The popularity of wooden floors among owners of country houses and apartments is due primarily to their environmental cleanliness and spectacular appearance. The only drawback is the relative fragility of such a coating. To extend the life of a massive board or parquet, they are coated with formulations specially designed for this purpose - varnishes or oils. The latest variety of tools allows you to protect the floor from external influences as efficiently as possible.
Benefits of Using Oil
Varnish is usually used to cover not too expensive wood species. Using this product makes floor care as simple as possible. However, for expensive wood species, varnish as a protection is not suitable too well. For such floors, parquet oil is most often used. The fact is that, unlike varnish, it penetrates into the wood very deeply, therefore, protects it from moisture as efficiently as possible. The advantages of using oil include the ease of repairing the floor. If necessary, it is enough to update the coating directly at the location requiring correction. Lacquer, when scuffs appear, has to be removed completely - through scraping. Relate to the advantages of using oil and quite a long service life thereof. It will be necessary to repair the floors covered by it no earlier than in 10-12 years.
Cons of using oil
Of course, the use of finishing agents of this variety has not only advantages, but also disadvantages. The disadvantage of using oil is, for example, that the floors it covers require frequent maintenance. The surfaces finished with oil become much faster than varnish. These floors must be handled with care. All sorts of scratches and chips on them are very noticeable. Do not install furniture with iron legs in rooms with this coating. The places of contact of the latter with the floor will surely darken greatly.
Varieties of oil
This type of finish can be classified according to several signs:
by type of basis;
by used additives;
by color.
They choose oil for a wooden floor depending on the type of wood, the purpose of the room, the features of interior design, etc.
Types by basis type
Finishing of this variety can be made using both natural oils and artificial ones. The first group of funds, of course, is considered to be of better quality. The basis of this finish can be soybean, tall oil, sunflower, tung or linseed oil. The last two varieties are found on sale most often.
Artificial means are made using various kinds of chemicals. In order for them to stay longer on wood, special polyurethane additives are introduced into them. Such an oil is cheaper than natural, but in terms of environmental safety, the latter, of course, is inferior.
Types of additives used
Very often, in the manufacture of oil for wood, manufacturers add wax to it. The use of such a tool allows not only to protect the surface from moisture, but also to make it more wear resistant. Those owners of apartments and houses who subsequently want to update the floor covering as little as possible should use just such oil for its decoration. Wax in the funds of this group is usually mixed with hard.
Various types of solvents may also be added to the oil. Most often it is turpentine. The more it is, the better the agent is absorbed into the tree. Oils intended for porous wood species, thus, have a more dense structure, and used for dense, respectively, more liquid.
Pine resin is also often mixed into the products intended for the treatment of wooden floors of arbors and terraces. This natural component increases the resistance of the compounds to adverse environmental factors. Floor oil with such an additive can also be used in very humid rooms. Resin products have a brownish tint and make the wood itself softer.
Varieties by color
Most often, wooden floors in apartments and country houses are treated with completely transparent oil. Protecting the coating from external negative effects, such products leave visible its natural structure. Transparent oils are considered simply the perfect finish for very expensive woods.
Sometimes boards or parquet are also covered with tinting agents of this group. Such floor oil allows you to slightly change the natural color of the boards or make it more expressive. Usually it is used on not too expensive wooden coatings to give them a more noble appearance. On sale there are also special colored pigments designed for tinting clear oil.
How to determine the flow rate
Finishing products for the floor of this group are sold today in almost all construction stores and supermarkets. The price for them is usually quite high. Therefore, their consumption should be determined as accurately as possible. You can learn about the processing area of a liter of oil by carefully studying the label. Consumption of natural compounds is usually lower than artificial. If the owners of the apartment decided to process the floors using hard wax oil, they should keep in mind that it leaves quite a lot. Depends on the amount of funds needed to finish the floor and on its consistency. Liquid oil, since it is absorbed better, can leave more than thick. It affects the consumption and the variety of processed wood. Finishing resinous and oily wood species means less. For dry material, it will need, respectively, more.
Flooring can be treated with a tool such as parquet oil, in one or two layers. Of course, in the second case, you have to spend money on buying more material. The average oil consumption for a wooden floor is 1 liter per 20 m 2 when processing in one layer and 12 m 2 when finishing in two.
Floor processing: preparatory measures
Before proceeding with such a procedure as coating the floor with oil, wood, of course, must be carefully prepared. New floors should simply be well sanded. An old surface coated with varnish or paint will first have to be cycled, after which grinding is done. Both of these procedures are performed using special equipment. You can rent a looping and grinding machine from a company specializing in parquet care .
If you cannot find such equipment, you should try to remove the old paint with an iron and paper. This is a rather time-consuming, but quite effective way. To remove the old finishing layer, the paper is laid on the floor and a heated iron is placed on top. Under the influence of high temperature, the paint softens and adheres to the sheet.
After processing, the floor needs to be sweeping and additionally vacuumed. It is also advisable to wipe the surface with a damp cloth and dry. No dirt and dust on the boards or flooring should remain.
Floor processing
Apply floor oil to the surface with a brush with a short hard pile. Rub it on the wood should be as thorough as possible. Also, during processing, you need to monitor the uniformity of application. Especially if tinting oil is used. After applying the first coat, wait at least 12 hours. During this time, the composition is completely absorbed into the wood. When applying the second layer, make sure that there are no interlayer overlays on the surface. In such places, the color of the oil becomes more saturated. Consequently, the treated floor will not look too neat. Stains can be avoided by erasing surplus funds with a clean rag.
After applying the second layer, the oil should be allowed to oxidize. In order to accelerate this process, it is necessary to ensure that the maximum amount of oxygen enters the room. Using this technology, any oil is applied. Wax, as already mentioned, is often added by manufacturers to the product already at the stage of its manufacture. This coating lasts longer. If the floors were treated with ordinary oil without any additives, wax can be applied to them separately. This will give the surface an extra gloss.
Floor care
Oil floor treatment can significantly extend the life of the coating. Of course, only with proper care. For the first time after processing, boards or parquet become soiled very quickly. Subsequently, the number of cleanings can be reduced. Care for floors covered with such a composition consists, first of all, in wiping with a well wrung out damp cloth. If necessary, you can also use special products designed to care for the treated wood of this group.
Unfortunately, it does not provide such a strong and wear-resistant film as varnish, floor oil. Over time, its layer begins to gradually wear out. Therefore, the owners of an apartment or house will have to periodically renew the oil coating. Do this at least 1-2 times a year. If the oil film is wiped off too much, the wood will begin to darken, and in order to correct the situation, the floors will have to be looped and sanded again.
Top manufacturers
Construction supermarkets offer customers a variety of brands of oils designed to finish a wooden floor. Most of them are of good quality. The most popular oils in our country are from manufacturers such as Osmo and Tikkurila. Means of these brands protect the tree as efficiently as possible and are characterized by wear resistance.
Oil "Osmo": characteristics
Osmo was founded about a hundred years ago. Its main specialization is the production of coatings for wooden surfaces. In the manufacture of oils, the company uses exclusively natural components. In most cases, hard wax is added to the product. Therefore, Osmo oils not only make wood brighter, but also give it a little shine. In addition to transparent, this company produces tinting agents. In their manufacture only pigments of natural origin are used.
Oil "Osmo", in comparison with the means of other manufacturers, has another important advantage. It dries after application to a wooden surface almost instantly. Also, these oils have good water and dirt repellent properties, wear resistance and ease of application.
Tikkurila Tools
Tikkuril floor oil is produced by the Finnish company of the same name, which is widely known throughout the world. The most popular product is the product of this brand of the Valtti line. With it, you can protect the floors from external influences not only indoors, but also on the street. The advantages of the product of this manufacturer, among other things, include ease of application and a long service life. In addition to the oil itself, the company offers consumers tinting pigments of 40 different colors.