Floor Finishings - Part Two

May 2026

On the first of four scheduled trips for the 2026 season, finishing off 2025 season tasks was on the top of my list. 

First job was to put a final coat of concrete sealer on the kitchen U room to complete the floor treatment. I vacuumed and mopped the floor and then got to that final sealer coat. Done!

Looks a bit patchy here because it's still wet.

The living room U required mopping and vacuuming and then another application of the stain/poly finish (totalling 4) and then a final coat of concrete sealer. Done!

Finally, the U room floors are complete (not pictured here). We’ll see how well the floors hold up with wear and tear. Overall, I’m happy with the treatment and the colour that complements the outside colour of the ‘ship. But it’s a bit bittersweet that we aimed for this leather-look to only land with a solid painted look. In the end, we could have chosen a product that gave us an opaque finish from the get-go. Nothing ventured nothing gained!

Finishing the utility room and bathroom floors are on hold as more work with fixtures and installations, etc is happening in those locations. I’ll come back to finish those floors once that work is complete. They both require more coats of stain/poly mix* and a final seal.

*Footnote for the most beginner DIYer like moi on choosing products. I recommend you choose comparable brands that are available from the same store. Unbeknownst to me, when I started on this project, different hardware stores don’t stock all the same brands! Certain brands are associated with certain corporate chains. Minwax is mentioned in the Wells book, so we chose a Minwax product. But Minwax is only available, at this time of writing, at Rona. There is a Rona about 30km away from the Earthship and opens early, closes early. That’s a one-hour trip just to buy product; not a good use of our limited time to do work up there. The Rona closest to me at home is about a 30-40 minute drive and not on a usual route. My Dad helpfully got the Burnt Sienna Minwax in 2025 from an easily accessible Rona where he lives and brought it with him for our Earthship work week. The rest of the products (Behr) I bought at Home Depot nearest to my home as that was the closest and most convenient. The next season, however, when we needed a bit more product to complete this project, I found myself driving all over God’s city-country of Toronto to get the same products (I was wary of mixing brands and products at this late stage). Also, unused & unopened product returns are a hassle if the store isn’t close or have open hours that suit your schedule.