What is Bona Chroma®, and do you use it in North Alabama?

Yes. Bona Chroma® is Bona's professional color system — the stain and tint work we use when a floor needs a specific tone. Other shops may be Bona certified and still use Bona finishes. Certification is a training badge, not the same thing as using Chroma. We don't claim every Bona product is ours alone. If the job only needs a standard stain and Traffic HD, we say so.

Can Bona Chroma® skip a full re-sand?

Sometimes. On a sound floor, complementary pigment in sealer and topcoats can correct a tone without cutting back to raw wood. That's how an Athens 2¼" red oak install avoided a full re-sand. It only works when the finish can take the correction. It isn't a screen-and-recoat, and it isn't a shortcut when traffic wear is through the finish. We sample on your boards.

Is Bona Chroma® the same as being Bona certified?

No. Bona certification is a training and product credential a lot of shops carry — including showrooms that also sell vinyl and carpet. Bona Chroma® is a specific color system. We're a hardwood install and sand-and-finish crew that uses it. We don't claim every Bona product is ours alone. If the job only needs a standard stain and Traffic HD, we say so.

Do you use Bona Chroma® on LVP or vinyl?

No. Chroma is a hardwood color system. We sand hardwood, finish it, and build stairs. Vinyl, carpet, laminate, a screen-and-recoat, and cabinet refinishing aren't the work.

Is Bona Traffic HD low-VOC or GREENGUARD Gold certified?

Yes. Bona Traffic HD is a waterborne, low-VOC professional finish and is GREENGUARD Gold certified. That indoor-air claim belongs to the Bona product, not a company-wide GREENGUARD certification for Alabama Hardwood Restoration. Kids and pets still stay off wet finish. For a 0% VOC hardwax oil, we're the only hardwood company in North Alabama using Rubio Monocoat® Oil Plus 2C.

Bona Chroma® Hardwood Color in North Alabama

Bona Chroma® is not the same as being Bona certified

Plenty of North Alabama flooring shops are Bona certified. That credential means they have trained on Bona products and can buy and apply them. Some of those shops also sell LVP, vinyl, and carpet. Certification is a product badge, not a hardwood-only practice. It is not the same thing as using the Bona Chroma® color system on a sand-and-finish job.

Alabama Hardwood Restoration is a sand-and-finish crew. We use Bona Chroma® color systems in North Alabama. We're a hardwood company. LVP, vinyl, carpet, and laminate aren't what we install. A showroom that also sells vinyl is a different business. Chroma is Bona's professional color system — the stain and tint work we use when a floor needs a specific tone, or when complementary pigment in the finish can correct a color without cutting the floor back to raw wood. We don't claim every Bona finish is ours alone. Traffic HD and other Bona products are used by certified shops. The hardwax-oil path is separate: We're the only hardwood company in North Alabama using Rubio Monocoat®.

When color correction can skip a full re-sand

If the existing finish is sound and the problem is undertone — too red, too warm, not the sample the homeowner signed off on — complementary color in sealer and topcoats can pull the floor where it needs to go without a full re-sand. That saves the wood, the calendar, and the budget. It only works when the film can take the correction. We sample a test area on your boards before we commit a room.

Worn-through traffic lanes, peeling film, and gray sun fade still need a full sand. Chroma is not a screen-and-recoat, and we don't sell screen-and-recoat as a product. Hardwood install and sand-and-finish. No LVP, vinyl, carpet, or laminate. No screen-and-recoat. No cabinets. Hardwood color work is the point of this system.

Low-VOC Bona Traffic HD for lived-in homes — GREENGUARD Gold on the product

Jobs that call for a film finish often get Bona Traffic HD on top of the Chroma color work. Traffic HD is Bona's waterborne professional finish: low-VOC, GREENGUARD Gold certified, built for family traffic. That indoor-air claim belongs to the Bona product system. We don't say Alabama Hardwood Restoration is GREENGUARD certified as a company, and we don't treat Traffic HD as ours alone. Chroma is the color work. Traffic HD is the low-VOC, GREENGUARD Gold certified coat that often goes over it.

Most North Alabama jobs are houses people are still living in. Kids and pets still stay out of wet finish, but a waterborne, low-VOC, GREENGUARD Gold certified topcoat is the indoor-air story for those rooms — less solvent smell than old oil films, a product tested for chemical emissions. Dust containment handles the sanding dust; Traffic HD handles the finish side of a lived-in house.

When the house wants a 0% VOC hardwax oil instead of a waterborne film, that system is Rubio Monocoat® Oil Plus 2C — color and protection in one coat. We are the only hardwood company in North Alabama using it. Chroma stays the color path. Rubio stays the hardwax-oil path. Read Rubio Monocoat®.

The Athens job

The story above is a real Athens, AL install: new 2¼" red oak that pulled hotter than the homeowner wanted after Bona Chroma Caramel went down. Complementary cool green and grey in the sealer and topcoats neutralized the red without stripping the floor. Read the Athens service-area page for how we work that market, or see the refinishing process for where stain and topcoat sit in a full job.

Bona Chroma® FAQ

What is Bona Chroma®, and do you use it in North Alabama?: Yes. Bona Chroma® is Bona's professional color system — the stain and tint work we use when a floor needs a specific tone. Other shops may be Bona certified and still use Bona finishes. Certification is a training badge, not the same thing as using Chroma. We don't claim every Bona product is ours alone. If the job only needs a standard stain and Traffic HD, we say so.
Can Bona Chroma® skip a full re-sand?: Sometimes. On a sound floor, complementary pigment in sealer and topcoats can correct a tone without cutting back to raw wood. That's how an Athens 2¼" red oak install avoided a full re-sand. It only works when the finish can take the correction. It isn't a screen-and-recoat, and it isn't a shortcut when traffic wear is through the finish. We sample on your boards.
Is Bona Chroma® the same as being Bona certified?: No. Bona certification is a training and product credential a lot of shops carry — including showrooms that also sell vinyl and carpet. Bona Chroma® is a specific color system. We're a hardwood install and sand-and-finish crew that uses it. We don't claim every Bona product is ours alone. If the job only needs a standard stain and Traffic HD, we say so.
Do you use Bona Chroma® on LVP or vinyl?: No. Chroma is a hardwood color system. We sand hardwood, finish it, and build stairs. Vinyl, carpet, laminate, a screen-and-recoat, and cabinet refinishing aren't the work.
Is Bona Traffic HD low-VOC or GREENGUARD Gold certified?: Yes. Bona Traffic HD is a waterborne, low-VOC professional finish and is GREENGUARD Gold certified. That indoor-air claim belongs to the Bona product, not a company-wide GREENGUARD certification for Alabama Hardwood Restoration. Kids and pets still stay off wet finish. For a 0% VOC hardwax oil, we're the only hardwood company in North Alabama using Rubio Monocoat® Oil Plus 2C.

Get a free on-site estimate

We decide on site whether the floor can take a Chroma correction or needs a full sand. We come to the house in Huntsville, Madison, Decatur, Athens, Cullman, Hartselle, and the rest of North Alabama. There is no public street address. We install hardwood and we sand-and-finish it. That's hardwood floor refinishing, not a flooring showroom. Call (256) 665-2161 or send the form.

Request your free estimate · Custom hardwood stairs · Rubio Monocoat® · Refinishing process · Athens, AL

Bona Chroma® hardwood color in North Alabama