Still unsure what to do with my Oak floor

[Tom]

I really need to start with the finish on my Oak floor but after considering various options, and asking advice on here, I'm still really unsure what to do! I had settled on Raw Linseed Oil (and bought 5 litres of the stuff) but I've recently read that it can take weeks, sometimes months, to dry (!) even if you use a carrier such as Turpentine. So, I'm now starting to rethink :roll:

I've recently done an Oak worktop with Danish Oil and I love the finish. It's really brought the grain out and made the whole thing darker, which is what I want to do with the floor. Is Danish OK to use on a floor? If not, is there an alternative which will darken the colour, bring out the grain and dry pretty quickly?

I definitely don't want to use wax or varnish and don't need anything really hardwearing, as this is for bedrooms only...and the landing.

Sorry to bore you all to death with this again but I'm not one to rush into things; I need to make sure about what I'm doing and I'm really still unsure about this.

 

[MdB]

Osmo Polyx fan here for floors. http://www.osmouk.com/osmopolyx.cfm?chapter=29

(this picture is rather over processed and too orange and I think it was taken when the floor was still wet. It dries to a lot matter finish)

This is a bit better for the colour:

It is noticeably lighter than what you get from linseed.

We have had it one room for over a year now and it is not noticeably warn at all and seems to take the knocks very well. If a section does get worn, you don't need to remove the coating from the whole floor, you just recoat the section that needs it and it blends in. Our local cider farm uses it on the floor in their shop and it takes that traffic well. One 2.5L can put three coats on 40m^2 so it covers really well.

 

[Jill]

I'm intending on using Osmo Polyx when I eventually get round to doing our oak floor in what will eventually be the master bedroom. Just out of interest MdB what grit was the floor sanded to prior to application?

 

[Andrew Bodenham]

Another vote for Osmo Polyx wax-oil. I wouldn't use anything else on a floor now that I've used the Osmo finish. Easy to apply, looks great, very durable, easy to recoat - you couldn't ask for anything more. Nothing else comes close in my experience, and I've tried lots of things in tins on bits of wood over the years, including straight oils, Danish oil and so on. Sorry to bang on a bit, but the Osmo range of finishes are superior in every way and I use them professionally on everything from floors to furniture commissions. Sometimes you just know when a product is right for the job.

 

[MdB]

I'm intending on using Osmo Polyx when I eventually get round to doing our oak floor in what will eventually be the master bedroom. Just out of interest MdB what grit was the floor sanded to prior to application?

150 I think. i.e. still rather rough. We had a big floor and it doesn't seem to make a great deal of difference. We probably should have gone finer but the are better things to do in life than a lot of sanding. (I'm also allergic to sawdust which gives me a bit of an excuse)

 

[robgil]

How about nothing? And walk asw much dirt into them as possible? Thats how mine were done and they look fabulous.

 

[MdB]

How about nothing? And walk asw much dirt into them as possible? Thats how mine were done and they look fabulous.

That's what our local pub has done and to be honest, it could look better. But then again, a few coats of Doom mixed in probably isn't ideal.

 

[robgil]

These are mine,

and this is interesting, on the left some nice old oak or elm (not sure yet) floor boards and on the right some nice new t+g diy shed boards beautifully varnished.

oh , and my foot.

 

[Tom]

I had thought about leaving them bare. They've had about 6 months now of people and animals walking on them, which has helped take that 'flat' new look away. However, they don't look great and to be honest I don't think they'll improve since when we move in, which hopefully won't be long, we won't be wearing outdoor shoes inside. I am going to leave the 'dirt' on them underneath any finish I do, though....well, apart from the very obvious boot and paw prints :roll:

 

[skier-hughes]

I've oiled mine and although it was done in the warmer weather of the summer I did several coats on about a two or three day basis, slightly longer with each coat, as I supose it took longer to soak in with the "pores" already being filled with oil.

 

[middi]

There are lots of mixed views as to how to " protect " oak floors. I believe that all of us lovers of exposed oak flooring should differentiate between "protecting" and " looks". We tend to have this preconceived idea that oak floors should be " treated " to be protected. Why??? . The reality is that oak needs absolutely nothing to protect itself. Let us face it, the best looking oak floors in an old building are those that were originally fitted and walked upon and abused for for few hundred years untill someone cleaned them with a brush and warm water, dried them and applied a coat of wax ( or sanded them and then applied oil, wax or varnishes).

The reason why we tend to do the latter is because it looks new and clean, most of all it can be kept clean, with little effort. The oak floor board dont really suffer that much if stains an drips and drops react aginst the suface which over decades assumes that patina which is nearly impossible to reproduce. The extend of " patination " was different and more pronounced in those area's of living quarters which were subjected to more intense traffic and therefore to more pollutants. This is what we admire in historical floorboars.
The majority of us have no intention whatsoever in subjecting ourselves to those conditions in order to obtain the same looks, we want our boards to look new, clean and easy to be kept that way. I absolutely agree this concept.
So what you must do is apply anything you like the looks of, on your oak floorboards.
I have tried evrything and it all looks lovely, definetely easy to keep clean. The choise is yours.
Middi

 

[biffvernon]

I used Osmo Polyx oil on a rather roughly sanded new larch floor a couple of weeks ago. Two coats and it looks good. Understated, enhancing the natural wood without shouting "look at me, I'm shiny". It is expensive stuff so I was pleased it spread further than indicated on the tin.

 

[middi]

Agree with Osmo Polyx Biff, at least it does not look as if someone has applied this softer protection coat with 6 inch nails as it does with the commercial hardwearing, marble effect sealers.

Middi

 

[Tom]

The majority of us have no intention whatsoever in subjecting ourselves to those conditions in order to obtain the same looks, we want our boards to look new, clean and easy to be kept that way. I absolutely agree this concept.

I have to disagree to an extent. I don't want my boards to look new and clean. However, I do want to protect them from spills and stuff. I definitely don't want them to look shiny, either. The Osmo Polyx sounds good. Can someone tell me whether or not it deepens the colour of the wood, please? If it does, that's even better because my Oak is very light and I would like it to look a bit darker. Thanks.

 

[MdB]

I would say that the standard stuff makes little or no difference to the colour of the wood. The recently coated stuff is almost exactly the same colour as the bare wood. The one year old floor is darker but not by much. However Polyx is available tinted so you might want to have a look at that if you want to go darker.

 

[AMc]

I have to disagree to an extent. I don't want my boards to look new and clean. However, I do want to protect them from spills and stuff. I definitely don't want them to look shiny, either. The Osmo Polyx sounds good. Can someone tell me whether or not it deepens the colour of the wood, please? If it does, that's even better because my Oak is very light and I would like it to look a bit darker. Thanks.

I've used Polyx a lot and would heartily recommend it - lovely to work with and a great finish. We have pine floors which darkened a little with the clear satin finish in one room and about the same with matt in another. I also used the colour foundation dark oak stain on pine boards that had previously been partially coloured to even things up. It is VERY dark though almost black and a little stain went a very, very long way. After 18 months there are some signs of traffic which take the newness off - it remains to be seen if it needs to be restained and coated at some point in the future or will just wear prettily.

I used a Makita belt sander to do the floors which was a step up from the bosch 1/3rd sheet one I'd used on previous floors. 120grit belts have made the surface a bit too smooth in places and there is a slip hazard if you're wearing socks.
If I were belt sanding again I would probably have stuck at 80-100 grit - that's on pine of course so the friction on oak might be better?
If you're planning on sanding old floors then small orbital sanders will do a job, but it's very hard work. Buy large rolls of sandpaper from Screwfix (not the cheapest) and cut your own sheets - it works out much cheaper.
Handheld belt sanding was substantially quicker and produced a better finish, the belts last longer but do cost a lot more.
I had a nightmare with the full size 'lawnmower' belt sanders and wouldn't use them again but I know pro's use them and some people swear by them.
There are many and various threads about sanding and sealing floors on here - some of which have pictures of my work and other more professional work

 

[MdB]

I'm intending on using Osmo Polyx when I eventually get round to doing our oak floor in what will eventually be the master bedroom. Just out of interest MdB what grit was the floor sanded to prior to application?

150 I think. i.e. still rather rough. We had a big floor and it doesn't seem to make a great deal of difference. We probably should have gone finer but the are better things to do in life than a lot of sanding. (I'm also allergic to sawdust which gives me a bit of an excuse)

My mistake - It was 80 grit I used.

 

[rogerh]

I'd also recommend Osmo Polyx. I used the Ebony colour (which is very dark but still reveals the grain) so as to blend in an assortment of odd reclaimed boards. The final shade will also depend on the grit size used for the final sanding.

 

[Tom]

I don't plan on sanding the floors, just scrubbing them with a scrubbing brush and a tiny bit of water and drying them quickly with a cloth before oiling them a couple of days later. The Osmo stuff looks really good, so I may well go down that route now :roll:

 

[middi]

I don't want to put a "dampner" on this thread DWB, I would't worry too much about what to do with the floor, if this weather keeps up you may need it for firewood anyway :wink:

Middi