Re-Oiling & Recoating Oiled Floors
Now, which products exactly are oil finishes? Well, obviously those who contain various degrees of oil in their formula – linseed, teak, Danish, hard was oil and modern oil finishes. This also includes oil-based polyurethane varnishes as well. Wait, what? Varnish?
Yes, there is a difference between a penetrating oil that protects the wood from the inside by soaking into it and varnishes/lacquers that form a film on its surface but without reaching the fibres and core. Lacquers and varnishes are also more resilient and last longer. Penetrating oils, however, can be re-coated as much as your heart desires and repaired whenever you feel like it without sanding the entire surface.
To put it another way – All penetrating oils are oil finishes but not it is not the other way around. After clearing that up, let’s move further.
The most important thing when re-oiling a wooden floor is to know exactly what kind of finish you originally used. Remember, you apply another coat of already existing product and going for anything else will have a notable effect on the appearance of the wood. You must use the very same finish manufactured by the same company. If you are unsure, you might be better off just sanding and refinishing. At least, next time you have to re-oil, you will be absolutely sure, what kind of protection you used.
Re-Oiling Wooden Floors Without Colour
Wooden floors finished in oil / hard wax oil will require a maintenance coat to be applied every 16-24 months for residential or 4-6 months for floors with commercial use.
Re-Oiling Wooden Floors with Colour
Our wood floor re-oiling service includes light buffing of the floors with a fine screen to prepare the wood and equalises the finish throughout, followed by the application of 1 or 2 coats of the compatible oil or hard wax oil product.
What You Need to Know About Recoating
The first thing you should do before considering a recoat is the condition of your floor. Is it simply worn or is there something more serious? One of the problems is that people wait for too long before doing something for their floor and this is past the point where a simple recoating will be enough. Some of the most common issues which will require sanding instead of re-oiling include water damage, pet stains, discolouration and physical damage like dents or deep scratches.
It is said that penetrating oils provide good water resistance but in our experience, this isn’t true or at the very least, depends on the product. We have seen wooden floors plagued by liquid spills and the oil did little to prevent it. As a result, the wood is stained in a rather unpleasant way and should be sanded if, of course, the damage is worth the trouble.
Stains caused by pet “accidents” are one of the worst things that can happen to your floor. All of this is thanks to the ammonia contained in the urine which has the pleasant habit of blackening the timber given it is provided with sufficient time to dry. This kind of damage cannot be hidden with a simple re-coat. You may not even be able to remove it with sanding. Just make sure your pet knows how to do the deed in the right places and pray you never have to deal with such a problem.
Dents are another type of issue that cannot always remain hidden even by a good recoating. Some marks, such as those left by dog nails or high heels can be covered as long as the damage isn’t too severe but this isn’t always the case. Trimming those nails and avoiding the use of high-heels can go a long way in fixing the issue for good.
Usually, the wood loses its original colour when exposed to sunlight for extended periods of time. When this happens, attempting to recoat won’t change a thing. The wood has already suffered the damage and the only way to restore it is to sand. Unfortunately, much like pet stains, removal isn’t always possible.
Our flooring service comes with obligation free site visit, quick quotations and free advice. Give us a call on or 020 88309782 to speak to a member of our staff, who can arrange for a free assessment of your floor sanding or wood floor fitting service at convenient for you time.