Epoxy for a Hardwood Floor?

Sunlight degrades epoxy, so it doesn't make a great floor finish. May 10, 2007

Question
I am in the process of putting down a hardwood floor and a softwood floor (sinker pine). I need a clear coat that is stronger than regular polyurethane. Is there something out there like that? A friend told me he used an epoxy type coat.

Forum Responses
(WOODnetWORK Forum)
From contributor A:
I have had some measure of success by thinning West System with about ten percent lacquer. They recommend acetone, but since we are not looking for a strong glue joint, I find the lacquer sands much better. It will require a second coat not thinned. The only problem I can see is that epoxy will not hold up to sunlight. You may be able to put a UV inhibiter in the top coats of urethane. I have tried to dissuade several people from using softwoods and they installed it anyway and were sorry later.

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From Professor Gene Wengert:
I want to support what has been said about epoxy and UV degradation. It is really sensitive to UV. It is not a good idea for a floor, as light coming in from a window will deteriorate it. So, some folks try to use a UV absorbing poly as a topcoat, which does help, but then I wonder why not use the poly alone. Although epoxy is really strong, poly formulations can be used. In fact, they do make special floor poly. (Incidentally, scratches in epoxy tend to be white and not too pretty, so poly is also better for that reason.)