandy feet coming in from the beach, that scratch resistance is not a luxury -- it is a necessity. We have seen Traffic HD floors in busy households still looking sharp after five years of heavy use, whereas some competing products show wear in half that time.
One of the practical advantages for homeowners is the fast cure time. Bona Traffic HD can receive light foot traffic in 12 hours and is fully cured in about three to four days under normal conditions. That means less disruption to your daily life compared to solvent-based polyurethanes, which can take a week or more to fully harden and carry a strong odour throughout the process. Traffic HD has minimal odour during application and dries to a completely clear film -- it does not yellow the way oil-based poly does, which is especially important on lighter timbers like European Oak and Tasmanian Oak.
From a professional standpoint, Bona Traffic HD is forgiving to apply when you know the product. It self-levels well, has a reasonable open time for large areas, and lays down without lap marks when rolled correctly. We apply it with Bona rollers over a Bona primer (usually Bona Prime Classic or Bona Prime Amber, depending on the desired tone), and the system works together seamlessly because it was engineered as a complete package. Using mismatched primers and topcoats from different manufacturers is one of the most common causes of adhesion failure we encounter when fixing other contractors' work.
The finish is available in matte, extra-matte, and satin sheens. The extra-matte has become our most popular option on the Central Coast -- it gives timber a natural, almost raw appearance that suits modern coastal interiors perfectly. Satin remains a strong choice for clients who want a bit of warmth and lustre without a high-gloss mirror finish. We always recommend clients view sheen samples on their actual floor before committing, because the same sheen can look different on Spotted Gum versus European Oak due to the grain structure.
Is Bona Traffic HD the cheapest finish on the market? No. It sits at the premium end, and the hardener component adds to the material cost. But in our experience the longevity more than justifies the investment. Clients who choose Traffic HD need recoats less frequently, experience fewer warranty issues, and enjoy a floor that looks professionally finished for years. For Select Timber Flooring, standing behind our work means using the best products available, and Bona Traffic HD earns that position every day on the job.