Bona Mega Wood Floor Finish Review Page

© Copyright Author Gary Hughes/Woodfloor-Renovations
>> You need our express prior permission to use/amend text from this Article <<

The above text is the standard Bona Mega product introduction.

Mega is Bona's best selling product, and it's their best seller for many good reasons - Since this superb product was introduced in 1995, Bona have produced many, many millions of litres of Mega and have calculated that 160 million m2 of wood floors have been coated. I have used Bona Mega on countless occasions and have nothing but positive things to say about the product. Its very easy to apply to any properly prepared wooden floor, and has good drying times as well, which can be as little as an hour and a half or less if the site conditions are right, i.e. [central heating being on can really help lacquer drying times]

Bona state that Bona Mega has a 2-3 Hr Drying Time per coat.

Bona Mega has many plus points, one of which is that it has been designed with renewable resources [vegetable oils] included in the formulation, which can only be a good thing, and has excellent flow and levelling properties as well, Bona recommend using a primer coat before using Mega, Bona Prime would be eminently suitable, although Bona Novia would be fine to use as the primer/1st coat as well, a compatible solvent based primer can also be used as a first coat prior to a further 2 coats of Bona Mega being applied.

In my experience, whether you are using a roller to apply this product onto your wooden floor or using a more professional 'T' bar type of applicator, Bona Mega is easy to apply, and if you apply the product as you should it will look superb and leave you with a durable, hard wearing surface that will give you years of service if properly maintained. You may of noted that there are no 'cons' or bad points against Bona Mega, I have thought long and hard about any negative points for this product but there just aren't any to be honest with you, one minor critique would be the price, expect to pay anything between £50.00-£70.00 for a 5 litre can of Mega, it is a little pricey, but remember that you are getting a premium near top of the range product backed up by the considerable expertise of the Bona organisation.

With specialist flooring lacquers you do get what you pay for - shop around for a good deal, several online retailers sell Mega for around the £50.00 mark. [UK Prices] Bona have recently brought out an Extra Matt version of Mega with a very low 9% sheen level, the aesthetic look of Extra Matt is that of an Oiled finish, but you have all the considerable benefits of a high quality lacquered finish with minimum maintenance and maximum protection for your floors.

With Mega, Bona recommend light use a minimum of 8 hrs after the final coat has been applied to your floor, Remember maximum hardness of the Lacquer is achieved after 7 Days with Bona Mega. The coverage is also excellent, we get at the very least 10m2 per litre of Mega, often 12m2 + is achievable, but is dependant on many variables - Bona specify an application rate of 8-10m2 per litre of Mega to achieve the correct film coat depth. Mega comes delivered in a 5 litre can or 1 litre bottle and is available in 4 different sheen levels which are:-

Extra Matt [9% Sheen] Matt [25% Sheen] Silk Matt [50% Sheen] Gloss [90% Sheen] All these finishes look superb when properly applied and it would of course depend on the choice of the end user as to what aesthetic sheen level best suits the particular area/room that the product is being applied into.

APPLICATION

We are often asked 'How many coats of lacquer do i need' - the simple answer is as many as you like, but this always relates to cost & the time frame involved in the project. As a general rule of thumb a Professional Floor Sanding company will specify 3 Coats of Lacquer or 2 coats of Oil as standard for a domestic situation, extra coats of lacquer will be at an extra cost, anything between £4 - £6 per coat per m2 - eg. For a 20m2 lounge to be given a 4th coat of lacquer should cost between £80 - £120

If in doubt just ask your Floor Sanding Professional.

Bona Mega can be applied to a wood floor in a number of ways, a floor sanding professional will use a variety of application methods depending on the size of project, but if you are looking to apply lacquer to for example a 20m2 lounge, Oak strip, a 9" roller would be perfectly acceptable, the roller refill you need should be a 'medium pile' with the pile length being approx 8mm, a decent quality roller will have that information on the packet, use an inch and three quarter roller and cage, these are more robust and just better than the cheaper, quite flimsy inch and a half alternatives.

• Look out for a light blue line around the roller refill, this designates that the pile has been thermo fused onto the actual roller sleeve and is highly unlikely to shed hair/pile into the lacquer.

For cutting in we would recommend using a 4" Mini Paint Roller with a foam refill, these products are cheap but do the job extremely well. You don't always have to buy the manufacturers recommended products, which are normally twice the price of perfectly suitable alternatives.

The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of Woodfloor-Renovations through our experiences with the numerous Floor Sanding & Sealing projects that we have undertaken.

** No guarantee whatsoever is offered with this advice **

REMEMBER - ALWAYS follow the manufacturers instructions and read them carefully.

If you are not sure about any aspect of this article consult a Professional.

Woodfloor-Renovations is a genuine Certified company you can find us on Bona's Find your contractor page on their website