Floor's gonna be 9" wide eastren knotty pine .
The floor is going to have a minwax stain.
Project is only 210 sq ft.
The softness worries me. Mill owner ( Kellog in Bethal Connecticut ) recommends oil based poly, says water is just a joke - is for contractors that want to get out quick. But time, fumes, windows being open here in the autumnal northeast where temperatures could dip, dao anf parakeet lead me to think : water borne.

CrossLinkers Or Regular Poly :
How much more difficult is it mor a first timer to apply a product with crosslinking like Bona Traffic or Dura shield ( if I could even buy it ) than just single component water borne ? How much faster for instance does it dry than the water, how much less forging ? Dura sheild has a one step no added crosslinker product thay claim is really special ?

Apply With What :
For a first timer - though I've always done some level of construction, home improvement work - what would you recommend : brush, t-bar , the other thing ?

Why remove linoleum floor undernieth :
The floor is now linoleum over plywood substrate. What reason for removing the linoleum? We're going to glue down, blind nail the tongue and groove, and face nail with big cut nails into the beams below.


Thank for -you know, like - any help ,

Marty

Floor finishes do NOT make any wood harder so it doesn't matter which finish you apply, in terms of the hardness of your pine floor. Oil-based will look better but smell and take longer to dry. Waterborne pro two componet finishes are more durable than oil but three times the cost.

I like Bona Traffic and have found nothing better.

A Padco 10" painting pad on a broom handle is your best bet for a beginner. IMO.

IF the lino is well bonded and throughly cleaned and abraded, you can leave it in place and install over it. The adhesive you are using will determine whether or not it will bond to your old lino floor. Franklin 811 Advantage urethane adhesive states it is formulated to be used over vinyl and lino floors.

Speaking as someone that has been doing woodworking for many years, you should rethink your choice of Minwax stain. It's probably the worst quality stain you can buy. It is VERY inconsistent between batches.

I've been experimenting with dyes lately. I haven't actually put down a floor with dye on it yet, but I have some samples pieces here that I did. The nice thing about dye is that it doesn't cover the grain like stain does, it lets it show through more. It makes the wood just appear that it grew the color you are dying it. Dye is expensive, the last bottle I bought was $30 for about 2 ounces. But, you mix it with water or alcohol before you apply it. I've got a really nice silvery/nickel dye that was made from about 1 quart of denatured alcohol, and probably 10 drops of black dye.

Even if you don't go the dye route, at least choose a stain that doesn't suck. If you go with the Bona finish, they make a good stain that is meant to work well with their finish. As far as I know, you can use their stain even if you use a different finish.

Dyes are nice for small projects and furniture. I have tried using them on floors and getting it to blend together is vitually impossible. Furthermore, they are not colorfast and will bleach out very easily. Stick with stains designed for flooring. Bona DriFast stains are excellent. Dura Seal stains are good as well, as are McCloskey's Tung Seal Stains. I agree that Minwax stain, while cheap, is a poor quality stain product. I avoid using it.