Special
Who has an oil which can finish in one coat?
A MATURE PRODUCT NOW FINISHING A WOODEN FLOOR WITH JUST ONE COAT OF OIL IS NO LONGER UNUSUAL NOWADAYS Artur Podkowa (Stauf - D) German adhesive specialist STAUF Klebstoffwerk GmbH in Wilnsdorf (North Rhine-Westphalia) has been around for almost 200 years. Stauf develops, produces and sells chemical products, especially adhesives with a major focus on flooring in general. AKZENT (with as baseline: ‘Balm for wood’) is a brand by STAUF that focusses on all kinds of products that beautify the wooden floor. We talk to Artur Podkowa about the very special characteristics of this oil that can be applied in only one layer. Mister Podkowa is head of Stauf’s technical department, that in itself is part of the division R&D. “What’s so special about AKZENT Oil in One is that you only need to apply one coat onto the wood, protecting the wood extremely well. What we do, is basically ‘simply’ impregnate the wood and fill its pores. These pores are completely saturated with oil, making it nearly perfectly protected with just one coat (applied with a roller or spatula and polish the wood floor). This is also a very pure product, consisting of nothing else but pure oil (mixture between linseed oil and soy bean oil), with less than 1 percent added dryer, that prevents the oil on top from becoming sticky. This dryer is not based on the carcinogenic cobalt, making it very user-friendly and protecting the health of the installer.” “The name of the product speaks for itself: you only need one product. This can be used pure, without any hardener, even though there is always the possibility to add such a hardener. The latter is not really necessary, but some users prefer it this way to raise resistance to liquids and wear, even though there is absolutely no need for this. This all in one oil is natural and simple and can later on easily be redone. Take, for example, a warehouse where forklifts cause a lot of wear: just like in an ordinary living-room, you only have to clean and reoil and the wooden floor looks like new.” “The drying time should be mentioned separately, as you only need to wait for about 1 hour before polishing out the oil. This oil can also be used as a primer, with a waterborne finish later on being put on top, but I repeat: there is no necessity for this, nor for residential, nor for commercial applications. The oil is moreover also labelled as a colour version, with 34 readymade colours that can be mixed. And don’t forget: this oil in one can also be used as a renewing product and even as a care product! Just to be complete: it goes without saying that our product complies to the different European standards and such as the German standard BGR181 (R9, R10 and R11) for slip resistance.” Development towards outside Artur Podkowa has quite a surprise up his sleeve towards the end of the interview. He emphasizes how the product is now being intensively tested for use… outside! “This product is so multifunctional, that some users even apply it outside. To make it clear: we officially don’t recommend this, but might do so in the not too distant future. We are conducting intensive tests towards the development of a real field application, such as for a terrace. When we will bring this to the market? Look, as of now, nothing is official, but there is a chance this might become our next launch...”
People assumed for a long time that if you oiled a wooden floor, you would be better off applying two coats. However, that claim no longer holds true. Can you apply just one coat of oil to a floor and still get an end result to bear comparison with ‘the good old days’? The answer is a resounding ‘Yes, you can,’ and that goes for both residential and commercial applications.
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Various producers bring these sorts of ‘mono-coats’ or ‘oil in one’ products onto the market and it’s noticeable that there is a clear effort to offer a product which is as natural as possible. Producers are also trying to include colouring options in the same product so that applying the oil and colouring are achieved in one single coat.
