What is the Process for Wooden Floor Finishing?

Wooden flooring is one of the most popular types of flooring that you can get. It is a solid choice for both commercial and domestic locations, from homes to schools.

It’s not difficult to see why this is the case. Wooden flooring that is properly installed and maintained can last for decades, look fantastic, and improve the value of the building.

Unfortunately, wooden flooring can become damaged over time. The solution to this is to get your floor professionally sanded and then have it finished. Let’s talk about the typical wooden floor finishing process, so you can get an idea of what happens when you use one of the two types of finishes available, either a water-based or oil-based mix.

Using Water-Based Varnish

One of the options that you’ve got available to you is using a water-based varnish to finish the word sanding process. Let’s take a bit of a look at how this is accomplished as part of a typical old wood floor restoration Liverpool.

The first thing that you need to do is fill in the gaps between the wood. You can do this using a semi-solid silicon, and then you can use some type of scrubbing utensils to remove the access from the surface to make it nice and clean.

Once the floor has been cleaned and dried, you will want to take a water-based priming agent like epoxy. We prime wooden surfaces before we finish them because it helps to remove the risk of stains and stops wood sap.

The next thing that you want to do is apply your first coat of water-based varnish to the word. We recommend polyurethane as it is a popular choice for most types of wooden flooring. Once you have put down the first layer of varnish, you need to wait for it to fully dry.

After the floor has completely dried, you can then sand it down lightly to create a perfectly flat surface and apply another coat of varnish. Most floors will need at least 2 to 3 coats of varnish to be effective, which is why you must allow each coat to dry completely.

Using Oil-Based Varnish

The other option for wooden floor finishing Liverpool is to use an oil-based varnish. This works a little bit differently from a water varnish and is usually the preferred option because it offers a better level of protection than a water-based varnish.

Oil varnishes help to offer more protection to the world, and they reduce the amount of damage that the wood takes on a regular basis. This means it takes longer for the wood to need more repair and maintenance. It’s quite straightforward to use oil-based products, so let’s take a look at what you need to do.

As is the case with a water-based varnish, you need to fill the gaps between the planks. However, instead of using silicon to clean the excess, you use something like wood putty. It’s important to have the right tools for the job.

You will need to use an oil-based primer to prepare the floor. This is quite straightforward and shouldn’t take too long. Once you’ve done that, you can apply the first coat of varnish to the floor. You should make sure that the floor has completely dried before you apply the next coat. Oil-based varnishes are very effective, but they take longer to dry than water-based varnishes.

Now, once the varnish has fully dried, you can take the next step, which is going to be to sand down the layer of varnish to make sure that it is perfectly flat and smooth. Once you have done that, you can apply the final coat. Oil-based varnishes are stronger than water-based options, so they don’t need as many coats.

Is There a Best Choice?

When looking at commercial wood floor polish Liverpool, it’s easy to assume that there are sides to pick from, but the truth is a little more nuanced.

There are basically two main ideas to keep in mind when it comes to deciding between water-based varnish and oil varnish. The water counterpart has the advantage of drying quicker, so it’s much more cost-effective with regard to time. It’s also more expensive in most cases. However, this is offset slightly by the disadvantage of being weaker than oil-based varnish overall, which does limit the amount of protection that your floor can get.

Generally speaking, most professionals will use oil-based varnishes because they are more effective long-term – it’s a bit more of an investment, but you can’t argue with the increase in quality. Professional tradespeople and companies will usually give you a choice of which of the two varnishes you want to use, so knowing the difference is very important.

Ultimately, it is your choice as to which of the two options you use. There is no major difference between them, and in most cases, they will both perform effectively for a few years. However, the real difference is in how often you want to have to make maintenance to the floor. The stronger the varnish is, the longer it will be between maintenance periods. If you don’t mind paying a little bit extra more regularly, then water-based varnish is an option.

However, we personally feel that oil-based varnish is the best choice for a long-term investment because the money that you would save from a water varnish is offset by more frequent maintenance requirements. We will offer our clients the choice, and if you’re not sure what to expect from both, we are happy to explain it to you at the time. It’s important that you make the right choice for your needs, and that’s not necessarily easy to do, which is why we recommend Taking the time to review both options. You have plenty of time to make a decision before any work is done, and it’s worth looking at both.

Natural Flooring Solutions Ltd
Bulloch House, 10 Rumford Pl, Liverpool L3 9DG
0151 541 6277
floorsandingliverpool.co.uk