The Wood Oiling Process
This normally comes as the fifth stage in restoring a wood floor. At this point, we ensure that your wood floors have been properly sanded and power vacuumed. There is often a confusion between lacquering and hard wax oiling; the major difference is in the type of pile roller used for each process.
When a floor has been freshly sanded, it becomes porous to water or atmospheric moisture, hence it is advisable to coat immediately with oil or lacquer (varnish). We use a high quality roller for the oiling process because we want to give the floors a fine finishing.
The lacquer used by our professionals doesn’t only beautify the wood floor, but it is hard wearing and improves its durability. It also requires less maintenance all year round.
We start from a corner of the room, applying the oil mix along the ends of the corners (about 24 to 36 inches wide), then we proceed down the end board using the grain against the back wall. Oiling wood floors requires some skill in order to avoid puddles of oil or lacquer on the floor. GJP technicians are professionals at this, and we assure you of a thoroughly oiled floor with no splash or lacquer stains on any other part of your home.
Some people prefer to stain their wood floors before oiling or varnishing. We also offer this service if you desire; floor staining/colouring adds a personality to your room and gives it a cosy atmosphere with its rich tones. GJP Floor Sanding professionals use Morrells Litefast for a more appealing effect. It is also longer lasting and has a high opacity for unbeatable colour depth.
Before putting a final coat on, we usually rub the wood down with a 120 grit paper and hoover it. When applying hard wax oils to hardwood floors, our technicians prefer two coats on the surface, in some cases, a third layer may be required.
Please note that oil can only be applied over a previously used wood stain if that stain was water-based. If it isn’t a water-based stain, the oil will not sink in effectively and you may get some mixed results.
Sealing and protecting your floors is an important step of the wood floor restoration process so carefully decide on what finish is best for you and your floor. Our floor refinishing London experts have plenty of experience dealing with all types of finish and will be able to help you choose the best product for your home.