Caring for your oiled wood floor

The first hours and moving in with an oiled floor

An oiled floor has a different appearance to one that has been varnished (lacquered). This is because the oil soaks into the wood and leaves the surface much more open, giving a warm feel and preserving the natural matt appearance of the wood.

The regime and recommendations are very similar to lacquered floors, prevention by use of good mats is far better than cure. Coupled with the use of a soft brush and/or vacuum daily this should provide most of the cleaning your floor will need. Periodic cleaning with a flat head mop and products such as the Bona floor care kit will see your floor give you many years of pleasure. Once again we stress that this needs only to be damp, not wet. Over use of liquid will cause your floor to look dry very quickly as the oils are leached from the wood.

After Care

Should your floor look dry and the colour less rich than it is now, your floor will benefit from a little renovation. The products used for this and the frequency of application can vary dependant on levels of foot traffic. Rugs and tape whether oiled or varnished Many people use double sided tape to hold floor coverings in place. You must NEVER do this with your new floor, whether oiled or varnished (lacquered). The solvents in the glue on these high adhesive (high tack) tapes penetrates the wood and weakens the finish used, causing it to bubble as it comes away from the layers closest to the wood, or shear away from the wood totally. The best alternative is a non-slip underlay beneath the rug. In the case of decorators wishing to tape sheeting down to protect your floor, very low tack adhesive tape can be used. It is vital that exposure time is kept to a minimum and the tape is removed CAREFULLY as soon as the work is finished.

Download our Caring for your wood Floor Leaflet