If you've purchased a solid or engineered wood floor, you may notice that over time it has started to look a little worn and tired. Well, fear not! Re-oiling your flooring can help make it back to life, while adding additional stability in the procedure. As you can imagine, one of the most common questions that we are faced with is"how often should the floor be oiled?" , the truth is; there is no certain answer. It all depends on personal taste, many hardwood floors owners may state that they adore the personality an old flooring offers, whereas others want theirs to look fresh and new where possible.
As a guideline, we'd recommend that you oil your floor every 2-3 decades. However, some flooring may require treating more often, such as every 12 months, it's hard to predict as each floor differs. The speed in which a flooring does require oiling entirely depends on the type of home that it is set up in. If you reside in a crowded home with heavy footfall, this clearly means that the floor will need cleaning more often and every time that you clean a floor a bit of the oil is going to be removed from the surface. In brief, the more frequently you clean a ground, the faster the oil will eliminate away. In the majority of instances, manufacturers recommend oiling your floor straight after installation, this is because of the procedure for getting it to you in the first location. So by oiling it as soon as it is set up, you are giving it the best possible start to life in your property.
Preparation:
If it comes to the action of oiling your flooring, there are a number of steps and precautions to take to make certain you're doing it correctly. Even the preparation of your floor before the action of oiling it is crucial, it's recommended that a floor is always sanded prior to being oiled. This procedure particularly applies if you're replacing a lacquered finish using a one, on account of the change in surface for the wood. Sanding a floor before you oil also means that you just open up a fresh surface coating, this enables the oil to seep through to the grain easier than just applying it to wood that has not been sanded. If, however, you are only re-coating an oiled floor that's been recently sanded, then it isn't really necessary to sand your floor, but it might be well worth noting that some quality might be lost. When sanding your flooring, you should use at least a 120 grit sandpaper or if you're looking for a professional sanding, then employing a sander is always counseled. After sanding it is always beneficial to wash your floor to decrease the total amount of dust which may stick to the surface. The floor should then be left to dry, this gives any surplus dust time to settle into the flooring.
Oiling:
Once this preparation has been completed you're now ready for the actual act of oiling the flooring. First of all, you need to make sure the oil you have is properly blended to ensure there aren't any pigment lumps in the solution itself. Once you've given it a mixture, leave it to settle for a few minutes to ensure that the air bubbles disappear before it comes to using it. When the oil is prepared, you should use either a micro fibre roller or a natural bristle hard quality brush to begin spreading the oil onto your floor. 1 thing you should certainly plan is the way you are going to leave the space, if not could get pretty messy! We'd advise you to start by oiling the corners and work your way towards the exit. The oil should be spread evenly using a feathering technique to ensure that no brush marks are left behind. If you're wanting a more polished end, then you can buff the floor using a buffer which will create a very smooth surface, which will reflect the light. When the oiling or buffing is finished, you need to wipe away any excess oil using a soft fabric. This ensures that no puddles of oil have been left to break on the forests surface. The first coat ought to be made to dry for around 12 hours prior to repeating the exact same process. You only have to use 2 coats of oil and after the next coat the floor should be left for a further 12 hours to dry and settle.
So there you have it, your Own North London Floor Sanding Guide on the best way to keep your oiled floor! Why not let us know how you get on, or share any tips and techniques that you may have.
