In this section...

• Wood Floor Sanding
• Wood Floor Finishing & Staining
• Stairs & Banisters Restoration
• Parquet Flooring Restoration
• Wood Floor Installation
• Wood Floor Repairs

• R Zane

  Bedford, 2019

  Question

  What is the Best Sealant for Solid Oak Floors?

  I have oak solid oak flooring, which I want to restore. Would you recommend sealing it with varnish or oil?

  • 

    Mr Sanders

    Answer

    Solid oak restoration requires a careful consideration of the best applicable type of sealant. Once the flooring is sanded to a smooth finish, there are two options available – sealing it with either varnish or hard wax oil. Both sealants offer various advantages and disadvantages and while we can recommend one or the other, it often comes to your personal choice.

    Wood floor varnishes create a ticket protective layer and provide a higher level of durability. While lacquers are more resilient, one of their disadvantages is that lacquered floors are more vulnerable to scratches and scratches on such floors are more visible. Also, local scratch repair service is not applicable on varnished floors and once damaged, they require overall parquet floor sanding and varnishing. Water based floor finishes come in different sheens - satin, matt or ultra matt. For our solid oak floor sanding and sealing service we rely on some of the leaders in the market today, such as Loba Varnishes, Bona Laquers and Junckers sealants, which we strongly recommend as they provide the ultimate level of protection and durability.

    Oiled floors, on the other hand provide a more natural appearance and are therefore a popular choice for many home owners. For our wood floor oiling projects we use wood floor oils by leading manufacturers such as Osmo Oils and Blanchon. Oiled floors require a more frequent maintenance such as buffing and re-oiling to ensure that the protective layer has not worn out and that the timer is not left unprotected. One of the greatest advantages of oiled floors is that minor local scratch repairs are possible and do not require the sanding and resealing of the whole area.