Heidelberg High Durability (HHD) Hardwood Floor Finish
The Product
Heidelberg High Durability (HHD) Finish is a massive breakthrough in wood finish technology that not only offers the best scratch/dent resistance with easy maintenance but is also chemical/solvent resistant that makes floor finish stain resistant to typical household messes such as wine, coffee, soda, but also a resistant to pet accidents.
Before I get to the whole story, here’s the bullet points of the key benefits of the HHD finish for you folks quickly skimming through:
- Unsurpassed scuff/scratch resistance which we accomplished without Aluminum Oxide.
- Absolutely NO VOC emissions.The finish is 100% cured so there’s no off-gassing of any kind in your home
- Chemical/Solvent resistance. This gives the finish it’s stain and pet urine resistance
- Sterilization of floor is part of the process. The UV lights that cure the finish destroy bacteria, mold, and fungus.
First, I want you to meet Zoey and Ellie as they were a big part of our tests. Zoey is a 9-year old Newfoundland weighing in a 110 lbs. Ellie is a 9-week old Newfoundland pup weighing in at 15 lbs in the photos and during testing.
The Discovery
The Breakthrough
The breakthrough of the HHD finish was not really an accident, but more of an unintended result of our research and development on creating a urethane finish that was identical looking to natural oil finish. We did succeed with the finish that looks identical to oil but with the ease of maintenance of a urethane finish which we currently call Ultra Matte. However, during that R&D, we discovered the recipe for the HHD finish. I won’t publish or say the exact recipe, but I will tell consumers the ingredients and share MSDS reports, so you know exactly what will be in your home. The best comparison is the Nestle Toll House Chocolate chip recipe. We all use the same ingredients, but some cookies just turn out better than others.
The Field Tests
My personal home was the first place where we installed the Heidelberg High Durability finish. My lifestyle puts much more wear and tear on a wood floor than the average homeowner. In the first 6 weeks, I unintentionally exposed my new floor to way too much abuse. Paint, caulk, dropped tools, wine, coffee, food, and much more was put onto the floor. The worst thing I thought I did was when I used exterior grade painters tape on the floor to cover it while painting the wainscoting. *WARNING* The follow photo is kind of gross because it's of an actual pet accident from Ellie, the 9-week old Newfoundland pup that we had just brought home and it in the potty training process.
The Results
Keep in mind, we knew that by working with a top brand of finish, we would have an extremely durable finish. But after above average abuse, I had to get an explanation of why it was exceeding expectations so well. The chemist went through a very complicated explanation of molecular bonding that was honestly over my head and won’t attempt to write here. The part I can explain this that this finish is technically not a UV cured Urethane, but a UV cured Acrylic. We use the term Urethane because that’s the general term that people are used to hearing about floor finishes. The chemist said that the acrylic attribute and the UV curing process ultimately creates a harder, more durable finish when compared to their well known, commercial grade job site finish.
Limitations
Factory Finish Only
The HHD Finish can only be applied in our finish plant. Job site finishing or hand finishing accessories is not possible as it must be done under the UV lamps of the full finish line. Yes, we can match accessories such as stair treads and stair nosing for the floor and have a 99% match to color and sheen. However, it is not the pure HHD finish.