Oiling Your Wooden Flooring to Make it Look as Good as New

While time is a great healer for many people, it’s not the same case when it comes to wooden flooring. Many a times, it so happens that regular wear and tear can make wooden flooring lose its shine, thereby making it look dull and worn out. A simple solution to this mammoth problem is – oiling.

Oiling your wooden flooring can bring back the beautiful, fresh look you have always liked, while making the flooring all the more durable and hard wearing. The main question usually asked is, how does one oil solid and engineered wooden flooring, to make it look as good as new?

In an ideal situation, floor owners should oil their solid and engineered floorings at least once in 2 to 3 years, so that the floorings get a new lease on life every couple of years. However, this is just a rough timeline, since some floors can start to look old after one year itself. Again, this depends on the home owner’s perception at the end of the day.

Usually, every time a floor is cleaned, a part of the shine is wiped off, as the oil content begins to get depleted. The more you clean the floor, the faster the oil content will get depleted, which in turn means the shine will begin to fade even more quickly. The shine of the floors are dependent on the foot traffic as well; the more the foot traffic, the faster the oil will begin to fade, and vice versa. So one can only imagine how much wear and tear can destroy the very shine and sheen of wooden flooring.

Before oiling

The wooden floor should be properly sanded before the oiling process begins. This is recommended, especially if you are in the process of replacing a lacquered finish with an oiled look. Through sanding, a new floor layer is opened up, which helps the oil seep into the wood’s surface. In other words, it helps seep the oil into the grain. On the contrary, if you are recoating an oiled floor, then you don’t need to sand the floor before oiling. During the sanding phase, it’s advisable to use a 120 grit sandpaper strip or you can even seek the help of a professional for this purpose.

Post sanding mop the excess dust, so that there is no dust on the surface of the floor. Try and leave the floor to dry, so that the dust can settle down and allow you to clean it up nicely.

Oiling the floor

The first step you should take is to make sure your oil is mixed properly and there are no pigment lumps. Leave the oil to rest for a couple of minutes, to avoid any segmentation. Use a microfiber roller or a brush with natural bristles to spread the oil on the floor. Oil the corners first, and then work your way towards the exit of the room. Spread the oil evenly using a feathering technique, so that no brush marks are left.

In case you desire a more polished look, you can even buff the flooring using a buffer for best results. Once buffed, remove the excess oil using a cloth, so that no extra oil puddles are left behind. The first coat will dry off in 12 hours, post which you can repeat the same process.