Rubio Monocoat Review: Beautiful Wood Floors With No VOCs

I can’t even tell you how GOOD it is to finally be done with the floors! Not just for my sanity, but because I couldn’t wait to share all of the details of the products we chose and how the process went. I’ll be sharing everything about the carpeting upstairs in a post tomorrow, but today I’m going over the process of redoing the hardwood floors and sharing my long awaited Rubio Monocoat review.

**2 year update at the bottom**

All photos are unedited so you can see as close to true colors as possible

How It All Started…

First, let’s rewind. If you’ve been following my Nontoxic Home Updates posts, you know that we moved into a somewhat dated house about 3 years ago with the intent to make it our own and try to keep it as green and nontoxic as we could. This led us to our kitchen renovation last year, which left the floors in rough shape. We had intended on refinishing the floors at some point since they had some wear and tear and the color was dated, but the kitchen project made it more immediate.

Finding A Contractor

The kitchen wrapped up at the end of August and we immediately started on getting quotes to refinish the floors and trying to find a contractor willing to work with a nontoxic product. Easier said than done. Through my research, I settled on Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2c as being my top choice of refinishing product and by searching for Rubio Monocoat locally it led me to some local contractors who use it.

I’ll spare you the details of contractors ghosting us and the one who chickened out after we’d moved all of our furniture out ?‍♀️ (a lot of that is saved in my Instagram Stories highlights if you want the gory details), but here we are a few months later and we couldn’t be happier with how the floors turned out!

*Some affiliate links are used in this post, which means that I make a small percentage if purchases are made through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support of Maison Pur and the products and research I share here.

Also, this post is NOT sponsored by Rubio Monocoat. We paid for all the products & services ourselves. I did a ton of research before landing on that brand (though I was briefly talked into another product by the contractor who chickened out, but luckily that never came to be) and we’ve been really happy with the results.

Rubio Monocoat Review

Why Rubio Monocoat?

• Zero VOC
• Quick dry time
• It’s easily touched up
• Many colors options

Zero VOC & Quick Dry Time

Of course, the biggest box checked here was having zero VOCs (See their safety data sheet here). Most floor finishing products are on the higher end of the amount of VOCs they contain and though the most severe off-gassing occurs right after application, they can off-gas smaller amounts for months or even years. Because of the off-gassing and how long traditional products take to cure, people generally have to vacate their home for about 10 days while getting their floors finished, but we only had to be gone for a couple of days. The floors were finished fast since it only takes one coat and it cures rather quickly. Within 48 hours we could walk on it with socks on and about 5 days after finishing we started moving some furniture back in.

While it did have an odor when it was applied, it smelled kind of like vegetable oil, instead of a more chemical type scent. The kids said it stunk, but luckily it dissipated quickly.

Texture/sheen

It has a very matte finish, which we love. I’d seen some comments on forums saying the wood looked unfinished or raw after application, but that hasn’t been our experience at all. They definitely feel finished and sealed. While it doesn’t have the hard shell, plastic-y feel that polyurethane gives, it does have a small amount of sheen and reflects some light. It’s incredibly smooth and actually a tiny bit slicker than our old polyurethane finish. Poor Frankie has been sliding some on it, but he’s gotten his sea legs and walks fine on it now.

After researching, it seems that sanding and buffing techniques go a long way with this product so I highly recommend using a contractor who is familiar with the product or if you’re more the DIY type, I would be sure to read up on best techniques for Rubio Monocoat.

Rubio Monocoat Colors

So many colors to choose from and you can combine any to make a custom mix. Several other cool effects can be used which will give a different finish, like smoking the floors, water popping, and more.

We went with the color Black (see it in both the 2nd down and the bottom square in the above picture), which is actually more of a mid-toned brown color. So many people voted for Ash Grey (3rd down in picture) on Instagram and I really wanted to go with that one, but ultimately it looked very purplish in our lighting. We’ve had gray paint look lavender on that side of the house, so I was disappointed but not surprised. I will say that we LOVE how the Black turned out and I think it’s more of a classic color that will stand the test of time.

You can order color samples and, as I learned, it’s best to test it in the lighting and on the wood it will be used on.

Durability & Dog-Friendliness

We are about 4 weeks in and so far, we’re very pleased with how durable it is. Even with kids playing and the dog’s nails, we haven’t had any noticeable scratches yet. We had tons of scratches on the old finish from Frankie’s nails. He just takes off running and plays hard which always seemed to leave scratches in the shiny polyurethane, so we’re pleased we haven’t had that issue with the new finish thus far. Even with moving furniture back in, we haven’t had any scratches or marks left behind.

Dog drool seems to be a big problem for Rubio Monocoat, with many people complaining of permanent black or gray spots left behind. Frankie doesn’t drool much at all, although each time he drinks water he dribbles it everywhere. I keep his water dish in the mudroom which is tiled and have been diligent about wiping up any water dribbled into the kitchen, but it’s unavoidable that some will get left behind. So far no dark spots, but the entrance into the kitchen has some slightly duller, though not very noticeable, spots now that I suspect is from him dribbling on the floor within the first week of application and it’s not really supposed to be exposed to water during that first week.

My only complaint durability-wise is that without the “plastic shield” that polyurethane gives, it is harder to clean some things out of the wood grain. Specifically, we’ve had an issue with paint getting stuck in the grain after some accidental drips while repainting some wall areas. The grain is sealed with the oil, but I just can’t get into the grooves of the grain to clean it all the way out. I hope that makes sense!

Touch Ups

One of the best things about Rubio Monocoat is that unlike traditional floor finishes, you can touch it up anytime and it blends in seamlessly. High traffic areas can be sanded and touched up. Scratches and other marks can be touched up as well. Any stains (like the dog drool stains) can be sanded and touched up. Only open wood grain accepts more of the oil finish so the sealed areas around your touch up won’t absorb more finish or get any darker.

Cleaning

After the first week you can spot clean with a damp cloth and after 3 weeks you can mop the floors using the Rubio Monocoat soap, which is sold as a concentrate that is diluted and you can use it in a spray bottle or bucket. I use it in a mop with a sprayer attachment.

Overall Thoughts On Rubio Monocoat

We are very pleased with how it turned out. I LOVE the matte finish and the wood looks much more vibrant now. My mom commented that it reminded her of the old oil finished floors in Boston when she was growing up and she loves the texture. We’ve been living on, spilling on, and even running on our new floors for nearly a month and so far, we highly recommend this finish!

As always, feel free to comment below or send me an email if there’s something I didn’t cover in my Rubio Monocoat Review. Redoing floors is no small task and if you’re like me you probably have tons of questions you want to have answered before pulling the trigger! And check out my Earth Weave Carpet review here.

**2 year Rubio Monocoat Review update**

We still LOVE this floor finish. It’s held up really nicely. We’ve had no issues with dog drool leaving any marks, as some have complained of. If the floors start to look dull, a quick mop with their cleaner has them looking like new again. Everyone who comes over tells us how much they like the unique look and silky feel of the wood. I mentioned initially that the floors are a little slick for Frankie. Over time, he’s learned to dig his claws in for traction if he’s playing or running around the house. So we have started seeing some light scratches. On the bright side, they’re not deep and seem to disappear a bit when I mop.