Special Hard wax oil

LOTS OF FLOOR FITTERS STILL SWEAR BY HARD WAX OIL

INTRINSIC QUALITIES AND LOW MAINTENANCE PROVE A HIT

Photo – Ciranova

Anyone whose childhood included a whiff of the ‘aroma’ of a polished floor will surely never forget the experience. For many people that is precisely the experience of real parquet. The patina is obtained through years of polishing, polishing, and even more polishing. Hard wax oil is undoubtedly the most recent wonder of the technological advance in wooden floor treatment. For floor fitters hard wax oil is a real technological blessing. It means they can apply a longstanding and much loved finish in just a single working session for many products.

Protection through saturation The principle of a film-forming finish like that of lacquer is totally different to the saturation of the wood. When we apply a lacquer finish, we apply a film all over the wood. Obviously, that means you can no longer feel the actual wood grain as clearly. Saturation fills the pores of the wood. And so, there is no layer of film, but the wood is filled to the top so that dirt and water cannot penetrate inside the wood. The layer which is deposited onto the wood surface after saturation is still open.

With polish It goes without saying that the look of floors from grandma’s day can never be copied for the full 100%. After all, that look was not only the result of a product, but also and especially of a treatment. Year in year out, the floor was maintained by treating it with wax. In other words, maintenance also meant nourishing the floor at the same time to keep the saturation at the right level. Floors which have been treated in this way for years have a warm and unique patina.

With oil When we consider that maintaining such floors (e.g. in museums and public buildings) is now more tolerable since we can use a buffing machine, the step towards saturation with oil is only logical. After all, the buffing machine heats the wax slightly to make it more fluid. Oil

has always been a popular finish for wooden floors. This, too, works on the principle of saturation or impregnation. Since oil has an impregnating effect and fills the pores of the wood without leaving a sealed film, it preserves the direct contact with, and the warm feeling of, the wood for the full 100%. Even the scent of an oiled floor seems to be more natural.

With wax oil The first logical step in the development of the use of polish wax is obviously that you can saturate the wood with oil and then apply the polish wax as a hard, protective, and waterproof top coat. Obviously, that means the step to wax oil and/or hard wax oil is no longer so big. From now on, the hard labour of bygone days is now replaced by a simple treatment with just one product. Some products allow for a finish in just one coat. The end result is a saturated wooden floor with a hard and protective top coat which nevertheless does not form a film.

Main benefits Just as was previously the case, this coat gets harder over the years and in proportion to how often the floor is maintained. The surface is very hard so that the floor is highly resistant to wear and scratches. Since the coat of wax remains elastic, it cannot burst.

Maintenance and repair As we’ve already said, the film which hard wax oil leaves on the floor gets stronger over the years as a result of the floor maintenance. That maintenance is fairly simple. A basic clean means vacuum cleaning first and then wiping with a well wrung mop. A detergent can be added to the water. To maintain and nourish the floor, makers offer maintenance wax or oil. Some brands recommend a maintenance session shortly after the treatment. Certainly one of the main benefits of hard wax oil is the fact that, just as with an oiled floor, it is possible to treat the floor locally in patches, either by treating high-traffic zones more intensively or repairing damaged sections locally. This is not possible with a traditional lacquer treatment.

Going along with trends A floor treated with hard wax oil looks like old castle or cloister floors. Today, we see that producers are concentrating strongly on colours. They clearly want to reconcile the look of bygone days with the needs of modern interiors, with due regard for current colour trends. With various makers the highlight in recent years has been on an extension to the colour pallet. Another trend, but along the same line, is that of distressed floors. Indeed, in both classic interiors and hyper-modern homes there is a good chance of encountering a distressed wooden floor. A lacquer finish is obviously entirely out of the question for these distressed floors. This is not only due to the much coveted contact with the wood and (in this case) with the flaws of the wood, but also for a purely practical reason. Lacquering a distressed floor would mean you could never renovate or treat the floor without eliminating the effects of the distressing process. Hard wax oil also benefits largely from the fact that distressed floors account for a good share of the market.

Applying hard wax oil The way in which hard wax oil should be applied varies according to the brand of the oil. Nevertheless, we see a number of common procedures which always apply.

Base preparation The surface has to be dry, free of grease, dust, dirt, and any residues of old coasts of wax or lacquer. The bare wood should not be cleaned with water under any circumstances. New floors and floors with an old coat of wax or lacquer are sandpapered with grains 40, 80, and 120. For engineered or traditional parquet floors you use grains 80 and 120. After sandpapering with grain 80, any joints or cracks should be removed using a filler kit. The next sandpapering is done with grain 120.

Handling Just about all hard wax oils are products which are ready for use. And so, they should never be diluted and should be well stirred. The application procedure depends on the product. Some brands require two coats, whilst others can be applied in a single work session. In the case of two coats you first apply a thin coat which is left to dry for 24 hours. The second coat is applied in the same way. A number of makers recommend a treatment with maintenance oil about two weeks after the initial floor treatment. For the one-coat system you should read the maker’s instructions carefully with regard to the amounts to be used and the application method.

What offers the market ?

Blanchon

The ‘Hard Wax Oil from Blanchon offers nothing but benefits for both floor fitters and end users. The ease of application is one thing, but the simplicity and speed of maintenance is another asset. Moreover, the hard wax oil from Blanchon offers endless application possibilities for finishes (shades, wood tones, and colour nuances). In natural silk matt and natural ultra-matt Blanchon presents firstly Easy Oil™, which offers a very attractive result in two coats without sandpapering. Apart from the traditional hard oil Easy Oil™, Blanchon also presents its Hard Wax Oil high solid’. This hard wax oil impregnates, colours, and protects a parquet floor in one single operation. The hard wax oil feeds the wood and protects it deep down. Thanks to the composition of the hard wax oil, which is very rich in natural and renewable raw materials, it dries very quickly and with hardly any unpleasant smells. Since this year, they have had 41 colours (20 of which are shades of grey and one metal colour). Due to the addition of a pre-dosed hardener (20%), drying and setting take just a few hours. This system is highly recommended for high-traffic floors such as in shops, museums, catering establishments, and such like. New in the Blanchon range is the Hard Wax Oil SD (Superior Density), which offers excellent resistance and can be applied in one day (2 coats/8 hours to dry). They have 36 powerful and deep colours available. Finally, Blanchon also offers a Maintenance Oil for the maintenance of all floors finished with oil or wax oil, including floors oiled in the factory. Worth knowing: the new ‘ultra-matt’ finish gives exceptional results when applied in thin coats along the strips.

Since 1832

INTENSIV ® LACQUER

The favourite high traffic lacquer which keeps the natural colour of the wood

■ 2K Water Based PU Lacquer ■ Exceptional Resistance ■ Odourless ■ Natural finish ■ gloss - satin - matt - invisible effect - ultra matt - bare timber (unfinished look)

www.blanchon.com Briançon

The main extra benefits offered by hard wax oil as opposed to conventional oil are the silky feel and the look. Briançon offers a hard wax oil in the L’Arbre de Noé range. Obviously, this product is based on natural resources. It is applied with a roller or spatula. The two finishes are ‘colourless matt’ and ‘oak’. This hard wax oil is designed specially to bring out the best in noble wood sorts. Amongst other things, the oil contains water, soya, modified wax, transparent iron oxide, and hydroxyethylcellulose.

Chimiver

LIOS HARD WAX BOIL 3D is a product based on natural oils and waxes that gives to the treated wood a warm and smooth look, typical of natural oil finishes. Its excellent impregnating power makes it ideal for direct treament of wood; the second coat protects and gives depth enhancing the wood grain. Fill the wood floor and sand it with 120 paper grit vacuum it carefully. Apply by roller / brush the first coat along the wood grain. Once the floor is walkable, after 6-8 hours (depending on temperature), apply the second coat following same procedure. After 12 hours in order to give more smoothness to the floor, is suggested to felt the surface with a soft cotton cloth. The drying time of the product on some wooden spieces (i.e. IPE LAPACHO) is quite longer. If customer needs to stain the wood, is possible to apply ourrange of LIOS BOIL Color making exception of LIOS BIOIL Bianco. After 24 hours proceed with standard application of 2 coats of LIOS HARD WAX BOIL 3D as above explained. The ordinary maintenance has to be done with LIOS SOFT BALM.

Ciranova Ciranova has a detailed range of different oils. The oiled floor gives a matte, natural finish that maintains the natural appearance of the wooden surface. The oils are providing natural protection to the wood and have excellent chemical and mechanical resistances, easy to maintain and to protect. The most popular oils are the Hardwaxoil TITAN, UN1CO and Hardwaxoil MAGIC. Hardwaxoil TITAN is especially developed for onsite application with a roller providing natural protection. It’s also possible to finish our Hardwaxoils and UN1CO with the Hardwaxoil TITAN as a finishing coat for a perfect protection. UN1CO is our 2-component, 1-coat oil of the newest generation to

Osmo

colour and protect the wood with just one coat. The combination of oil with hardener ensures quick drying and excellent chemical durability. Hardwaxoil MAGIC gives the wood a good filling, a natural colour and very good chemical & wear resistance. The MAGIC is available in 16 trendy colours for onsite and industrial application. Please contact us if you need more information or if you want to have samples.

DevoNatural® Devomat presents DevoNatural® Hard Wax Oil in colourless and whitewashed white. DevoNatural® Hard Wax Oil can be applied to both commercial floors and high-traffic domestic floors. The product is easy to apply and kneads simply into open wood pores. Once the product is dry, it forms a strong seal to ward off dirt and fluid. DevoNatural® Hard Wax Oil can be applied to all sorts of wood (e.g. parquet, wooden floors, cork, furniture, wooden walls, etc.) and also to porous stone floors such as terracotta. Since the product is waterproof, it can also be used on bathroom parquet and furniture. Special features: Parquet, and wood in general, stays elastic with DevoNatural® Hard Wax Oil and the oil film ensures greater resistance to wear and stains. Maintenance products, such as the detergent DevoNatural® Hard Wax Oil Cleaner and the renewer DevoNatural® Hard Wax Oil Renewer, keep your floor in ideal condition and extend its lifespan considerably.

Osmo Polyx®-Oil Original is a microporous and breathable wood coating that is especially suited to protect wooden flooring. After two coats, the wood surface is water and dirt repellent, hardwearing and extremely durable. Osmo Polyx®-Oil Original is based on natural raw materials that enhance the colour of wood. When dry, the wood coating is resistant to saliva and perspiration and thus also suitable for children’s toys. Osmo Polyx®-Oil is available in different variations: Original, Rapid, Effect, Tints and Pure.

Pallmann Compared to ordinary oils, floors treated with hard wax oil are suitable to be used in heavy wear areas due to their good resistance to mechanical and chemical stress. Hard wax oils dry very fast and can be cleaned more easily than other oiled floors. The application of hard wax oil via roller is easy to handle. In general hard wax oil products contain solvents and are therefore cheaper than other oil products. Pallmann provides the solvent-based 1-component Pallmann Hardwaxoil and the solvent-free Eco Oil 1K. The new Eco Oil 1K is ready to use without mixing, and can easily be applied with an application roller. Eco Oil 1K is also available in three color variants. After applying twice, no polishing is necessary. Thanks to the fast drying, the oil can be sanded and reworked after approx. 2 hours drying time. This allows a fast application process and reduces costs. Eco Oil 1K has been awarded the Emicode EC1 Plus for very low emission products. To be awarded this merit, a product must meet the highest standards for a healthy living environment.