Ozmo or Beeswax

[michael]

I need to apply a finish to a pine floorboard floor which has been previously stained with a Rustin’s wood dye (spirit based I believe). I have half a tin of clear satin Ozmo polyx left over from a previous job but I’m not sure if this will take on the stained boards. I could try a small patch to experiment but I’m sure those of you out there with experience of Ozmo will be able to advise me and save me the 8 hours drying time for the results. If the stain and Osmo is a mismatch then I guess Beeswax would be the best option.
P.S can Ozmo polyx be polished with one of those rotating pad floor polishers in a similar fashion to wax once it has dried?

 

[plasticpigeon]

Not sure. Our kitchen worktops are finished with Osmo. It is very hard wearing, but seems more like a varnish when dry than a wax, so does not really polish as such (unless an abrasive is used I suppose) . One consideration is that wax does not penetrate the wood so does not really accentuate the grain, while something spirit or oil based such as osmo, poly or french polish does which I think makes for a more attractive finish.

 

[Zebra]

Osmo says on the tin that if you want to polish it afterwards you should do so with Liquid Wax Cleaner - I guess this is another osmo product rather than a generic item.

 

[Toby Newell]

Rustins wood dye is a nitrostain, if you mean Osmo then it depends what oil you are using. Osmo make oil based oils and wax oils which are 50% naphtha solvent, these will interact with your stain, especially on the late wood resinous figure where the nitrostain has not soaked in but rests on the surface, the stain will bleed out into the oil, this may be manageable or not, test an area. Osmo also now make water based oils with very low solvents, these should be ok to use on dried nitrostains.

I am not aware of Rustins making spirit stains, if they do they will be meths solvent based and so should be less affected by any naphtha solvent.

Personally I cannot stand Osmo oils as they are just modern varnishes meant for ease of use by the low skilled which is why they are popular in the flooring industry.

I would use a water based lacquer, if you want a solvent look apply a coat of shellac barrier seal first although only if the stain is a nitrostain and not a spirit stain!

Applying a wax over a nitrostain will make it come off as wax has naphtha as a solvent! So seal with shellac first. No one ever waxed bare wood or stained wood, it was always shellacked first or coated with resin based shellac varnish like copal or amber varnish.

Osmo is awful stuff but it can be buffed after coating but not with a cheap DIY machine, you will need a proper 16 or 17 inch rotary buffer like the Bona Flexisand with the appropriate colour pad. After the polyx has fully cured buffing will have minimal effect, you will need to apply regular applications of wood soap and periodic recoats of polyx.

Confused? Just try test patches on an old piece of wood or an 'inconspicuous' area as they say, whatever that is.

In depth help and advice can be found here:

http://www.floorsanding-uk.com/guide%20to%20wood%20finishing.html

This is a much more detailed and updated version of my article here on Period Property in the finding out section entitled 'The Definitive Guide to Wood Finishing'

Best of luck.

Toby