Helsinki and Uusimaa
Floor lacquering and oiling
Floor lacquering (often called varnishing) and oiling both protect sanded wood, but in different ways: lacquer leaves a thin protective layer on the surface, while oil soaks into the wood and the surface keeps a natural look. The craftsman helps you choose which suits your home, and also does colour toning and waxing.
- Lacquer
- Oil and hardwax oil
- Colour toning and waxing
- Care instructions
Lacquer or oil: a comparison
Both are good choices. The difference is in how the surface looks, how it wears and how it is looked after.
| Property | Lacquer | Oil |
|---|---|---|
| Look and feel | A thin protective layer on the wood. Sheen: matt or satin. | The oil soaks into the wood. The surface keeps a natural look and you can feel the grain. |
| Durability | Very good, especially with two-component lacquer. Protects against water and dirt as soon as it has cured. | Good, if the floor is looked after. In the first days and weeks the surface is more sensitive to water and stains. |
| Everyday care | A vacuum cleaner and a slightly damp mop with a cleaner for lacquered floors. | A vacuum cleaner and a damp mop with cleaning products made for oiled floors. |
| Repairs | Spot repairs remain visible. Worn lacquer is lightly sanded across the whole room and lacquered again. | A worn or scratched spot can be re-oiled so that the repair blends in with the rest of the surface. |
| Best suited to | Kitchens, hallways, children's rooms and homes with pets, if you want less maintenance. | Living rooms and bedrooms, if you want the look of natural wood. In kitchens and hallways it needs more frequent care. |
| Children and pets | Stands up better to liquids. Scratches remain visible in the lacquer. | Scratches are easier to repair on the spot. Spills must be wiped up quickly. |
| Underfloor heating | Suitable with a primer that reduces side-bonding between the boards. | Well suited, because oil does not glue the boards together. |
| When to renew | When the lacquer is worn: full sanding and new lacquer. The craftsman does not do refreshes. | When the surface turns dull or dry: maintenance oiling, at home usually every 1–2 years. |
Exact times and products depend on the lacquer or oil chosen. The craftsman tells you the exact times for your floor at handover.
Parquet lacquering (varnishing)
Lacquer is applied in three coats. Each coat dries for 2–3 hours, and up to two full coats are applied per day.
If more than a day has passed since the previous coat, the surface is lightly sanded with a fine grit before the next one. This makes sure the new coat bonds properly.
You can choose the sheen. Matt hides scratches and dust better; satin reflects more light. For high-traffic surfaces, two-component water-based lacquer is a good choice.
During lacquering the room must be at 18–25°C with relative humidity of 30–60%; the exact range depends on the product.
Oiling a parquet floor
Hardwax oil is applied in two thin coats, and each coat dries for 8–10 hours.
An oiled floor is not wet-cleaned until the oil has cured. How long that takes depends on the oil: from 5 days to 3 weeks. The craftsman tells you the exact time at handover.
The advantage of an oiled floor is that it can be repaired: a worn or scratched spot can be re-oiled on its own, without sanding the whole room.
Parquet toning and waxing
A floor can be toned lighter, greyer or darker. The same tone looks different on different woods and after different sanding, so it is worth making a test patch on site before toning the whole floor.
On a dark tone, sanding marks, dents and dust show more than on a light one. Oak contains tannin, which can darken the wood on contact with some water-based products or iron objects. That is another reason for a test.
Wax gives a soft sheen but needs frequent care and does not tolerate water. A waxed floor cannot simply be lacquered over later: the wax has to be removed completely by sanding.
When is full sanding needed?
The craftsman does not refresh lacquered floors, because a new coat of lacquer over the old one does not look good. When the lacquer is worn, the floor is fully sanded and lacquered again.
Full sanding removes the old lacquer together with the worn top layer of wood, so the floor gets an even new surface.
An oiled floor often only needs maintenance oiling: it is cleaned with oil soap and a thin coat of maintenance oil is applied with a roller. We do not offer maintenance oiling as a separate job, because the craftsman travels to work from Tallinn. You can do it yourself or hire a local flooring company. You get the instructions at handover.
When the floor can be used
These times apply at about 20°C. In cool, humid conditions it takes longer.
| Finish | Walk on | Light furniture | Rugs, heavy furniture | Wet cleaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two-component lacquer | after 6–8 h | after 12–24 h | after 3 days | after 1 week |
| One-component lacquer | after about 8 h | after 24 h | after 1 week | after 1 week |
| Hardwax oil, 2 coats | the next day | carefully, the next day | after 10–14 days | once cured, after 2–3 weeks |
| Two-component oil | the next day | after 1–2 days | after 5–7 days | after 1–5 days, depending on the oil |
The craftsman tells you the exact times for your floor at handover.
During finishing and the first days
A few simple things help the finish cure properly.
- Air the room moderately, without draughts or direct sunlight. Drying too fast leaves marks on the surface.
- Water-based lacquer has little odour, but the room still needs airing. The smell of solvent-based oil can linger for a few days.
- During lacquering and oiling it is best to stay elsewhere, especially with children and pets.
- With underfloor heating, the heating is turned down for the finishing so that the floor surface is about 15–22°C. Afterwards it is raised gradually.
- Put felt pads on furniture legs before you bring the furniture back.
A finish is only as good as the sanding beneath it
Lacquer and oil do not hide sanding defects; they bring them out. Swirl marks, unsanded corners and unfilled gaps are obvious as soon as the finish goes on. That is why the craftsman sands with progressively finer abrasives before finishing and checks the surface against the light.
The lacquers and oils come from Bona, Osmo and Berger-Seidle. The quote states which products will be used on your floor and how many coats will be applied. That way you can genuinely compare quotes.
Lacquering and oiling: questions
Which is better, lacquer or oil?
Neither is better in general. Lacquer stands up better to liquids and needs less care. Oil keeps the wood natural and a worn spot can be repaired on its own, but it needs maintenance oiling from time to time. The craftsman will recommend what suits your room when preparing the quote.
Can a lacquered floor be oiled later?
Yes, but the lacquer must first be removed completely by full sanding. Oil has to soak into the wood; it will not soak into lacquer.
How many coats of lacquer go on a floor?
Lacquer is applied in three coats, hardwax oil in two. The product name is stated in the quote.
How often does an oiled floor need maintenance oiling?
At home usually every 1–2 years, more often in kitchens and hallways, up to twice a year. The first maintenance oiling is done no sooner than a month after oiling. A good sign is when the surface starts to look dull or dry.
Can a toned floor be made lighter later?
Only by sanding it fully again, because the tone is in the top layer of the wood. In soft wood such as pine, a dark tone can soak in deeper and may not disappear completely. That is why it is worth making a test patch before toning the whole floor, so that you can see the tone on your own floor.
Not sure which to choose?
The craftsman recommends what suits your home. A quote from photos is free.