toxic!

Last night we went to the house after work to pick up our clothes etc. for staying over at a friends. They had put a coat of the finish on around noon, and we got there around 6. So the first coat had had time to dry. We walked in the house and were first amazed by the floors. They look fabulous. But the very next thing we noticed was the noxious fumes that made our eyes burn, noses run, and chests hurt. We were told that it would be smelly, but i was expecting the kind of smell that you can get used to, and that you stop smelling after a while. No, this stuff is the kind of smell/fume that just gets worse the longer you stay in it. In fact, after packing up our clothes from the basement and taking them out to the car, I went back in to grab a few groceries (milk, cereal, etc.). It started to hurt my eyes and nose so bad I just gave up on getting more than just the essentials.

Our floor guy was there when we arrived, and he was starting to put down the second coat of finish, which made the fumes even worse. I got a chance to ask him about the fumes. He wears a super-duper mask (no that's not the brand name ;-), which helps, but it is still bad for him. I asked him about the "water-borne" finish that is becoming more popular. Apparently it is pretty non-toxic. That really sounds good to me at this point. I really didn't realize how toxic this swedish finish is. He said that the water-borne is a lot more pleasant to apply, but that he doesn't think it does as good of a job/ isn't quite as strong as the swedish. He prefers the swedish finish even though he has to deal with all that smell and chemicals. If I were him, I would be pushing my clients toward the more environmentally friendly finishes. I think if someone had really explained to me about this swedish finish, I would have requested another less toxic type of finish. Even if it would have worn more quickly, I would have preferred it. So, the last coat of finish is supposed to be going on this morning and then it will be done. I don't know how long the fumes will stay in the house. Once the last coat is dry, we will go over and open some windows to help air it out. So, I guess we'll have to see how the fumes are before we decide to start sleeping there again.