Water-Based Floor Finishes

Non-yellowing, low-odour polyurethane coatings that cure fast and hold their colour for decades. The default choice on most timber floor jobs in Australia today.

Why the trade moved to water-based

Solvent polyurethane dominated Australian timber flooring for forty years. It worked, but it came with amber shift, strong fumes, slow cure times, and tightening VOC regulations. Water-based polyurethane solved every one of those problems without giving up the wear resistance installers needed.

Modern water-based finishes are 100% polyurethane -- not acrylics dressed up as poly. The cross-linked film is as hard as solvent, it does not yellow under UV, and it dries fast enough to get two coats down in a single day. VOC levels sit between 30 and 50 g/L compared to 400+ g/L for solvent, making water-based safer on the jobsite and in occupied buildings.

The colour stays true. Spotted gum stays grey-brown, blackbutt stays honey, Tasmanian oak stays pale. That colour honesty is the reason architects and designers spec water-based by default on residential and commercial jobs across NSW and the rest of Australia.

The range

Bona Traffic HD

Two-component commercial-grade polyurethane. Mix the hardener into the base and the result is the hardest water-based finish Bona makes -- 1.5 mg/100 rev on the SIS 923509 wear test. Built for retail, hospitality, museums, galleries, airports, and any floor that takes heavy foot traffic. 24-hour return to use. Three sheen levels: Satin, Matt, Extra Matt.

Bona Traffic GO

Single-component polyurethane that delivers close to Traffic HD durability without the mixing step. No hardener, no pot life, no waste. Ideal for busy residential jobs, rental turnovers, and light commercial where the schedule is tight and the finish still has to last. Same primer system underneath -- Classic UX or Prime Intense.

Bona Mega

The workhorse one-component water-based poly for residential floors. Easy to apply, forgiving recoat window, and a durable finish that handles everyday household traffic. Mega is the product most homeowners end up living on -- reliable, non-yellowing, and priced right for the job.

Bona Wave 2K

Two-component polyurethane with high chemical resistance. Aimed at environments where spills, cleaning chemicals, and staining agents hit the floor regularly -- cafes, bars, commercial kitchens, aged care. The chemistry resists red wine, coffee, and alkaline cleaners better than standard 2K poly.

Choosing the right one

For heavy commercial -- retail fitouts, schools, public buildings -- Traffic HD is the spec. For residential jobs that need a tough single-component finish with no mixing, Traffic GO. For standard residential where the budget matters, Mega. For food and beverage or aged care where chemical resistance is the priority, Wave 2K. All four sit on the same Bona primer system and share the same applicator workflow, so switching between them on different jobs is straightforward.

Primer underneath

Every water-based topcoat in this range goes over a Bona primer. Classic UX is the standard -- natural colour, fast dry, works on most species. Prime Intense is for high-tannin hardwoods like blackbutt and tallowwood where tannin bleed is a risk. The primer seals the timber, controls grain raise, and gives the topcoat a consistent base to bond to.

Back to full range