The natural beauty and warmth of real timber never ceases to add a sense of luxury and class to any space.
You might be considering what finish to choose or wanting to understand why you even need to finish a raw timber floor.
The finish acts as a barrier between the natural wood and foot traffic, heavy furniture and other objects that come into contact with the floor surface. At VidaSpace we’re passionate about design and long-lasting design outcomes.
We’re pleased to promote the new generation UV-cured Oil finish which is used on many of our flooring planks. This is a specialisation of our European manufacturing partners and something that is now commonplace across European interiors both because of the lustre and performance features.
Oil finishes have been used to protect and beautify wood flooring for centuries. The natural beauty of the wood grain is brought to the fore when an oil penetrates its surface.
While there’s naturally oiled floors, which are the most beautiful, they do need more regular care and maintenance to keep the surface topped up with oil so it is protected from moisture, dirt and dust.
The new generation UV-Cured hardwax oil uses the same natural oils but these are hardened in the factory.
Each board is coated between five and seven times, and cured with a UV lamp between coats to produce a protective, muted appearance. If an UV Oiled floor is scratched, it can be retouched with oil to diminish the mark.
A UV Oil finish offers the soft natural appearance of an oil finish with the easier care requirements of a polyurethane finish.
Compared to the traditional polyurethane/lacquer coated boards we’re used to seeing in NZ, a UV Oiled floor gives some huge benefits.
Most clients invest in wood floors because they appreciate the look of real wood. That distinctive natural grain, texture, and colouring set wood apart from many other synthetic flooring materials by adding a sense of genuine beauty to a space. UV Oil finishes capture the spirit of wood and preserve that native beauty for years and years.
Oil actually penetrates the board surface, highlighting the character of the grain and wood colouring and nuances you miss with a polyurethane/lacquer.
Along with that, the matte finish of an Oiled floor is unmistakable. In a world where materials are further and further from its real character, an Oiled or UV Oiled floor is a welcome sight.
The UV-curing process in the factory gives UV Oiled floors a consistent sealed coating, that is durable enough for commercial uses.
Oil soaks into the flooring during this finishing process, becoming crystallized within the wood fibers and leaving a transparent topcoat on the planks. This film is flexible and creates a soft matte finish that’s water repellent and resistant to traffic wear and tear.
High-gloss finishes tend to show scratches easily due to the amount of light reflected, flooring manufacturers have adapted to semigloss or matte finishes in recent years. With UV oiled wood flooring you can hide these small markings due to the matte finish reflecting low light. A soft matte finish helps markings and dents blend into the existing grain, without a noticeable contrast in the topcoat.
If you have an unusual event that scratches a polyurethane floor it can be difficult to repair since you’ll see a permanent white scratch line in the plank.
This requires a full resand or boards to be replaced to bring it back to normal.
With a UV Oiled board, it has natural grooves and textures that show through. If you get a minor scratch or abrasion, it doesn’t show such a dominant white line. And repairing it is simple with the addition of our Liquidwax that is buffed into the floor if such an issue arose.
For deeper scratches, it may require the scratch to be sanded out with a fine grain sandpaper. Sanding the surface lightly in the direction of the grain and then working some of our Marldon Hardwax Oil into the surface with a cotton cloth will remove the signs of the scratch.
Aside from vacuuming/sweeping and regular spray mop cleaning, which is required for any floor, a UV Oil floor can be refreshed from looking dull and flat.
Liquidwax is a shampoo-like solution which contains in part the waxes and oils of the original floor finish, and this can be applied easily using a microfibre cloth, or the same mop and cleaning head from the spray mop.
In addition to refreshing the floor finish, Liquidwax is also useful to assist in removing any deep stains, superficial surface scratching and/or dryness/dullness in high sun/traffic areas. Use Liquidwax as required, not necessarily periodically, and if maintained correctly, UV Oil floors do not require sanding and refinishing.
Any spills should be cleaned up immediately.
Full Cleaning/maintenance guidelines can be downloaded here
A well cared for oiled floor should not need sanding over time like a polyurethane coated floor, since it can be applied around furniture and only in worn areas. This saves you moving furniture around and shifting out of the space or closing your business while vapours dissipate from the polyurethane.
Hardwax Oils used in coatings of UV Oiled floors are predominantly derived from vegetable oils.
These are renewable sources and using UV Oil ensures that VOC gases will not be introduced in your home, as is the case with some polyurethane/lacquer coatings.
Also worth noting is the lifetime cost comparison between finishes.
If cared for, Oiled floors will last a much longer period without the investment in sanding. This also means less waste creation as there is with floor sanding, and the usable wood surface is kept in use rather than removed each time.
UV Oiled floors never require a further finish on site after install, as is the case with any natural oiled floors.
Also as noted above, the lifetime cost can be less since the need for sanding can be removed.
UV Oil also creates a more comfortable surface on your wood flooring. High-gloss finishes like polyurethane tend to present a cool surface, while oiled wood floors are warm and soothing for bare feet.
There’s a lot of things to consider!
At VidaSpace we’re passionate about design and sustainability so we promote UV Oiled floors for the right project.
Reach out to us or visit a showroom to have a consultation about what will suit your project, we’d be glad to explain which option will best suit your requirements.
Elevate your interior with VidaSpace. Contact us and one of our team of trained interior designers will be able to guide you through the process.
