Special
Oil for parquet
OPT FOR A NATURAL LOOK HOW TO AVOID THE PITFALLS OF APPLYING AN OIL FINISH ON SITE When you apply a finish to a floor, you have to choose between various methods. For instance, do you use floor polish, varnish, or oil? In this article we consider the use of oil and limit ourselves to finishing parquet with oil on site. After all, that is where you have to consider several factors which determine the success or failure of the end product.
Making the right choice How exactly do you decide whether or not oil is the best choice? You obviously have to consider more than just personal taste, so that’s why the following tips can be helpful. You can certainly tell end users that oil penetrates deep down into the wood and saturates it. You can also explain that the more the wood is saturated with oil, the more it is protected against dirt and stains. Oil has many benefits, but, unfortunately, some drawbacks as well. We list the main ones below:
Benefits - - - -
An oiled floor has a very matt look which is also the most natural. Oil for wooden floors is available in a vast range of colours. You can repair an oiled floor perfectly well in patches. You can make the floor look as good as new if you clean it thoroughly every two to three years with an intensive cleaner and then apply a coat of maintenance oil.
The application If we consider the application, don’t forget that the oil, which is applied with a brush or roller, should be applied evenly and thickly in the direction of the wood fibre. You leave the oil to soak in for a brief period. Then, you rub it in by machine and repeat the treatment, if necessary without drying. Don’t forget to wipe away surplus oil and remember that the number of coats of oil depends on the suction of the wood and the composition of the oil. After a drying time of 1 to 24 hours, depending on the product (check the maker’s instructions!), you rub the surface using a machine. The treated surface, depending on the product, will be dry after about 4 to 24 hours at a temperature of 20°C. The setting time is about 3 to 10 days (depending on the product) and the treatment is repeated a few times. If any foam has formed, you should draw it together and remove it.
Maintaining an oiled floor
- An oiled floor needs a coat of maintenance oil every two to three years, applied preferably with a buffing machine (how a benefit can also be a drawback). - A poorly maintained oiled floor easily attracts damp and dirt. - An oiled floor is vulnerable to stains.
The work still isn’t finished once the oil is applied. It is essential to maintain the floor properly afterwards. With polished floors, it’s best not to clean them with an excessively wet cloth, and the same goes for oiled wooden floors. It’s particularly important to tell customers that they should not wait too long to clean their oiled floors. There are various special maintenance programmes and products recommended by the maker, which may include products based on soap and oils of vegetable origin. This soap is mixed with warm water and the floor can then be mopped. Be sure in all cases to tell customers that a brief time of soaking yields better results and that it is not advisable to mop solely with water. Indeed, in that latter case this would clean the floor only superficially.
Preparation and practical tips
From oil to varnish or vice versa?
Now that the choice is made, you can proceed. As we’ve already explained, it goes without saying that parquet has to be sanded. In addition, however, there are a number of items which you have to look out for. An important point is that the air has to be warm enough, at least between 15 and 20°C. Don’t forget to check the relative air humidity as well. This has to be between 30 and 60%. In all this, remember, too, that you shouldn’t start to apply a finish until the floor is completely free of dust. Remember also to protect treated surfaces against immediate traffic. One more piece of advice which is sometimes neglected: You might think that you are completely familiar with the maker’s product, but it certainly won’t do any harm to read the instructions carefully, if only to familiarise yourself with any new developments.
In closing, let’s consider one more ‘special case’. What if a customer is completely fed up with his or her oiled floor or vice versa? How do you set about changing from oil to varnish or vice versa? In this case you have to realise that for a renovation it is not advisable to apply a varnish directly onto the oil. The reason for that lies in the fact that you don’t know which oil was used at the time and you shouldn’t take any risks. At present, there are options for applying varnish to oil directly, but with renovation you should honour the basic principle; usually, varnish doesn’t adhere very well to oil. In this case, if you want to switch from oil to varnish, it’s best to follow a step-by-step plan:
Drawbacks
When we switch to the product oil itself, you will notice that this is usually a finish system made on a base of vegetable oils and fats (e.g.
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linseed, soya, or coconut) to which pigments might have been added. A tip when oiling floors in coniferous wood: A pre-treatment with lye is sometimes applied, such as sodium hydroxide (< 5 %), for instance.
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- Clean the wood and remove the layers of detergent with an intensive cleaner. - Sandpaper the wood thoroughly (first with grain 80, then with 100, and finish with 120) and dust it. - Varnish the floor.
