Finish Old Wood Floors Polyurethane Vs Oil Vs Wax

On the other hand penetrating oil actually incorporates itself into the wood.

Finish old wood floors polyurethane vs oil vs wax.

We ll help you decide. Oil finished floors are excellent for bringing out the natural beauty of your selected wood specie. The best candidate for waxing is a hardwood floor that was previously treated with a penetrating wood sealer lacquer varnish shellac or oil as wax can bolster the protective properties of. Finishes ensure that all the hard work and time you ve put into a hardwood floor shows over time and after feet paws claws and shoes track over them endlessly.

Polyurethane finish systems are applied on top of a wood floor. Polyurethane has been used since the 1970s when it took over in popularity from the natural finishes of oil and wax. The key difference between penetrating oil and polyurethane is how the finish interacts with the hardwood floor. Both are durable and good looking but there are differences.

This creates a wear layer that people pets and furniture stand on top of. Polyurethane just when you think you ve completed a flooring project you realize you have one more thing to think about. While polyurethane finishes have a few positive things going for them at the end of the day nothing quite compares to hard wax oil finishes. The two methods of finishing really stem from two different approaches to wood.

For this reason a final coat of wax often tops the oil for extra protection. Oil finishes have increased in popularity recently mainly due to a movement towards a low sheen chic and natural matte aesthetic. The difference oiled finish hardwood floors matte finish and easy to maintain. The water based versions water mixed with a resin are more environmentally friendly as they don t require the same solvents.

The oil based versions are a mix of a wood oil and a synthetic resin such as polyurethane. Yet the cells of the wood are not closed off so the flooring is permitted to breathe. Find out which finish is best for your project water based or oil based polyurethane. After 60 years in the wood flooring industry garrison has learned a thing or two about finishes.

Oil finish permeates the wood fortifying and sealing each fiber. Unlike most other hardwood floor finishes penetrating oils don t leave a hard shell on top of the wood.