How Often Does Your Floor Need Oiling? For domestic use, we recommend to oil wooden flooring every 2 years, you may want to do this sooner depending on how much your flooring is used. This also adds an additional layer of protection from daily foot traffic or day-to-day mishaps that may damage your floor.
Before Oiling
A well-oiled wood floor normally requires a regular vacuum and a thorough going over with a moist, not wet mop to keep it looking amazing. Ideally, the vacuum attachment should be a natural bristle brush or a type that will not scratch the floor.
It's commonly accepted that you refinish every seven to ten years. Important note: some hardwood is only 1/4 inches thick. In this case, a refinish could strip away all traces of the floor.
On average, a hardwood flooring finish lasts approximately ten years. But with proper care and maintenance, it can last much longer.
According to wood flooring experts, moisture levels of between 6-9% enable wooden floors to maintain optimal performance. Therefore, if your hardwood floor is too dry, you can rehydrate it to the recommended levels using vinegar solution, a humidifier, water-based polyurethane, or oil-based urethane.
Appearance : An oiled hardwood floor looks warm, the natural characteristics and beauty of the wood can be appreciated as the floor is not sealed by a surface coating of varnish or lacquer.
Tung and Linseed oil are the best natural penetrating oils for hardwood floors. The technical term for these oils is drying oils because they polymerize, forming a long-lasting protective layer on wood and stone. Tung provides the most durable finish of the oils and linseed is not far behind.
Condition bare wood floors by filling a bucket with warm water, adding a few drops of olive oil and mopping the solution onto the floor. Do this once a week to keep wood hydrated, especially during dry weather.
The time it takes for the oil to dry completely depends on the type of wooden floor and the oil used. As a rule, complete drying takes place in a short period of time from 4 to 10 hours, sometimes up to 12 hours. But after that, the floors must be used carefully for at least a day.
It will greatly depend on the type of oil, how long the oil has been present and the type of finish of your wooden floor. If it is a brushed finish, then it can stain easier in the grain which is harder to clean. If it is a natural oil or a matt oil it will become porus quicker than satin or gloss hardwax oil.
No steam cleaners.
It is not recommended that you use steam cleaners to clean your hardwood floor as they can breakdown the finish as well as potentially cause damage to the floorboards.
Clean the surface using Blanchon Natural Soap. Mix 100ml in 5ltrs of warm water for normal cleaning and apply with a damp cloth or well wrung out mop. Do not allow large amounts of water to be left on the floorboards. (For heavily soiled floors increase natural soap strength of 250ml in the same amount of water).
Test for shellac by placing a shot glass over a single drop of alcohol and checking if the material dissolves; if yes, you have shellac. If that test is negative, the film coating is varnish, polyurethane or aluminum oxide.
Even though your maintenance efforts can affect the durability of the floor, the truth is that varnished floors are more durable compared to oiled floors. The lifespan of a well-varnished floor is usually between 5 and 10 years depending on the type of varnish used, and how busy the house gets.
Oil finishes can also be refreshed from time to time as needed without any great hassle, unlike urethane finishes which must be removed completely and reapplied as though the wood had been laid down new. With a properly maintained oil finish, you should never need to sand down your floors.
Whether you're cleaning one area or all of your flooring, Murphy® Oil Soap is safe to use on hardwood floors.
Sweep or vacuum, then mop with a commercial wood floor cleaner or solution of a quarter-cup of dish soap and a gallon of warm water to lift any lingering grime. Give the floors a final pass with a clean, water-dampened mop to remove any cleaner residue. Dry completely with a soft, clean towel.
It can take up to several weeks for wood flooring to completely dry. Also, the humidity in the room and the amount of water that was present on the floor can prolong the process. So leave the fans and dehumidifier running until the moisture test shows that no water remains in the wood.
When the wood absorbs the water, it oxidizes and turns gray. Eventually, if you don't repair your floors, the wood will turn darker and darker until it's black. At that point, you will need to replace the floors (as sanding won't solve it).
Refinishing hardwood floors is the right solution. All wood floors are protected by a clear coating that eventually becomes scratched, scuffed and dull. Hardwood floor refinishing can help you get rid of those unsightly scratches and marks.
If you only have some minor scratches and dings or a dull finish, you might be able to simply buff and add a new coat of varnish. But, even if your floors need a complete makeover, refinishing hardwood is a very manageable and rewarding do-it-yourself job that can save a lot of money.