Hello,
I hope I’m in the right area and asking the right people. If not maybe you can point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance for any and all help.

My wife and I are building out a 2002 Ford E350 box van for travel. We are refinishing the wood floor and I have a few questions. The wood is pine.

1- what should we use for filler? We have some 1/2” holes, and for the seams. I’m thinking it needs to be something that stays flexible because it’s a moving vehicle? Maybe latex filler? We want to keep the natural pine finish because it’s such a small space and we like the brighter look to help it look bigger.

2- do I need to seal the whole floor before applying the finish? We want the natural look.

3- what is a good high traffic industrial matte finish? It’s going to be high traffic. We want matte finish, natural color, and durable.

Thanks again for your help.
Jacob

I would post pictures but I can’t seem to figure it out.

Zar wood patch comes in a pine color and is latex based. Hole should be filled with dowels.
I recommend regular solvent based poly-urethane. It now comes in matte finish. First coat gloss, then mix whatever you have left with the matte, or satin poly for the second or third coat. Wait at least a week before you apply the third coat. Forget the "fast dry" sealer.
Warmth and ventilation helps the finish cure, from the top down.
Keep a walk off matte outside during use so the grit stays outside.

Thanks for the tips I really appreciate it! I never would have thought to use dowels.

I ordered the zar golden oak wood filler. They have to ship it because I couldn’t find it locally in AZ.

What brand solvent based poly-urethane do you recommend? And if you don’t mind me picking your brain, why gloss for the first coat then matte for the second and third coat?

All of the oil modified poly-urethane have similar resins. DuraSeal is one of the best.
The satining agent does not help build up the film, it only dulls the surface when drying. The satining agent may only be a small percentage of the quart, but it builds up the surface better to use gloss only. The final coat determines the gloss level of the surface.

Thanks for your time and help. I really appreciate it!