Oil finish vs Matt Lacquer?? (sanded pine floors)

Dee 1986

6 years ago

Hello!!

Can anyone help?
Getting old pine floorboards sanded and can't decide on the finish. I've read some pros and cons of each but need some advice on the following
- which would give a more minimalist look? Going for scandi style room design
- is oil a pain to maintain?
- lastly any pics anyone has would be amazing!!!

Thanks! :)

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Comment (1)

PRO
Cambium Floors
6 years ago
Hi Dee,

Lacquer vs oil (& hardwax oil) is one of those industry topics on which there is rarely consensus on which is best. The answer is never black or white and each finishing type has it's own advocates on either side.

The good news is that the technology behind oils, wax/oils and lacquer finishes has moved on significantly over recent years and it is possible to achieve most of the looks you desire regardless of the generic type of finish that will protect your floor and maintain it's appearance (though note later the comment about the 'yellowing' of oils).

Aesthetics aside, we also discuss with our customers that they might want to consider a few of other factors when choosing between an oiled, hardwax oil or lacquered floor - the main ones being the maintenance regime required to keep the floor in top condition, and repair options if the floor finish is damaged e.g.heavily scratched or scraped.

Lacquered floors

In very general terms, lacquers are very resilient and work by forming a tough protective film on the top surface. They require little in terms of a maintenance regime - brushing and the occasional clean with a damp cloth and a proprietary cleaning solution.

If the lacquer layer is damaged it is difficult to effect a repair that is as good as the initial finish - this is especially true if the floor was supplied with the lacquer already applied (pre-finished). Sometimes the only solution to gain an acceptable repair is to sand the floor back and apply a new lacquer finish.

Some people refer to lacquers as 'varnish'.

Oiled floors

Oils soak (penetrate) into the timber rather than sitting on the surface and are considered to be less resilient than lacquers. They also require regular maintenance - regular in this sense depends on footfall (traffic) and other environmental factors but could be as little as once every 12-18 months or several times during the same period.

We say to our clients that an oiled floor needs 'feeding', by which we mean that it will require more oil over a period of time to keep the floor in good condition.

Some oils can turn slightly yellow over time which needs to be considered if you are applying them to a light coloured floor.

Any damage is easier to repair and to blend with the original finish - often a light sand and the application of more oil to the area is all that is required to achieve an acceptable finish.

Hardwax oiled floors

Hardwax oils are a relatively new product in the floor finishing armoury and were formulated to try and offer the advantages of both a lacquered and an oiled floor in that they soak into the timber (like and oil) whilst still leaving a protective layer on the surface (like a lacquer). It is for this reason that most advocates rate hardwax oil over oil alone.

Arguably the wax layer isn't as resilient as a lacquer, particularly in areas of high traffic, but in most domestic applications it performs adequately.

There is some opinion that hardwax oils look more natural than lacquer, although modern 'super matt' lacquers are also excellent in this respect

The maintenance of a hardwax oil is akin to that of an oiled floor and likewise they are also easy to repair.

Hardwax products, have an element of wax incorporated which when buffed creates a glossy sheen. This means that the look may be less matt than you might want, however a hardwax oiled floor can be buffed until the desired sheen level is achieved - something that you cant do with a lacquered floor.

The wax layer can also trap and encapsulate dirt which will make the floor look dull and dirty, hence why a regular maintenance regime is required.

Lacquer and oil finishing brands

Bona and Osmo are the brand leaders in this area, however there are quite a few others, all of whom produce finishes, stains and aftercare solutions that are readily available online, these include the likes of Woca, Dr Schutz and Rubio.

Sticking to one manufacture ensures compatibility across the main finish, stains and the maintenance/cleaning products.

Scandi look

a search online will give you different opinions of what constitutes Scani but most agree on wood and lots of it.

Some suggest white or white oiled floors although natural is also fine, and there doesn't seem to be much guidance on whether the finish should be matt or gloss floors - so I don't suppose there are any hard and fast rules.

A while oil will generally allow the grain to show through and you can vary the levels of opaqueness from almost transparent through to highly opaque. Below is a white lacquer on oak - this is opaque but not so much so as to obscure the grain of the blocks.

Coastal kitchen - engineered oak herringbone floore · More Info

If you want a highly opaque white also consider floor paint as an option to go over the top - that way the floor will look like white planks as you won't be able to see any of the grain or features of the timber floor beneath. It also looks pretty cool as it starts to wear away over the years revealing the wood underneath.

a typical example of a painted floor is shown below.

ronseal white floor paint - Google Search · More Info

Good luck with the project

Cambium Floors
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