The true value of a wooden floor is in its ability to be regenerated time and time again. Like magic, an engineered or solid wood floor can be brought back to its natural beauty by investing in a re-sanding and re-oiling or re-lacquering process. So when do you know when the time is right to do this? Depending on what type of floor you have, you’ll know. Your floor will look tired, scratched, lacklustre and generally shabby having taken a good beating from everyday life – pets, the outdoors coming in, moving objects around, spillages etc. So it shouldn’t be confused with everyday care and maintenance of your floor. However, depending on the floor finish will give you the approximate point where you’ll reach the time for a re-conditioning.
Finishes
While lacquer is a rather low-maintenance finish, oiled floors require more frequent maintenance. One of the advantages of oil is that it protects the wood throughout and, even when the surface level becomes worn, it’s still somewhat protected. This is to suit personal preference. A lacquered finish, which is available in either a matt or semi-matt, gives a smooth surface. An oiled finish, which has a slightly rough feel to the surface, offers a more natural appearance to the floor.
- Oiled Floors usually need re-oiling every 12 to 18 months depending on the level of wear and tear. If your floor is in its early years, a DIY process called ‘spot repairing’ may be the fix. Spot repairing is the process of lightly sanding a surface in preparation for oil or varnish. You can spot repair surfaces that have previously been oiled. It helps smooth out imperfections as well as giving the new oil something to hold onto. It’s worth noting that oiling wood helps enhance its natural beauty, really enabling the grain of the wood to shine through. If your floor is heavily stained, the only real option is to re-coat the entire floor. We recommend that this is done by professionals, get in touch with us today.
- Lacquered (or varnished) Floors have a much longer tolerance to wear and tear and usually don’t need to be re-treated more than once in a decade. Similar to the above with oiled floors, spot repairing can be employed with this floor finish. Again we would recommend a professional to undertake the re-varnish process however there are plenty of DIY videos and lots of advice out there about how to go about it yourself.
To keep your wooden floor at its beautiful best, make sure you take good care of it. To ensure it lasts a lifetime, recondition it when it needs it most. View our engineered and solid wood floors here.